Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-11-17
Ben Hill on the Election.

In recent letter to Hon. S.B. Chittenden,
one of the New York Republican congress
meu who failed Of reelection, Ben Hill
expressed his regrets, and, after giving ex-
preston to views of the usual southern type
respecting the nature Of this union, he said
In my opinion the time has come when the one
great question for real statesmen to consider IL,
how speedily to break up this sectional solidty,
and organize parties altogether other isseS, J.
The Democratic party IL hated at the north, h&
therefore, 1t ought to be disbanded The Repub-
ican party Is hated at the south, and, therefore,
II ought TO be disbanded Whether this hatred IL
Just or not makes no difference. | would be
glad to see a great national union party organ
lied, for believe that the government formed by
the constitution Il nation. True. 1t Is n limited
nation; but within the powers delegated to II by
the constitution, II is rs much nation as any on
the globe. But there are certainly some marked
federal features in the government, and these
features were incorporated to enable the states to
protect themselves from encroachments on their
reserved powers. The senate Is the great federal
feature OF our system, and was expressly so
organized to represent and protect the states as
equals. ] really like Garfield do sincerely
hope he will have successful administration
He has the ability for the crisis He must feel
keenly the fact that he is elected solely by north.
ern votes But he has great opportunity, and
he can-if he wll--easily and consistently destroy
all sectional animosities and eolidities, and be
chosen for second term by majority OF states
north and south. This opportunity is far greater
than the office ITSELF aud II utilized will give him
fame which the Office could not give, and which
no previous president attained. But will he do
tf greatly hope he will; and greatly fear iie
will not. see movement to make an issue on
the result In New York, with view to defeat
Garfield in the count by congress. There would
be great danger OF this but for one fact, and that
one fact IL the south will not countenance IT,
The poor divided and abused south, IL necessary,
vril mo thp frnf. .lnttn
and. as before, will get no credit for i'll The
Republican party will take the presidency peace
ably because the south wills 1t, and at the next
election the leaders Of that party will tell the
people from every stump and pulpit in the north
that the south must not be trusted Neverthe-
less, we shall avert all revolution, not to win
Republican praise, or to avoid Republican abuse
for either Is impossible-but solely because 1t Is
right, and we are determined to preserve the
peace OF the country How long human nature
can bear this do not know. 1t is injustice un-
paralleled, and wrong that ought TO cover the
north with bushes. But | did not sit down to
write you such long letter. only intended 10
express the deep regret feel that you were de-
feated in the late election. Garfield has no idea
how feel toward him. and how anxiously wish
for his success, and suppose II he did know. he,
like Mr.. Hayes, would be afraid 1t would injure
him with his party.
While it may be quite true that the Dem
ocratic party ought to be disbanded, Re
publicans will find in the record of their or
ganization during the past twenty years
such evidence of devotion to union and lib
erty, on the battlefield and in the forum, as
amply satisfies their idea as to what great
union party should be, and will see in its
past history and its present and future pros
poets no reason why, right after one of the
most brilliant victories any political party
ever won, it should now voluntarily dsband
because its enemies do not admire it. The
men who now make up the Republican
party could not organize new party on a
basis, or on principles, essentially different
from those which now unite the party. The
change could be only in name, and so,
under the circumstances, there would seem
to be no way but for Ben Hill and the south
to consult their best interest and come right
along into the Republican party. His as
surance that the south will not countenance
the movement to dispute the electoral vote
OF New York is fully sustained by the course
he himself, with other southern congress
men, pursued in the adoption of the report
Of the electoral commission The south re.
ceived great credit for the course some of
its representative men took on that occasion,
and President Hayes confidence in their
good faith, was doubtless greatly strength
ened by their outspoken refusal to follow
the lead of the revolutionary element in the
party. 1t was the fact that the good faith
of the south pledged to President Hayes
was grossly violated and that five hundred
thousand southern voters disappeared, "like
the children of the mist" in consequence of
those violated pledges, that the people were
told from "every stump and pulpit in the
north that the south could not be trusted"
1t is true that the Republican party will
take the presidency, not " because the south
wills it " but because they IRON it, and there
is not power enough on this continent to
take it from them. The north has no " sec
tional animosities to destroy. Sectional
violence and fraud in abridging liberty of
speech and in suppressing free suffrage and
social ostracism on account of opinions are
the objects of Republican animosities, and
against these they wage an irrepressible
conflict wherever they exist under this gov
ernment