The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-19
A PERVERSION OF HISTORY,

MT WaJterSOn contributes q reuarKaOIe pa
per to the January North American Review
remarkable more that it should appear in
dignifed periodical like the North American
than that Henry Watterson should write it.
Imbued with the prejudice and partisanship
characteristic of the Southern fre-eater, who
sees no charity anywhere outside the South,
who will admit no wrong there and no right
eousness outside the limits of the ancient
slave oligarchy, he writes with the venom and
narrowness Of the braggart and with little
evidence of the sincere man anxious to further
the interests of all the people. His paper on
'"The Reunited Union" will go into periodical
literature as an ingenious perversion of con-
remporaneous history, and deplorable, not to
say contemplate, exhibition of sectional
spleen. His diatribe-for it does not approach
the dignity of calm consideration of the
facts it pretends to presents directed not
against the Republican party alone, but
against the North in distinction to the South.
He begins by complaining that, though the
war closed nearly twenty years ago, the South
ern States "have taken a back seat in Con-
gress, having no seat at all in any other part
of the government" If this be true-and
unquestionably it is, so far as the Democratic
party is concerned-the Democratic party is
responsible for it. In the very next para
graph he says: During six consecutive years
the national House of Representatives was
Democratic. During two years both houses
of Congress were Democratic" Turning to
the first paragraph again, we find that he says:
''Mr. Carlisle's elevation to the speakership of
the national House of Representatives was a
timid step in advance" In advance of what
pray, except Of the Democratic party9 Six
years before the election of Carlisle, who, by
the way, is practically resident of Cincin-
natl, and not a representative Southern man,
General Key, of Tennessee, was made Post
mastergeneral in Republican Cabinet
There was step, that, had it met with any
thing like generous spirit on the part of the
South, would have reunited" the Union some
eight years before the present time. The
Democratic party of the North has persistently
spit upon the foundation of it's hopes-the
solid South. For twenty-four years it has
not honored the South with place on It's
national ticket. Since the nomination of
Herschel V. johnson, of Georgia, as second
to Douglas, in 1860, the Democratic party has
never chosen a candidate from any of the
Southern States, VIII Mr.. Watterson please
explain why the Democratic party has not
favored "reunonW In 1864, while the heat
and hostility of war was at its height the Re
publican party passed by many of its tried
and true men of the North to take
up Andrew Johnson, Of Tennessee, the pur-
pose being, even at that early day, to evince
disposition to unity the people. Since that
time the Republican party has not thus hon
ored the South for very evident reasons, while
the Democratic party has had every reason to
go there for candidates. 1t is manifest, there
fore, that if the Union has not been ere
united" it is the fault of the solid South that
would not acknowledge allegiance to the Union
under Republican administration, and of the
Democratic party, that has been, and is to-
day, sectional in its nominations. 1t is peril
nent. in this connection, to ask how long this
reunited Union" is to endure. 1t has been
brought about by the election of the Demo
cratic candidates. VIII it survive defeat of
the same four years henceY If it does, Mr.
Watterson is mistaken in ascribing the "reun-
ion" to the election of Mr.. Cleveland. If it
does not, it is not what Mr.. Watterson claims
for it,
Proceeding, the writer says: 1.-THE over
throw of the Confederacy saved the Union,
but it left the Constitution suspended, like
Mohammeds coffin, in mid-air The meas
ures of reconstruction that ensued put sharp
strain upon the Republican system, and dis
puted presidential election came nigh turn
ing the victory of the Union into
national disaster. Rescued from ruin
by the Electoral Commission, the government
now, for third time in its history survives
extreme menace and peril, and gives to ma
tons and the ages conclusive proof of its elias
ITCHY and power" These it must be admit
ted, are extraordinary words. Uttered by
Watterson, they are simply astoundingly i'm
pudent, in view of his attitude in all the three
crises to which the government has been ex-
posed, including the one he imagines the Ma
ton has just survived The first time the
Union was in extreme peril was in 186O-'65
when not only menaced, but attacked by an