New-York tribune., 1879-05-29
Republican advance were forlorn hope IN
stead of being q triumphal march.
UT1LIzJyG SECTIONAL HATE."


did last week. to the war period, and tells us
that a regiment of Massachusetts, volunteers
was stationed at indianapolis in 1864, ana
that he saw them around the polls at tne
election in that year, he Is Innocent OF couisc,
of any intent to recall the bitter memories oi
the past and revive the animOsltles oi the
war; He merely cites history to enforce Ms
argument against the bayonet at the poIia'
But il is worthy of remark that II any he-
publican Senator, following the line OF MS
argument, should proceed little further
back in history. and recall the c'
cumstances which rendered it necessary ior
the General Government to station troops al
indianapolis, there would be a great cutlery at
once from ali the Democrats and Deputy
Democrats in the country against such u HIS
chievous and wicked appeal to the passions
and prejudices of the war. 1t Is periecty
proper. of course, for any Democrat to over
haul the past to show the iniquitous character
of the measures and the policy by which the
RepubIicans suppressed rebellion and MAIN
tanned the Government, but IL "ouio
be utterly wrong and out OF place
for any Republican to revive the am
mosities of the war by undertaking w
Justify those measures. No offence can
be taken at Mr.. McDonald's setting forth III
the Senate the wrongs his political friends
suffered in 1864 from having soldiers sta
toned among them. But let no Republlcan
make answer that Mr.. McDonald's political
friends, the Knights of the Golden Circle, had
set on foot conspiracy which required tHe
Government to withdraw troops from active
service in the field when they were sorey
needed, in order to be ready to meet the hrst
outbreak of their treason. That would nor
be conciliatory. That part of political history
is what is referred to- when we say, Let
"bygones be bygones.n Let us be careful not
TO revive the animosities of the war.
Conceding the right OF Democratic statesmen
to choose out from the record the OygOnes
they will "let be and the bygones they VIII
make the most of, we still take leave to inter
pose an objection to that course OF argument
which, consists in loose and lndlscrlmlnate
charges touching the motives which govern
the conduct of the Republican party ana the
people of the North. Senator Mcdonald I'D
the speech referred to asserted that the IN
"tellect and elOquence of the afrest champl-
cons of the Republican party have been en-
"ployed in the endeayOr to utilize sectional
"hate and to excite the fears and preju-
"dices of the people OF the Northern
Estates against the people of the Southern
"States.r We object to this statement: in
the first place that there has been no such
endeavor, and that neither Senator Mcdonald
nor ANYBODY else can find anything in the
debates that has the appearance oil 1t; ana III
the second place, that there is no such feel
ing rs sectional hate" at the North; neither
any "fearsn nor prejudices"; though there
may be, since the Solid South began
to develop its spirit, something like
grave dIstrlst. This talk about Sec
t,onal hate is the merest froth and
fume-the loose hux of incorporate and
mmeanmg speech. Mr. Mcdonald can
not lay his finger on the first fact or transac-
ton in the history of any Northern State, nor
upop the first utterance of any public man at
the North, which shows sectional hate. In all
the course of the slavery agitation did any
Southern man ever suffer indignity, violence,
or imprisonmcnt at the North on account OF
his Opnions7 How was it with Northern
men at the South Who did the bullying
and threatening in Congress and in political
conventions, and who stood ready to make
Of actual Eostilities Was there any sectional
hate in the long forbearance that did not
cease till the rude shock of war made an end
of if Or in the tolerance Of slavery until
the stubbOrnncss of its supporters forced on
emancipation as war measuref Or III the
terms offered at their capitulation or in the
amnesty so freely granted 7 or in the readi-
ness with which we gave them back their
forfeited rights or in the trust We repOsed in
them in handing over to them the State Gov
ernments they had thrown away Was there
any sectional hate in all this
No, Mr.. Mcdonald, there is no such thing
rs sectional hate at the NOrth-nOthing but
friendship and kindness for the people OF the
South; and we need not go far back IOr the
proof of it in something more tangible than
words. The radical difficulty is that Southern
Democrats do not and will not understand the
North and its people. They interpreted our
long foFbearance and repeated concessions
before the war as cOwardice; the amnesty We
offered them they construed as an evidence Of
repentance for our part in the war; and their
present incomplete control they look upon as
partial restitution of the things that right
fully belong to them. Under these delusions
they have assumed the old manner and
set out to repeal the legislation of the past
eighteen years. In opposition to this it is
not necessary to utilize sectional hate"
The Northern people are friendly and good
natrred, and willing to make reasonable con
cessions in the interest of peace and good
neighborbood, but to this proceeding they
interpOse kindly but decided negative.
And Mr.. Mcdonald and his friends shotld
understand that it Is quite possible for the
people who adopted and approved the measures
by which the Rebellion was put down to
oppose sweeping repeal without being ac-
tuated by sectional hate.