National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-08-15


have seeded. nor would the people of the
North have elected sectional candidate 10
provoke war. All parties all sections were
deceived. SEWARD thought II would be.
ninety-days' affair, but after the battle Of
Manassas Congress passed the following;
Congress banishing oil feelings Of mere passion
or resentment will recollect only It's duty to the
whole country. that this war is not waged on their
part In any spirit of oppression for any purpose
m On Or Or purpose OF 9ysInT9w
sututons OF those States
If the South surrendered no principle"
and never thought of such thing" then
it either practised fraud in its pretended
surrender or was destitute of principle, for
when IL laid down it's arms the Govern
ment and the world supposed that it sur
rendered all and singular its differences
with the Goyernment-to the magnanimity
of ITS conquerors. Now the Recorder says
the South never thought of such thing as
surrendering the principles involved in the
rebellion. II only gave up the fight be-
cause it was overpowered by superiority
of numbers. This, then is the present atti-
tude of the South toward rehabilitated
Government which is straining every nerve
to pay the expenses of war which was
precipitated upon the Nation by rebel
lous South.
The reference now made to the diplo-
matte prediction of Secretary SEWARD
that the rebellion would be q ninety y-day
affair, is quite as much out of place as his
tory shows that feat of prophecy to have
been, and really has nothing to do with the
question of the surrender which followed q
four-years' bloody war that had cost mil
lions of lives and thousands of millions of
National financial resource. Neither the
prediction nor the reference to it are of the
slightest consequence at this era.
The resolution, passed by Congress i'm
mediately after the battle of Manassas was
| perfectly in accord with the sentimentality
of Mr. SEwARD's prediction, both being
uttered before the length and breadth Of
Southern cussedness had been measured,
and in the hope of averting the great
| tragedy that followed. The South, how
ever after four years of fighting to destroy
the Government, might as we'll appeal to
the weather record of the almanac in that
month, rs to refer TO that prediction and the
namby-pamby resolution which Congress
was weak enough TO adopt when an impla-
cable foe was menacing the very life of the
Republic, for justification of its treason.
The Recorder takes occasion to say that
" the spirit of oppression toward the South
:" has been infamous and treacherous."
These are bold words of untruth. When
the people elected LINCOLN by n constitu-
tional and fair election, the South rebelled
and struck at the integrity Of the Nation.
The alternative was presented to the Gov
ernment either to "let the erring sisters
go and thus break up the Union of the
States, or preserve its life at all hazards.
The Government elected to preserve its
own life, and used no means more oppres-
siye than were necessary to accomplish
that end and guard the future against an
early repetition of history. The Recorder
now makes the following modest and mild
proposition relating to the future:
When the Republican party will vote in
Congress to undo all of its Infamous and un
constitutional legislation toward the South and
all of her people, and make reparation as fai
as within it lies, we will then begin to believe
there is a sense of returning justice in the
party and among the people who support it.
We quarrel with duplicity, outrage and
wrong with attempts at insult and sectional
hate rs displayed toward the South. To sup
pose for an instant that we intended to submit
to the results of the war like whipped slaves
was and is an insult to our manhood and
against the teachings of our fathers and the
Unborn principles of the people.
We have no doubt that the above is
true reflex of the spirit and temper of tn,
South, and they only go to show that til,
Government has been far too magnanimou
in its dealings with rebels and traitors 1t
magnanimity is attributed to cowardice, ant
! its toleration is made a subject of insult
We take pleasure in assuring the Recorde
that the child is not born who will live t.
see the Republican party voting to und'
the laws Of reconstruction-th enfranchise
} ment of the colored man-and those whicl
. relate to the rights of franchise an,
) honest elections. If these laws are eve
undone, it will be when the Republica
t party has not the power to preven
8 it, and after the cost of crushing tn
: rebellion has been forgotten by those VIII
breasted the shock of war, and the tax-paye
1 who is burthened to pay national debt in
: Cured to save the Republic from overthrow
THE wATER-RATES QUESTION.
. The scheme of the District Commissioner
| for depressing the "water-takers" by an al
| hitrorv chnnpe of rates which inyolyes a,