Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-08

pOseu 10 MIN mas DecQ Luat H6 - AOs q
true Democrat, but thst he has constant
ly manifested a disposition to act indie
pendently of, and as if he were superior
to the party. That Mr. Stephens
has done many things to appa-
rently justify these charges, and
that he has frequently committed acts
which his party did not indorse, cannot
be denied. At the same time, it is absurd
70 say that he has not always been, at
heart, Democrat, and that he has not,
at ali times, when the issue was pre-
seated 70 him between Rsdicalism and
Democracy. uahesitatingiy cast his lot
with the latter
No better evidence than this can be
desired than that the Democracy of Mr..
Stephens distIict-who are as true to the
party as are the Democrats of any other
section of the State, and who have
watched Mr.. Stephens course more
closely and carefully than have the peo-
pie of any other section or district-have
since the war seen fit to heap honor
after honor upon him by electing him in
repeated succession as a Democratic
member of the Lower House OF the
Federal Legislature. They did not sp-
prove his Endorsement of Grant in the
Louisiana troubles; but they yielded to
what they believed was his good judg-
ment, aud felt satisfied that he was gov
erned by conscientious motives, and
acted from the conviction that not 10
raise futile and irritating opposition to
Grant was, under the circumstances
which then prevailed, the best
policy for the Democratic party and the
South to pursue We do not say we
agree with Mr.. Stephens in this. To
our mind Grants course was wholly IN
justifable, and not even policy" could
be reasonably urged as good ground for
not opposing him to the bitter end.
Still men will always differ as
to right and wrong, and we believe Mr..
Stephens thought he was right, and that
he was acting for the good of his
party. At any rate, if he did wrong, his
own Democratic fellow citizens have long
since condoned his offense, since they
have repeatedly since the days of Grant
ism seen fit to entrust their political wei
fare to him.
So il was with his famous Casey
letter, and his sententious telegram:
81 will stand for re election" which,
it will be remembered, created so much
talk two years ago. Outside his district
Mr. Stephens course was regarded as
recalcitrant and insubOrdinate. In his
district, however, his motives were per
fectly understood, and it was felt that
as be himself has distinctly and emphati
cally asserted within the past few weeks
he had no intention of rebelling
against his party, unless an attempt was
made to read him out of the party be-
cause of his position on the Potter reso-
lutions. The whole trouble then, it
seems, was simply a misunderstanding
between Mr.. Stephens and his party.
which, though not understood in the
State at large, was understood in his dis
trict, and he was again rendered by the
organized Democracy a denomination
aud wasre-olected.
We contend, therefore. that while Mr..
Stephens has done many things of which
the Democracy at large disapproves, he has
been always at heart Democrat, acting
as he, from his individual standpoint, re-
garded as best for the good of the party.
But should further evidence be required
to satisfy our readers of this, it is only
necessary to remind them of his course
during the Greeley campaign. When
the Democrats, who, in their hearts,
hated Greeley, consented to nomi-
nate and support him as a stroke
of policy, Mr.. Stephens expostulated
with them, and implored them not to
compromise themselves. This position
certainly could not have been taken by
any one not truly Democratic in prin
ciplp, and had his advice been adopted,
while the Democracy might have
been beaten, they would have been
beaten in a manly fight, and not as milk
aud water adherents of an eDete Radical
and galvanized Democrat From such
defeat the party would speedily
have recovered, but from the defeat
which il did experience through
Greeley's nomination it has not yet re-
cuperated. Mr.. Stephens, on this occa-
sion, bad the sagacity to foresee what
many Democrats have even yet not
realized
We offer no apology for Mr. Stephens
We do not approve his course during the
war, but his fellow citizens, have long
since condoned it. We do not approve of
his Endorsement of Grant nor of his Casey
letter, but we do now believe, in view of
his subsequent course in Congress,
that he never intended either to sacrifice
his party, nor to claim himself superior
to the Democracy as an organization.
He has distinctly, and most emphsticallY,
declared himself to be "a Bourbon of the
Bourbons," and he cannot, even
if he wished, hereafter recant
his position. The Democrats of
Georgia. we believe, now understand
him better than they have ever done,
and for this reason, added to the fact
that he has effectuslly crushed out indie
pendentism and Mahoneism in the State
they propose to make him Governor.
They are willing to forget the past, re-
member only the present and work for the
future, and they feel assured that in his
hands the interests of their party will be
safe.
The wrangle of the surgeons over the
results of the autopsy on the body of
Guiteau is of piece with the disgrace