Year: 1874

The New York Times Of 18th in


slant, in a leading editorial, comments
, as follows upon the recent declaration
Of Mr. Eaton, the newly-elected SEN
atOr Of Connecticut, that he would
try to take away the Federal bayonets


from our brothers in the South, so that


every State in this land shall have the


same exercise OF it, as our own State


Says the Times: The extreme length


to which State rights theories were


pushed in 1860 and 1861 brought about


q reaction, and that reaction has led


many people to think that State rights


belong to the dead -and-gone class of


questions that any man who talks about


State rights is sufficiently answered


when he is called a Bourbon" Its


unnecessary to say to any intelligent


reader that this view is a miserably


shallow one, and that in reality the


right of States 10 govern themselves is


as dear to the people as ever it was.


And it ought to be dear to them, for


when they abandon it they will have


utterly forsaken the system of govern-


ment established under the Federal


Constitution. They may set up some


thing else in its place, which may be


called by any name that may please


the persons then living; but it will cot


be the government designed by the


founders of the Constitution. 1t may


be civil polity based upon parliament


tary rule, or it may be n monarchy or
IL k.,k
constitutionalrepublie such as We have
seen here for nearly hundred years.


The people will not consent to see
either Poland or an Ireland created
on this soil. Look at South
Carolina. The facts in references to
that State seem to be about as well es-
tablished as any historical facts can
be, and they amount to this-the ne
sroes, assisted by raseally whites,
have held a sort of grand orgie IN the
State for several years past, have swal-
lowed up among them pretty nearly all
the private property in the State, have
ruined what may be called the native
citizens even more thoroughly than
the war had done, have robbed and
harrled like so many highwaymen, and
have reduced the State to condition
which must shock every man who sees
it or reads about it. The very Cover
nor of the State is thief. The Leg
islature is gang of thieves. Is this a
Republican government such as
the Constitution expressly guarantees
to all the States?


We venture to say that it is not
that, on the contrary, 1t is q a govern
ment of which the Republic has every
reason to be ashamed Now it
is folly to suppose that the Republican
party, as an organization, will continue
much longer to look ON with perfect
at this great failure. The
leader Of the present moment may not
pay any attention to the subject; but
II they do not, other leaders viii arise
who will see that Justice sdOne. Last
week we all witnessed the United
States Senate engaged for about twen-
ty-four hours at a stretch in passing
bill for the benefit of the negro, mere
ly out of sentimental sort of defer
ence to the wishes of fadeceased Senator.
Respect for the dead is incumbent on
us all, but legislation should be based
on careful and wise regard for the
welfare of the living, not upon man
dates, real or ietition, of the dead.
The negro has had very fair amount
of protection. 1t is important before
going any further to find out what use
he has made of the freedom given to
him; in what way he has exercised
the vast political powers with which he
has been endowed; what sort of
he has helped to set upin
States where he is most powerful;
in short, he at this moment
stands in need of protection from the
white man, or the white man stands in
need of protection from him. If Mr..
Eaton intends to raise these questions,
depend upon it he will obtain an an-
iience, and he cannot be suppressed
by howls and groans, and We, for our
part, shall not join in any such at
tempts at suppression. We should
ike to see the questions taken up by
Mr.. Carpenter made a
great beginning in reference to Louis
ana. Such a work would be far more
to the prosperity of the par
y, and to the cause of good govern
nent now and hereafter, than the head
ong passage of sentimental bills in
avor of the negro.