The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-15
AB0uT THE !; ] THIRD TERM.

"A Virginia Humorists, View OF o. Serious
Subject-Dr. George w. Bagby tMozi,
Addums'1 Declares Himself I'M Favor. o,
Grant as the InevftaDle Coming Man
"A Letter that Ought to Mako the Bones
OF Washington, Jefferson, Madison and
Monroe Rattle In their ootians.
RICHMOND Va, December %, 1879.
75thsEaixor gsthe Macs and Courier:
Ins1S6S, while editing q country news.
paper In this State, j nominated Grant
> for Emperor. a vein of seriousness ran
through. the article, but it was generally
regarded sas q joke, and although it.was
copied and commented upon by one OF
two metropolitan papers of the South, II
was soon forgotten.
Myreasons for writing the article were
these: During the year 1866, while lee.
turing through the State, discussed
with many gentlemen, most Of them. men
) of culture, the probable future of the
< country, and especially Of the South,
after the defeat which had befallen the
party of States rights. That defeat, We
all agreed, was absolute, inasmuch as
the supposed right of secession included
all minor rights. It was further agreed
by all or nearly all of those with whom
talked that sooner orlater the republic,
no longer q arepublic for the South, must
( end in name as,it has already ended in
form; and the supreme authority of the
central government be recognized and
submitted TO as fully in the powerful State
of New York as at that moment it was
in the PROSTATE State Of South Carolina.
The. most of us, perhaps, would have
preferred an hereditary monarchy like
that of England-a constitutional Inn.
perialism-wbich is in point OF fact a
parliamentary government but the teach
ing of history, notably ,thatof Rome, the
only republic with which our own could
rightlybe compared, left us no room to
hope that such monarchy as we desired
could emerge from the ruins of the
American republic. Empire Of esome
sort there must be-. It's particular form,
8 its Siimitation, its chief, were matters
comparatively of small moment. For
us of the South, at least, there was no
longera republic, and if the empire must
come, why not accept the inevitable and
20 on With the tide7 For Us there was
bnt a choice of, evils-a sectional or q
paternal despotism. From the former
. there Was no hope whatever; from the
latter there might be. Taking fortune
at its food, the South might name the
Emperor. He would appreciate that
fact. Sustained by the South; he would
{ know. if fighting were to be done, where
to look for his men. War would open q
career to thousands of our youth, whose
birth and training fitted them for arms,
but not for the shop or the farm. Fare
we'll then to Liberty. Yes. but for
those already conquered, and feeling
each day the increasing oppression OF
so-cal1ed reconstruction, farewell was
not a hard word to say.
Such in outline, were the opinions
held by those with whom ! talked in
1866. a year .or,two later, atamountain
resort, I met distinguished Southerner,
Z man of unquestioned ability, who had
seen Grant, talked with him, and knew
Eor thought he knew him well. Charmed
with his simple le.manner, the breyity and
directness Of his speech, he believed
Grant Justly entitled to all the fame he
had won, and in word pronounced
him agreat.nns.sHe had not then been
nominated fer the Presidency. There
were not wanting men of more than
usual foresight who believed that he
should have been the choice of the
Democracy in 1868 8 who believed that
he would have accepted such nomina-
ton, and If 80 elected would have been
as true to the DEM ocrats as he! was TO the
Republicans when elected by them.
The pear, however, was not ripe. The
Democrats of the North wanted to regain
: by the ballot what of constitutional lib
erty: the sword had left, and it was well
that she attempt should be made. Still
true to sentiment, the South was not
unwilling to see its reasoning put to the
test. and If need be set aside in the
interest of liberty by the superior sagac-
.ity ofits northern brethren, and accord
ingly helped them to the best OF its
ability. The result is before US in the.
discared persons of Seymour, Greeley
and Tilden. Shall We try it againf "In
Gods name, yes. Never despair of the
republic. So long as hand or voice
: siifted anywhere within the. Union for
liberty and the rights of the States
there, on the spot, by the side Of that
hand and within the sound of that voice
the South should be found, fighting CEN
tralisation to the last"
T6is is very beautiful, very noble; but
sthe question arises, has not the South
done its full shareof battle for the right 2
And inasmuch as States cannot die, but
Z, must live, the. further question arises, to
whom does the, South owe this duty Of
perpetual sell. f.sacrifice, even though it
involve degradation and downright beg
pary? To the Goddess of Liberty?
Perhaps. But where ia she to be found !?
To the war Democrats? Hardly. To the
handful of peace Democrats? They
would not ask it. To the Republican
party, to the American people, to man
kind Doubtless we owe much TO- our
enemies, and all We have and are is
: owed to- humanity, of which we are q
part but I submit that when people
has paid down its blood and treasure, its
z autonomy, It's national life, then its debt
is discharged, and humanity can ask no
more from il. That is the situation of
the Southern people to-day.
~, That the evils incident to q centralized
government are to be deplored no one
denies. but what if they cannot be
avoided? For, after all, Capitalization
is but the effect of natural law, benefi-
cent in some of its effects if perniciouss
in others-there being no unmixed good
in this life. The operation Of this law.
as seen everywhere, is necessity OF ex-
istence, which as Goethe says, is but
persistence. In the orbs, condensing
from the nebule, in the earth passing
successfully from the gaseous to the mud
and thence to the solid form, IN. IN s2e ?s
pulpy leaHet hardening into the oak, IN
the semi-gelatinous human embryo grad
ually becoming mass Of phosphate. OF
lime wrapped in parchment, IN the
49, ha