The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-17

Libel
John Ras,el Ysaaq IN EetO Tort Prtst
There is no issue in the present can.
vass which should give the Republican
party less anxiety than this OF NEGRO
rule in the South" Some Of the ablest
Democratic journals, strengthened bya
brutalletter from Mr.. Cleveland, strive
tomake ii the dominant question. Mr..
Cleveland is to BIO elected to protect
the Southern states from negro rule" as
protest against the expressions Of
the South by the Republican party"
This must transcend all other electo-
raj problems, because in this "lies the
welfare OF these communities"
Patriotic Americans like President
Harrison, statesmen who love the
South, will deplore this revival OF pas
sions that once famed into war They
realize that it is playing with fire. No
matter what the electoral triumph
thus obtained, it can only BIO triumph
big with hatreds and mistortunes.
10 assume that the Republican party,
either as whole or even a respectable
minority OF its membership, is ami
mated BY hatred OF the South, or by
the hope OF seeing the African race rule
the white, is wanton libel. And to i'd
vance il now as against Republicans is
tothrow in their faces what has been
done for the South by Republican
leaders ever since Lincoln, with malice
toward none, with charity for all, inn
plored the seeded states to return to
theunion.
cRuE1TIEs NEVER PRAcTIcED.
There were mistakes of conception
and detail in the policy Of reconstruc-
ton. This was inevitable. Reconstrqc-
ton came5as the gravest OF problems.
History gave US no precedent.
We could only study the reconstruc-
ton OF Great Britain after the Puritan
atrifes; OF France after the Bastile; OF
Germany in the making Of the empire.
five had followed the English plan
there would have been considerations
and executions. The French example
would have been areign OF terror. The
north was confronted by the sudden col
lapse Of a powerful, persistent and res.
dilute military state; the destruction OF
deep-rooted social conditions, painful
economic problems, eervile race still
inthe shadow of slavery.
We might have applied the torch and
sword like Cromwell, or the ak like
Robespierre, or dissolved commons
wealths as Bismarck d;dwhen he threw
the venerable crown OF Hanover into a
Prussian hayersack. Republican policy
was s'malice toward none; charity for
all.p Barring a few weeks OF spleen I'M
der President Johnson, and the attitude
Of the Republicans toward tho south
has ever been that Of Lincoln-a policy
offorbearance, forgiveness, peace.
Eyes, but the carpetbag governs
mentap These governments were ex-
periments in reconstruction, we'll in
tentioned, which failed because Of the
Southern people themselves. Expert
ments which, when failure became ap.
parent, were removed by the Republic
can party.
POPULAR RULE AT THE SOUTH.
Ifthe spirit under which the mill.
tary were recalled from the South and
civil governments created had been &c
copied BY the people there would have
been no trouble. Intelligence could
Il nave koVeEueu Iheh 10 A0W' |S
Southern soldier, however, had fought
fonr years for the principle that the
Union had no rights which a State
was bound to respect, and why should
he surrender this, even to accept the
best OF termsP 1t was the sullen hatred
ofdefeat following hard upon the pas
sionate hatred OF battle.
So, disdaining his duties as citizen,
the natural leader in the community
stood aloof while the adventurer from
abroad and the ruffian at home came
into power. There was no rascality in
the south so pronounced as that OF
knayes like tho South Carolina Moses,
who had been in the Confederate army.
Active resistance was followed by pas
siye non-resistance. II came Of that
desperate courage which makes one a
majority, audit runs the South to-day.
Republicans resent the tyrannical
features of this rule. They do not like
contract labor, for instance-labor in
chains. They see in II the destruction OF
the elementary principles OF free gov.
eminent. Their hope is that time and
moral influences will bring a better
day. When we read history with hon
est eyes we see that the South is mon
ument to the unprecedented magnan-
unity OF the Republican party. This
fact should be kept ever in thefront in
the canvass as our answer to the cry OF
negro domination.
Out Of the ashes and fire OF the dead
rebellion Republicanism lifted these
CONFERENCE.-The into strength and
splendor. II there were gratitude in
the South it would find expression in a
solid electoral vote for Mr.. Harrison.
We do not doubt the gratitude, nor I'M
der normal conditions Its expression,
nor the existence OF the gentlest and
kindest feelings toward the North. But
tits among the deplorable penalties of
political action that even feelings the
most sacred must be sacrificed to party.
PASSION WITHOUT PATRIOTISM.
We have the negro in politics, as
represented by the solid South We
have crime in politics, as embodied in
Tammany Hall. We have bedlan in
politics, as shown by the money cranks,
who would have governments lending
money ON watermelons and so on-in
fhe West. This alliance represents
what We have to fight as the Democratic
party That the Southern people should
tolerate 1t upon so miserable preteSt
lathe fear OF negro rule is a sad, dis
heartening business, and will grieve
those who love the South and rejoice
inher prosperity.
The duty Of Republicans is to fight