The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-11-20
Senator Hills Letter.

| Slgnlncance OF the letter from tHe
| Hon. Ben Hill to Hon. S. B. Chit
tendeR, 1t is necessary to consider
who the letter was from, to whom it
was written and what 1t was about.
1t was letter from one of the lead
ing Southern orators and statesmen,
a man who has a large personal
following in his State, and who is a
leader in one of the factions of its
DIVIDED Democracy. 1t is 10 Re-
publican whose record in the present
Congress has been of bittercst antag-
onism to the solid South, and who
held extreme Republican doctrine.
1t is about the regret which Mr.. Hill
feels at the defeat of Mr.. Chittenden,
in The recent Congress election.
Summed up, 1T is letter from an ultra
Southerner, to an ultra Republican,
deploring the defeat of the aforesaid
Republican. These things are so un-
usual as to lead one to look closely at
the letter, to see if there Turk not un-
der the apparent meaning latent
significance of deeper and broader
force. And this invites attention to
the ether part of the letter. Coy
ladies put the most important part of
tEeir billets in the postscript: Sem
ator Hill has thrown the important
parts of his in the of. hand and COL
lateral expressions. Under guise of
writing a letter of coincidence to his
friend Chi;tenden upon his defeat, he
is issuing a pronunciamento from
| Senator Ben Hill. A glance at its
salient features, therefore, is not alto
gether useless. In the first place,
Senator Hill recognizes the fact that
'the solid North against the solid
South is an evil" 1t ought not to
have required the defeat of Hancock
to teach him that, but it IS worth
something that he has learned it at
all. He goes further, and says the
great question for Statesmen to con-
slider is how to break up this sectional
solidity. There he is not far wrong.
But when he says that 1.-THE Demo
cratic party is hated at the North
and should be disbanded, and the
Republican party is hated at the
South and should be disbanded," we
disagree with him. The Republican
party certainly ought not, and cannot,
disband. On the contrary, it has, by
the solemn judgment of the country,
been authorized, commissioned and
instructed to carry on certain great
reforms, and to maintain certain
great results. 1t would be false to its
trust. faithless to it's duties, for it to
disband. Nor is it desirable that the
Democratic party should disband.
1t would be better for what is left of
it to clean itself, discard its ancient
follies, and to adopt new ideas and
principles in harmony with existing
facts. 1t may have its uses as party
of opposition hut even for this pur-
porse it must harmonic itself upon
ideas, and take for its leaders men of
real force.
Senator Hill then proceeds to say,
81 really like Garfield. / do sincere
ly hope he will have successful adj
ministration. That he "likes Gar.
field" we can well believe. The man
has an undeniable personal charm
that wins even political antagonists
into friendship. Moreover, Garfield,
though a staunch Republican, has
never been an embittered foe of the
South, He has been knightlv ad
versary on the floor, taking hardly
the worst blows of his antagonists,
but never has been discourteouss in
delivering back his most crushing
replies. Of course, Senator Hill
"likes" him. But what does he
mean when he hopes that he will
have successful administration -
and that she will be chosen for
second term by a majority of the
States, North and South" Does it
mean that Mr.. Hill is ready to do his
part to make that administration a
success, and to lead into line those
Southern States that he hopes will
give him second term Ifso, writing
sugary letters is the wrong way to 60
about it. The Southern States must
of themselves and by themselves
throw overheard their Bourbon ideas,
their ''lost cause" and estate sover.
eighty" 1t is for them to protect
the ballOt-box in their State elections
against intimidation, violence and
fraud, and let the sentiments of all
the voters fad free expression. If
Senator Hill's views ARE held by his
followers, if they really "like Gar
field" and swami his administration
to be success" this is the way to
proceed: To voluntarily accomplish
the work which Garfield was elected
to perform. -BdLo. american.
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