The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-09-02
British and Republican Tyranny Con
trasted.

DTlttSu 0uu ncpuOilcau lyT0uuy COus
trasted.
In its Fourth OF July editorial the New
York Herald asks this question:
sMoM would the story Of the abuses bus. and
try were subject under George III. compare
with that OF the robperies practiced now in the
name Of Government By the bosses?"
A very interesting and instructive es-
say might be written upon the subject
suggested by the above paragraph. In
that essay it would not be difficult to
show that the wrongs, outragcs and OPP
pressions against which our fathers re-
belled and which the pen of Jefferson
presented to the world in the immortal
declaration. were utterly insignificant
when compared with those the children
of the fathers have suffered from the
Republican party. The popular memo
nv is proverbially short but it ought to
be long enough to reach back twenty
years. From 1861 to 1865 the Northern
people endured more at the hands of a
Republican Administration than George
III. at his worst ever dared to infiict
upon the American colonies. Lincoln
ordered. or sanctioned, more illegal ar
rests and imprisonments during his term
of Office than tho British monarch did in
the years when our revolution was brew
ing. There were more violations of the
freedom of the press and of speech un-
der Lincoln than under George, and
Stewards slittle bell" tinkled oftener
and to sharper purpose than did that
of Lord North. The Republican plea
of military necessity" covered. or
tried to cover, more sins against the
fundamental principles Of liberty
and law than the English Government
committed. and paid for by losing an
American empire. Whoever writes the
true history of those four years will be
compelled to admit q catalogue of
political crimes of high and low de-
gree which throw far into the shade the
provocation to which we owe our inde-
pendcnce. AND it is the gravest OF mis-
takes to suppose that the effect of these
crimes ended with their commission, or
with the alleged emergency which pro-
duced them. That effect Is perpetual.
1t has weakened public confidence in.
and respect for. our governmental sys-
tenn. The Federal Constitution has
never been the same in public estima-
ton since it ceased to protect Ameri-
can citizens from Federal tyranny; since
on the floor of Congress a prominent
Republican exclaimed, unrebuked:
"Show me man who talks about svio-
lations of the Constitution and / will
show you tr4itor;" since the whole
Republican party, with not single dis
senting voice of any influence, declared
that the organic law of the land was
suspended" and ought to be, to in
sure the maintenance OF the Union,
the Constitution, and the laws" An
impudent inconsistency which, in those
dismal and disgrace!ul days. it was
:" treason" to comment upon.
But it was not during the war alone
that the Republican party showed its
superiority to George III. in oppressive
and tyrannical acts. Victoria's grand
father never so much as dreamed of
doing to the American colonies what
Republican, Presidents and Congresses
did to the South from 1865 to 1877. He
sent soldiers among us in time of peace,
but he did not use the soldiers to sup
port q Government made up of ignor-
ant negroes and rascally political adj
venturers. He taxed us heavily and
denied us representation, but he did
not allow negroes and adventures to
both rob and rude us. Neither Massa-
chusetts nor Virginia, the leaders in the
preliminary movements of the reyolu-
ton, ever groaned under such vile
despotism as did South Carolina, Lou
isiana and Mississippi; nor did the Bit
terest British Tory ever conceive of such
despotism for a people who were bone
of his bone and flesh of his flesfe Inn
agine, if we can, Massachusetts or
Virginia. in 177O-75 with such Legisla-
ture as South Carolina, Louisiana and
Mississippi had while carpet-baygery
was in fullest bloom. It is only by thus
using our fancy that we can properly APP
preciate what America and Americans
have borne from the Republican party,
and how much lighter and cleaner was
the yoke which England and the English
imposed; yoke our fathers thought
themselves chcaply rid of at the cost OF n
seven years war. The stupid and suicidal
policy of George III. and his Ministers
was eminently respectable compared
with the entire Southern policy OF the
Republican party from 1865 to 1877.
Some excuse or apology may be found
for King and Parliament in their efforts
to hold rebellious subjects, but what ex-
cuse or apology can be urged for Rcpub.
lican Presidents and Congresses treating
American States as conquered provinces.
and American citizens as rebels?
We are too near now to the darkest
period of Republican supremacy to &C.
curately measure its meaning and con-
sequences; but the time is coming when
ample justice will be done to that most
fruitful themeLjustice which win put
the Republican party IN the pillory Of
history. and keep it there forevcr.-Sk
L0nis Republican.
I'm digging q foundation for new
store near the Richmond and Danville
depot, in Richmond, Va, recently, the
rails of narrpw-gauge road were dis
covered six or srven feet below the sur.