National Republican., 1881-11-23
ABOUT EX-REBELS,
To the EdItor orrnr Rsrrnt.tcAs:

To the Editor of THE RspunLicAs:
The able manner in which you discuss
the political situation Us regards the anti Bourbon
element in the South should certainly meet with
the approval and challenge the admiration of all
men who desire 10 see the Republican party be-
come national in It's existence rs well rs in name
l am not an ex.rebcl, but would like TO submit
few observations as though was one. Let me
suggest here that you coin aword, iftherc is none
which will show the difference between Republi-
can eX-rcbels and Democratic rebels. As have
no such word in my vocabulary will In this ar
ticle apply the term eX-rebel to the former and
rebel to the latter; for whenevera rebel admits
that he was wrong in the war he admits that the
Union soldiers were right; when he admits that
they were right he admits that the Republican
party was right, and so on by the same
reasoning he admits that the Republican
party is still right. Therefore we
want a word which will distinguish us who are In
the Union because we want to be. from those who
arc In the Union because they can't help them
selves. In recent issue you say that "the up
rising of the people which can alone prevent the
restoration of the Bourbon Democracy to power In
1884 will bear equally small relation to the lines
which have divided Union men from confcdcr-
ates." To make this prediction come true it is
necessary that there be an increase in the num-
Der OF Northern Republicans who arc as liberal to
the ex-rcbels rs you are yourself Were all North
ern Republicans like you Bourbon Democracy
would soon be swept out of power In several of
the Southern States Now the question as to who
shall compose President Arthurs Cabinet is one
which he himself will settle. or course we
all have right to say who we think ought to COM
pose 1t and to discuss the question among ourselves
From conversations with Unionsts in regard to
the President having an ex-rcbcl IN his Cabinet
have learned that not few Of them arc altogether
opposed TO it-oppOscd 20 1t because ex rebels were
once rebels. The late presidential election showed
that there was just little less than half ofthe
people Oft the North who voted with the rebels
rebels who are in the Union simply because they
can't help themselves. The majority by which
! Hancock was defeated was very small. The peo-
| pie who voted for Hancock knew that his election
| would have caused great change In the admin
! istration OF the Government. win any man
! deny that IL Hancock had been elected that the
rebels in the United States Senate would have
held high hand? VIII any man deny
that he would have put less than two rebels
into his Cabinet? In 1876 the Democrats,
with the rebels constituting majority of the
party came nearer still to getting control OF the
Government. II every cX-rebcl who aided the
Republican party during the two Inst presidential
campaigns had given his influence and money TO
the other side the slender Republican msjortles
would have been more slender still. General
| Grant and Roscoe Conkling are IN favor OF giving
ex-rcbels fair treatment. Indeed, General Grant
more than twelve years ago put an cN-rebel Into
his Cabinet. In the United States Senate to-day a
| Republican majority is made possible by an cx.
rebel. Yet there are Republicans who ostracisC
ex rebels still cannot believe that such Repub-
licans represent the true sentiments of the Union
soldiers. VIII some of the Union soldiers let us
hear from them? II. Us