National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-04-24


and the time seemed ripe for a new expert:
ment. II he were selected, the testimony OF
many Of THE rebel hrigadiers' could be had
that he was good fellow, and that his Rcpnb-
These hopes were dashed by the oyerwhclm.
Ing disasters brought on the Republican party
IN lsSS nX MT. Balne ana hlS.Iain,esa troupe 81
ness, Tho Democracy needed no Repub-
llcan renegade to lead them against the
shattered columns OF their foes AS a recruit
lines ON Joint account, Mr.. Blaine's occupation
THE NORTHERN BLAINE.
Tho rest Is familiar history He took the
nomination Of the demoralized and headless
party he had so locheycd and thrown, and by
akiilully playing upon the devotion OF Catho-
lies TO the Catholic Church saved himself from
being distanced in the race through the refusal
ofhundreds OF thousands Of Republicans TO
vote for him.
stung by defeat, his wrath unkenueled itself
IN Que speech at his home In Augusta, and
''the solid SOUTH" which no had wooed even
In his letter accepting the Republican nomi-
nation came In for the blows of sound with
which he smote the evening air on that mem
ofnble occasion.
One such speech as that from him In Feb
ruary, 1915, would have insured the enactment
on law under which the violent. could have
been checked In the south as they had been be-
fore. Al least so thought all the Republicans
in Congress save Mr.. Blaine and his squad OF
twenty. Such a speech from him in 1885 would
.
and made further division OF the solid south
practicable. Unfortunately for the country,
he was then on the other side.
THE SECOND VOLUME.
This much OF preface seemed necessary 10
convey 70 the reader an idea OF the mood In
which Mr.. Blaine must have proceeded to pre-
pare his second volume for the press, He Is n
newborn radical. He is suddenly called upon
TO indulge in tho strain which has for years
been 80 hippnntly scofled at by his noisiest sup
porters as "hauntlng the bloody shirt" He
seems TO have Struggled to be revenged on tho
south for his defeat, and at the same time to
fire the northern heart by campaign docu.
ment, the writing oil which shall excuse him
for his share In the wrongs 1t denouuces. He
commences with the accession of Andrew John
son to the presidency and closes with the re-
firing of Hayes.
The literary merit of the second volume Is
far below that Of the first. 1t shows more
hatte, less labor Of condensation, and less
fidelity TO tie manifesto. 1t is chiefly de-
voted TO history OF tho government during
the administration OF Andrew Johnson. II Mr..
Blaine had claimed only TO give the eight
years OF Congress, from 1861 to 1869. his title
would rot have been misleading. His account
OF those years makes an exceedingly valuable
contribution To American history, despite
some errors and important omissions What
he says of the twelve years from 1860 to 1881
is mengrc, incoherent, illarranged, and In
many MAJ respects inasSnrae IL Is most lane me
tory OF twenty years b. SO prominent an actor
as Mr.. Blaine.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE SOUTH.
He hes done very important work In pre-
seniing clearly the condition Of affairs In the
ex.conlederate states from Lees surrender to
the passage OF the reconstruction acts of 1867
and he has done II we'll.
1t has suited the purposes ofpartisans greatly
TO confuse tho public mind by distorting many
facts and ignoring many others. There has
been persistent eff ort TO make It appear that
after the surrender Of Lee, in April, 1865, the
POOR crippled and submissive south was fero-
ciously Jumped on by the tyrannical and un.
generous north, in a spirit OF revenge, and
placed under the political control of enamel.
pated slaves. This willful perversion of his
tory has been the work OF interruptions dema-
gogues In the north as well as In the south,
aud of renegade Republicans rs well as OF
bourbon Democrats. Mr.. Blaine shows how
plain q tale can put 1t down. He recitest the
truth OF history, as written in the annals Of
every department Of the government, which
is that for two years after Lees surrender there
was no federal interference In the south ex-
cept by Andrew johnson. President and COM
mander-in.chief and that upon his own author.
