Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-11-25
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From the News and Courier.
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

] From the News and Courier.
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
AN INTERESTING TALK WITH SENATOR M. {
BUTLER.
COLUMBIA, Friday, November 12.-Not tn
, least benefit Of Fair to the newspaper fra
ternity is the aggregation of prominent mel
thereat, whose views can there be NOR
readily obtained than amid the heat of po
litical contest. Meeting Senator Butler OF
the street yesterday, I.drifted into long talk
which have been able to write out formal,
today. 1t was as follows
@. Well, General, what do you think o
the result of the late elections?
A. Very badly of the result of the Fedora
elections. With the result in South Carolins
I am quite we'll satisfied.
O. What, in your judgment, will be th'
attitude of the Solid South towards Garfield
administration?
A. That depends upon the attitude Of Gar
fields administration towards the Solic
South, If Garfield will treat the South with
fairness, as he does other sections of the
Union, the South will give him no trouble
He can't do us any great harm if he had 6
mind to- He is much more dependent upon
the South for success in the measures Of his
administration than the South is upon him
for anything and, as I have said. if he will
treat the South fairly, her representatives
will scarcely throw obstacles in his way
All this stuff about conciIiating the South is
nonsense. The South asks no "conciliation.
Her people are not spoiled children. All
that they ask is common fairness and COM
mon Justice at the hands of the Radicals OF
anybody else. She is as able to take care of
herself as any other section Of the Union,
and if this eternal prating about the "South'
ern policy" of this man or that had been done
away with long ago, the whole country would
have been better off:
@. You do not apprehend, then, that the
Radical majority in Congress will attempt to
reconstruct the South?
A. Not bit of it. In the first place am
not sure the Radicals have majority in
Congress- think we shall retain control Of
the Senate by small majority, and Radical
clerks of the lower house have set us some
valuable lessons in the preparation Of the
lists of members preparatory to an organlza-
tion of the House, and it is by no means GER
tain we shall lose the House. But, suppose
they have majority, what greater reason is
there for reconstructing the Government of
South Carolina than of New York? We are
either in the Union, upon the same terms as
New York, or we are not in it at all If we
are, then any Reconstruction" of South Car.
oina which did not apply equally to New
York would be revolutionary, and the mon
ey.changers of the country are hardly pre-
pared for that. No, do not apprehend any
attempt at reconstruction, and, if there should
be- it will fail ANONYMOUSLY.
@. Do you think the present attitude of
the two sections towards each other is desira.
BILE and advantageous to either
A. What do you mean by present attl-
tude
G. mean is it desirable that there should
be solid South against solid North, or
vice versa.
A. do not think such an attitude desira-
BILE or advantageous to either section. But
are you not mistaken in assuming such an
attitude? The two parties at the North are
very nearly evenly matched in point of num-
bers, and so they are in the South. So there
can be no "soidity" whilst this is the case.
The white people of the South are solid be-
cause the Radical majority made them so.
They are so not entirely because they are
Democrats, but in selfdefence, to protect
themselves against the negro domination
which the Radicals set up over them. That
is the only immediate issue in the South, and
just so long as there is menace or possibility
of negro governments being restored in the
South just so long will her white population
remain solid. And on the other hand, just
so soon as we have guarantees from any au-
thoritative source, Northern Radical or
Northern Democrat, against restoration OF
Carpet.bag negro State governments, just so
soon will that solidity dissolve, and not before.
1t appears to me that this is one fact about
which the Northern people ought to have been
convinced before this. Let Mr.. Garfield and
his advisers show by his treatment of the
South, that he does not intend to render posi-
BILE such disgraceful State Governments as we
have had under Radical rule, and the para
mount cause of our solidity is removed. We
want no more such governments in South
Carolina, or anything like them, and we do
not intend to have them.
@. Did not Mr. Hayes make some such
showing?
A. Yes, at first he did, but either by reason
of his own weakness, or because he was
coerced by the Stalwart wing of his party, he
faltered, then turned back, then outstripped
the Stalwarts in his extreme hostility to the
South. Why, it was only necessary for a
fugitive from justice in Southern State to
60 to Washington branded all over with in
fanny to secure lucrative appointment. Ev-
erybody lost confidence in his sincerity. His
veto messages were the EXTREMIST Of the ex-
treme. And if we had not protected our.
selves, his administration would have left US
as completely at the mercy of the reconstruc-
tion robbers as in the worst days of the Radi.
cal regime.
G. DQ ! npderastafnEff nel rassfEf co., YOU to express thss
for the South?
A. 1 have expressed no opinion about it.
@. should like to have your opinion upon
that question?
A. Well, I say to you frankly that think
sectionalism in any form is bad for the whole
country, and have never used an express
sion or cast vote since | have been in the
Senate that can be tortured into sectionalsm.
But much greater calamity may befall the
South than its solidity. l am not 50 sure but
that her solidity will be great advantage to
her in many ways 1t will not interfere with
the discharge of every duty she owes to the
General Government 1t may make her self
reliant and selfdependent very desirable ele'
ments in her future career. 1t will protect
her against the sudden influx Of very unde'
sirable population, which, with the negroes
would constitute one of the most dangerous