Year: 1877

THE MN or PLCNDEK.


A great many Republicans have differed very
widely and very positively with THE TRIBUNE
in its views of politics and treatment of polit-
ical questions during the past five or six years.
Doubtless many readers of THE TRIBUNE,
while concedng the sincerity Of its cOnvic-
tions and the earnestness with which 1t main-
tanned them, failed to any sufficient reasn for
its opposition to the Southern policy of the Re-
publican party under the Grant Administration,
and consequently diSapprOved its course We
believe time has yindIcated the wisdom OF
that Oppos ton, and demonstrated very clearly
the reasonableness of its action. Even if .the
progress of events during the last term OF
President Grant had not shown the folly of
undertaking with such instruments as were
used and of such means as were resort
ed to-, to establish peace aud order in
the South and at the same time main
tain Republican ascendency the conduct
of the men who had obtained control
of the Republican organization i'll the Southern


States must sooner or later have disclosed the
/ fatal weakness of any policy which involved
their continuance i'll positions of influence and
power. The unsettled state of affairs in all
the South, the prevalence of disorder and
riot, the social anarchy and wretched
financial condition existing at the close of
President Grants last term, bore abundant
evidence of the evil effects of the course of
the Administration as a matter of State and
National policy, while its i'll effect upon the
party was not less clearly shown in its loss of
strength i'll the Northern States and its mani
fest inability to maintain itself without Federal
Intervention at the South


I'm spite of all this. however, there were Re-
pubicans-and, no doubt, there are now,
though their number is rapidly diminishing
who not OILY questioned the wisdom of the
change in the Southern policy, which as has
since appeared, was in fact initiated by
| President Grant in his treatment of
the Louisiana question in the closing
hours of ms administration, but with
great earnestness, and sometimes with in
dignatiou, protested against it as a base and
treacherOus abandonment of the men who had
built up the Republican party in the South.
The TRIBUNE had very little faith in the ma
iOrity of those leaders. 1t had never been
able to see anything meritOriOus in the p0liti-
cal activity which was directed to their own
promotion and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, nor anything to
praise in their devotion to party success which
meant nothing more to them than continued OPP
portunites for plumber. 1t failed to see anything
base or mean in what was called the descrtiOn
of these men by the Administration. 1t was
quite confident on the contrary, that the
course pursued would not only restore
peace and order at the South, but would
eliminate from politics corrupt and
demorazing element which had worked in
finite mischief to the country, and been almost
fatal to the Republican party. We have felt
certain that time would show the truthfulness
of our view of the advantage to the party as
well ms the country of this soughing off of
the carpet-bag element in the party. How
long a time must elapse before this will APP
pear is still a question. If the representations
of certain Democratic leaders with regard TO
the organization of the Senate are correct, we
have not long to wait.
These gentlemen are counting upon the as
| sistance of at least four carpet-bag Senators
| in a plan for recognizing the Senate, so as to
give the Democrats control The four are
Messrs. COnOver, Dorsey, Patterson and Spen-
GER The programme mae fail, but it
is worthy of notice that the only reason
that has been advanced for a possible
/ failure is that each of these Seua-
tors has now an important committee
chairmanship which would probably be lost
nnder a Democratic organization for less ad-
yantageous positions. That the Democratic
| leaders should seriously consider such pro-
| gramme, and count upon the treachery of
these men for carrying it out, is a sufficient
comment upon the reputation of the men.
| Their standing in the public estimation
is evidenced by the fact that the re-
port is generally credited. There is, in
/ fact, nothing in the character, public
record or political career of any of them to
throw any doubt uDon the reasonableness of
the report And yet they are the leaders
whom the Administration has " deserted" by
refusing to prop them up with Federal bay