The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-08-14
Ghe 99ailg Arsns.
Rocx ISLAND. ..rILTro7s
Not BAD for General Ewing
Ernrn NJ " IL

Inc opponents of General Ew;no !,
ONO are constrained to admit that he wa
gallant and able soldier in the war f.,
the Union; also that he is man of honor
ana problty and much more than avera 90
| abliity:: That is a good deal: but thew
nave been IN the habit lately of add;no
taat ne used to be republican and ''Whv
ala he turn democratY" the Suggestion
Deing that he became a democrat 70 90.
office, ~ - get
Iherenpon Ewing's friends publish q
letter OF bis, which appeared so LONG aoo
az november, 1867, and which tells nre
Glseiy why he left the republican narty
IL was because he was opposed to the az.
IRENE reconstruction laws; and what 10
tnen toresaw as to the effect of these laws
seems to US to show that General Ew;no
mad the provision oil a statesman He
nad fought the rebels and had heIno6
peat down the rebellion and restore ~
Union; but when he saw bis party estsb1
fishing State governments in the Son,b ~
the carpet bag and negro kind of wh;oh
We have all come to know since ba n,on
not willing; ana in this letter he gives
very good reasons for his opposition. He
declared himself ready to vote for General
grant but he wanted to know first how he
Stood on the reconstruction laws: and in
what follows he, as it happened foretol'l
very accurately what resulted from these
laws, which republicans now see to have
been mistake. He wrote
want first to know whether Grant annroves ~
reconstruction measures; for If he does co rat
support MIN. regard them as mischievous ~ (
got OF revenge, mlsdrected phflantbronhv ena IL
on f1e weala as soon expect house to stand
oL tue crater OF living volcano as State WIZ
" whites ana blacks being nearly equal in nnmba-
tne "hltes are prescribed and The blacks noeds
euch government cannot long have fhe
nearueIt sympathy OF any large body of white men
anywhere. Blood is thicker than wstar lnen I
Northern whites win sympathize with sontb "ru
whites IN their struggle to shake off the ;nI,b ~
negro rule. To punish the Southern x.h huous OF
.nelr treason the Northern people might noss;bI
or ume be willing to atflict them with sncb 90
1Ihnents; but self interests fOrhids n n -. |
IKE the tabled war of the belly and the man,bn
me North already groans under the nrnishnn:
now Delng inflicted on the South and must besidns
gay loT the whip. The negro governments VIE |
ormed, must be propped by Northern hsy,on mneh
and tue North must pay for the bayonets and bn,
'Ner costly, they can never safely be withdrawn
GENERAL Grant did approve of these
avs; the carpet bag and negro govern
nents were established by him, and as
Ewing foresaw, he had to uphold them
WITH bayonets tor eight long wears: and
when President Hayes removed the hav-
NETS they at once fell to pieces-but not
ihtll alter career Of EcaBdalous robbery
ma ,mtaladmlnlstration which lost the re.
'u9iican party both houses of Congress
Ind gave 1t its President 10 1876 only kv
ugg'es and 4ho exhibition of military
orce which the country still remembers t
With disgust. - IL 0'i0 /
Inc republicans were not fortunate in
ra"lng out this letter of Ewing, Il will
alSe him IN the esteem of all Thoughtful 1
a.en, tor 1t show that he foresaw evils To :
be country and to the republican partV
which many men more prominent than
q were blind. The letter will not hnrt
I'm 10 Ohio; and if he should be elected
bis fall it will be heard of next year.
who knows-we may have democratic
resident yet. ~ '''0