Year: 1877




of those who cater for the public taste
through the columns of important journals,
if not the popular mind at large, is, Who is
responsible for the crushing out of the Re
publican party at the South? The Wash
ington correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gazette who has been feeling for months
for safe standing ground on which he can
establish his relations with the President,
appears to have attained satisfactory foot
hold, as will be seen by the following venti-
lation of his views. We congratulate the
President the correspondent, and the
country upon the fact that he has secured a
local habitation, if not name, on the fol-
lowing premises:


In the criticisms, or rather in the sweeping
denunciations of the President, a charge as
loose as that of creating the solid South is
freely handled about Washington. 1t is that
HAYES has deliberately crushed the Republican
party throughout the South. If the charge
was of crushing it in Louisiana and South Car
olina there would perhaps be room for ar
gument But how did he crush IL in the nine
other Southern StatesH Nothing done in the
two States named changed anything in the
Others. So far as necessary effect in the South





have been as good against GRANT when he
withdrew the troops from the State House
at Little Rock What has HAYES
done to change the political situation
in Tennessee, or Mississippi, or Texas or any
Of tae other Democratic States of the South
A few Confederatcs and very few tOO
have been appointed to office. But in no cases
have these appointments changed the political
complexion OF q single cOunty-RepublCan
hold nearly every important office still, even
in Louisiana and South Carolina. In Charles
ton there had bccn no change whatever among
the Federal office-holders at the time the Re.
publican party there abandoned the field
And there have been no changes there, yet
Republicans there had not claimed that the
presence of troops was necessary to maintain
their organization. No removals of Rcpubi-
cans had taken place In Mississippi when the
party in that State formally disbanded, and
none of moment have occurred since.


This brings us to the very important
question whether President HAYES, his pre-
decessor, or "any other man." is responsible
for the collapse of the Republican party in
the South. We would be the last to charge
that great responsibility upon President
HAYES, for much of the mischief was don,
through the Ku Klux, the White Leagucrs
and the rifle clubs, who have been on duty
as Southern militia for years, and long be-
fore President HAYES was invented as the
Executive Of the nation. In the strong Re.
publican States of the South the party was
broken, if not totally routed by outragcs
that have chilled the blood of humanity at
their recital. In spite Of all this, however
three Southern States were saved
through the life-prescrving influence of re.
turning boards and the Electoral Commits.
sion. These States, the loss of either one OF
which would have proved disastrous to tn,
cause of President HAYES placed him in tn,
Presidential chair. At this result the coun,
try rejoiced. The fear of return of modern
Democracy to power had spread wide alarm
throughout the country. The popular
prayer, Let it take any shape but that
was profoundly uttered everywhere excep
under the crust of Bourbon Democracy
The prayer was heard. The event did tax,
another shape, and that brings us to the poin
where President HAYES responsibility begaI
for the ultimate overthrow of the remnant
of the party in three States. The desertior
of CHAMBERLAIN and PACKARD were moi
without disastrous consequences to the
Republican cause, not only in those States
but throughout the entire South. Republi,
cans there had reposcd confidence in that
provision of the Constitution which vouch,
safes to every State in the Union republican
form of government. That guarantee, I'M.
der existing circumstances, was removed
when the Federal power which had stood as
bulwark between the Republicans o
those States and the rifle clubs and bull,
dOZers was Withdrawn.


This had its weakening effect upon Re,
publican confidence; but that might hay,
been prolonged, if not perpetuatcd but fol
another development of policy on the part o.
the Administration. There were Federal Off
GERS throughout all the South, and they wer,
Republicans, who had impaired life and eff
cheney to the Republican organization b,
mingling with the people and encouraging
them to activity in behalf of Republicanism
The civil service order was sent forti
through the land, and the alterna
two was placed before every Fed
eral official in the country eithe
to abandon the Republican cause-or be
come inert, which was the equivalcnt-O
surrender the position they were holding b,
the grace of the President Under such Al
alternative, in the midst of hard times
when the perquisites of position are vaua
BILE, if not essential it is not strange thu
the Republican party Of the South shOult
have been paralyzed and greatly dscon
ccrted. 1t was so at the North and West
where but small percentage OF the Repub
Lean party are Office -holders-then hoy
Nuch more severely would this policy b
fslt where the leading Republicans were il
all localities subject to the Presidents or
aerp That order greatly aided in the crush
ing of the Republican party at the South n
sell as ut the North. The power of tha
srder has been felt adversely by the Repub
Ican party everywhere. We have never re
garded the withdrawal of the troops from
South Carolina and Louisiana, uni0rtunat,
~ that measure might have been, half a.
disastrous TO the RoDublican cause AS Al