The daily gazette., 1880-04-29
The New PoIIcy of coneIIIatIon.

From the Cincinnati Gazette.
The shape Of the extraordinary
emergency Of the nation which demand |
ed the abrogalion Of the line of hon
ored precedents, In order to bring
back General Grant for as many more
temrs as be shall desire, has undergone
an extraordinary change. This emerg-
ency was first introduced from dissatis
faction with President Hayes policy of
conciliating the South by Withdrawing
the impotent remnant OF military in.
reference which was left at the expi-
ration of General Grants second term.
II then meant the restoration of q SOL
der in order TO restore the methods Of
the soldier in dealing with recalcitrant
Rebels. The emergency was enlarged
with every intelligence Of outrage on
the colored people, and with every
election by the practices of the shot gun
bands and red-shirted troopers and
other Ku- Klux. It was emerged by
the acts Of the Confederate Brigadier
majority in Congress- majority which
President Grants administration
brought in. Every sort Of unpleasant
doings, wheather oflpolitical rider ,::appro-
priation bills, or Of stealing States, as
In Maine, was declared TO increase the
emergency which demanded the strong
man at the head of the Government.
The current Stalwart expression on
all these emergency occasions was that
If this Is the way the Rebels are going
on under the concllia'ory policy, then
we must have for President the soldier
who whipped the Rebels once and
would do It again. The current de-
mand was for strong man who would
throughout the length and breadth of
the land was protected In person and
property, and was guaranteed the peace
able practice of hie political rights. In
tie common Stalwart talk General
Grant. as a candidate, was held up to
scare the ex-Rebels, as old nurses
scarce children with the bogy. The
talk of the strong man was so strong
that II implied that some how all that
constitutional formation Of our govern
ment which limits 1t powers by the
strict forms and process Of law, and
which leaves to to the State Govern
ments the affairs ofprotection of persons,
and property, and political privileges,
except in offences against national
statutes, or in national elections, was to
set aside, and the soldier President was
IN be absolute dictator with an army TO
carry out his orders.
If the Stalwart talk of the emer-
gency, and OF. the demand, and of what
the strong man would do, were taken
as having the meaning of the words,
it would show that these Grant BOOM
ers are ready to set aside the Constitu-
ton, and to place in General Grant the
absolute powers signified by an i'm
perial crown, If not the symbol with
them. But a change has taken place
as bewildering to the sense as the trans
formation scenes in the spectacle plays
of the Black Crook and EnchGntment,
and now the very same patriots who
introduced and expanded the emer-
gency for the need of the strong man
and the direct methods of the soldier,
are declaring another sort of emer-
gency which requires General Grantas
the great conciliator of the South.
They now assert that the South has
faith in Grant that they believe that
from the successful soldier they will
get fair treatment, and that this is all
that is needed to restore perfect
Union.
Thus ''the strong man." the "great
soldier who whipped the Rebels once
and will do it again." the man whose
military fame will terrify the Con-
federates into good behavior, the SOL
dier who by his own right arm "will
see that every citizen is protected in
his civil and political rights" is sud
denly changed into "The Great Con-
ciliator," the soldier whom the ex-
Rebels will trust while they distrnst
the Northern people who suppressed
the Rebellion the man who alone of
all the North will do to them ''what is
fair" and who as an impartial umpire
'between the extreme parties will
bring about a solid and everlasting
union" such as no other man can. All
this we are hearing from the very
Stalwarts who denounced President
Hayes for his conciliat ory policy. This
is something of change in Stalwart
tone. Surely the emergencies of poll
ticians looking for a restoration to for
mer places, and of veteran office-holders
thinking that Presidential terms with
out limit mean the life tenure to them,
must constitute that which they fancy
to be the nations emergency.
This change has been made necessary
by the tone of General Grants answers
in his Presidential tour in the South,
and by his report of the satisfactory con-
dition of the Southern people. He saw
a hospitable welcome to him wherever
he went, and he went to every Southern
State. He heard only expressions of
good will. At the first place where he
landed on his return from Mexico, he
took the occasion to disclaim the Stall
wart idea of interference with local con-
troll 10 the South BY laying down the
profound principle of political economy
that where the lands are fertile and the
population not crowded, but little gov
ernment is needed. At each place his
response to the welcoming address was
of concilatlon and recognition of the
satisfactory spirit of the Southern peot
pie. And In giving an account of his
observation, In his answer TO the vel
come at Cairo, on his return from the
South, he stated that the spirit of the