The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-21
GEN. CLAY ON THE ELECTION
He Thinks the Lost Cause Has Beenfse-
gained.

He Thinks the Lost Cause Has Beenfse-
gained.
Cassins M. Clay, in New York sun.
There is room for the party and thende-
pendent press, the first to give the key-notand
bear the unmistakable standard of the pal the
last to recruit from that large mass of yters
who often come to the help of the most patotic
principles and measures The Sun has pyed
an important part, as usual as an indepehent
paper, and done good service IN the impftial
radiance of its beams. and in its demands or a
peaceful acquiescence in the decision OF the
sacred ballot.
1t is twenty years since the rebel flag -ent
down in defeat near Richmond, and submitted
to unconditional surrender. The Liberal prty
composed of the five slave border States the
fragmentary people through the whole Suth
and the free North, confiscated no real per
sonal estate, took lives, exacted no war
damages, but magnanimously welcomed the
rebels back into a common liberty, asking My
loyalty to the old flag. But tho Boubon
South, now advancing, by the use of frud,
intimidation and the shotgun. from elHen
seeding to the acquisition of FIVE Union lave
States stands solid with I53 electoral vtes
so that only forty eight we're needed to secure
she stood in the conflict to the DISADVANTAGE of
the liberals as 41-5 to l. Tho six million of
blacks and all the Republican whites of the
South, who, under free ballot, would lavo
neutralized the whole South, were lost US,
while the South held all the representation of
the original slave States derived from the lber-
alton of the slaves. So that the South has gained
all and the North less than nothing by the most
terrible war of all history. The upshot wasthat
the Bourbon Nihifistic Democratic force & the
.ll ITrs.N H. 6
Indiana, New Jersey, Connecticut and New
York. The Union flag went down in dis
aster, and the rebel banner is unflrled
In triumph upon the Capitol of the Ma
ton. The 'lost cause is regained. No
event in the history of the Nation, to me, gems
more anomalous and sad than this Yet do
not lose hope. Dark shadows cover the beievo-
lent faee5of the Omnipotent One, but we must
remember that to Him our centuries and cons
are but as the deetest measures of time and
eternally interchangeable He teaches the human
race to obey His laws er bear the penalties.
The fault dear Brutus is not in eur stars
But in ourselves, that we underhngs.
No Christian or deist doubts that the over
throw of slavery was the Divine decree. No
phi1anbhropist or statesman doubts its necessity
to the progress of civilization. But the Repub-
licans made some great mistakes and these in
morals and craftsmanship are as fatal at times
as crimes
1t was mistake to invest an Ignorant and
lately enslaved race at once with the franchise
of the ballot. Time proved that they were in
competent to govern either themselves or the
whites. The attempt to Republicanize the
rebel States by this means proved dead fail
ure by it We lost not only the original eleven
rebel States but the five Union slave States so
that the solid South stands enlarged in power.
All that is left us is conjecture. The slaves
should have been freed and left with the old
masters, who held the whole means of their liv
ing, to work out their way to the ballot The
No sIh929la has ihhss left fey es6aa RH s a
the first and best men of the Republican party
sent down to lead them. They did neither. but
allowed the criminals and adventurers of the
North to plunder the South-wliite and black
which overbalanced all the lenity of the conquer
ors and filed the breasts of the conquered with
implacable revenge and resistance Thus was
one crime met by another. The sympathies of
all lust men were enlisted on the side of the ep-
pressed masters, and the fruits of victory lost.
The upshot was, the emphasizing by ten years
of Garnet bag rule tho natural antagonism
between the white and black races, and
mains, therefore, to the American people
to return to the right path, from which they
wandered in 1866 Any attempt to adjust the
difficulties between the North aud South by
more laws and more force is at war with the
genius of Republicanism, and is worse than use
less. Wemust leave the South, white and black.
to work out their own salvation, aiding both
parties by acceptable agencies-edueation, man
ufactures, and all that-and keeping the III
tional government solid, also, as reward fNg
the South when, by well-loing. she deserves ia
exercise national power through the presidency.
Any violation of the ballot there by any Illegal
means as fraud intimidation shotgun :,
should be carefully marked and presented to the
whole people for theireondemnation at the polls,
In the meantime the Republican party must
coneenteP all its energies upon the one idea of Ia
tional supremacy. 1t must leave all the cranks-
the Prohibitionists the anti-monopoists, the
greenback fiat money men. the womens rights
men, the rhetorical gentlemen Of the black cloth,
the Beechers and the Burcha,ls the men with
their hair parted IN the rnit,dle. bent on social
recognition in England. and monarchy at bot
tom, disappointed bosses, and, above oil, free
traders-severely alone
The solid South would do well to listen TO ad-
vice to which shei rs SO often been deaf. Let
her replace the SD. tgun with common schools
for white and black. Let them eliminate those
chronic evils from The Republic which no others
can. Then, if they do not share equal power In
the Union. they will at least deserve it.
Tho white and black Republicans of the South
are as said perhaps with a free ballot equal
to the Nihilist Democracy. Then our gallant
leaders are beaten by petty l,2O0 votes, while
we hold reserved majority of over a quarter OF
a million of men. We must never give up the
shipip We must harbor no revenge for the past
must welcome all newcomers in the future
and must fraternize with all religions and all
races Then justice shall triumph, and the Re-
public shall live.
JOY AT TILE CROSSROADS.