lily alone He dispersed Legislatures, called con-
9Tds5 S oaTS Snd sae
lions of constitutions within the late insurgent
states, and even coerced them into ratifying
the 18Th amendment to the federal constitution
enemy of "the Radicals" and for II all no was
wildly applauded. by the most .implacable of
the confederates, aud by them hailed as de-
liverer. He formulated a "plan" which prom
ised to supersede the confederate state govern
ments with new ones in harmony with the
Union and with the freedom Of the slave. But
sured the continued ascendancy OF the contu-
macious and implacable elements in southern
society, and the establishment of worse
system OF slavery for the blacks than that from
which they had been delivered.
THE JOHNSON POLICY.
The trick of his policy was plain. II was
lst That there being no civil government In
the rebellious states, no man had any right To
vote without his permission.
I'd. That the old laws, thus silent and mop
erntiye as to white men, nevertheless possessed
some mysterious power which he could make
an excuse for doing what he seemed afraid to
do without some excuse or apology, viz, to ex-
clude the freedmen from participating in the
formation OF the new governments.
Sd. That no person should vote unless he
would take the oath OF amnesty, and was a
voter under the state law as 1t existed In 1861
when those freedmen were slaves.
The first branch Of this test admitted all the
| whites, and the last excluded all tho blacks
II he had admitted to the ballot all blacks who
whites who would agree to be loyal to the gov
| eminent, II would have been exactly fair; for
| 1t is an undeniable, as well as perfectly natu
| raj, truth that at that time an oath would have
| operated just as eflcaciously in changing the
| Ethiopian's skin as In converting the main
| body OF the southern whites to friendly dis
ggt Sson toward inc government Oh the on''e'
Thus invited to resume the reins OF power
| and assured of tho Presidents support In what
| ever measures they might resort TO for the OPP
northern political friends had declared an un
| holy and unconstitutional abolition war, the
implacables commenced TO ,'get even," witt
the north. They created legislatures OF meu
selected for the intensity Of their expressed
hostility to the government and enacted BLACK
codes which were disgrace TO human nature
| or this legislation Mr.. Blaine justly says:
| ''As soon as the southern Legislatures assem-
bled 1t was made evident that their member.
diSegarded, and even derided the opinion o.
those who had conquered the rebellion, and
held control of the Congress OF the United
States. II the southern men had intended a,
| their one special and desirable aim 70 inilamt
the public opinion OF the north against them
they would have proceeded precisely as they
did. They treated the negro, according to q
| vicious phrase which had ct one time Wide
currency, 'os possessing no rights which q white
| man was bound to respect" Assent TO the thir
teenth amendment to the constitution by the
southern states was but gross deception SO Ions
as they accompanied Il with legislation which
Of liberty. That which was no oiiense in a
| white man was made q misdemeanor, a helm
Gus crime, II committed by q negro. Both II
was different from that to which tn,
| white man was subjected. He was compelled
to work under, a series OF labor law
PPaDe on SO 20 a S%h saS n sW sSc
provisions to apply. only TO him. and undel
their operation all freedom Of movement ant
transit was denied; The liberty to sell hi
time at fair market rate was destroyed by tn,
| inteTpositlon of apprentice laws. Avenues o
usefulness and skill In which he might speclail!
excel were closed against him lest he should
| compete with white men. In short, his libort!
| In all directions was 30 curtailed that II was
bitter knocking TO rofer to him in the statute
as freedman The truth was that his LID
| erty was merely Of form and not of fact, an(
the slavery which was abolished by the organi,
law of nation was now to be revived by thu
| enactments of q state"
Mr.. Blaine then verlfes this scorching state
ment by citations from the legislative enact
| ments TO which II refers.
He continues:
'The fact will. not escape attention that II
these enactments the words master mis-
tress,' and servant are constantly used, and
that under the operation OF the laws form o
seryitude was re.established more hearlles