Year: 1876

| fEw SEId L. MILLIKEN.


|


Go0d Government and Southern Democ.
racy.


The Democrats have, with much apparent
reason, contended that Ill government in the
south is the cause of most of the evils which
amlct that section, that the ignorant mass of
coiored voters has been controlled by dishon-
est White men who used power to enrich
themselves and advance their fortunes at the
expense of taxpayers. The Northern people
because OF their faith in the educated ballot'
and their experience of the evils resulting
from the numerical superiority of ignorant
voters in the great cities of the North, have
been very ready to accept this view. That it
Is IN the main correct, that the sad condition
OF affairs in the South should be remedied is
beyond doubt, and no sincere Republican is
disposed to dispute it. But the recent con-
duct of the Southern Democracy has led
every thinking man in the North to disbe-
lieve that restoration of that organization
to power will in the least remedy the evils
complained Of If the mass of voters be igno-
rant then education is the proper remedy.
Ii bad men band together to control this
ignorant vote then should good men unite to
remove the ignorance, and while it still exists
to negative its bad results as far as possible
by joining in the support and election of able,
wise and good rulers. Had the Southern
Democrats done this the Northern people
would have believed that they were sincere
In their desire for reform. ..


But the Southern Democrats have done
nothing of the kind. They have everywhere
opposed free schools and general education.
They have everywhere made manifest their
dread lest the negro should come to
place of supporting measures to broad
en- the intelligence and quicken the
conscience of the colored man they have sui
lenly refused to take steps to elevate him
morally and mentally, and have wholly relied
upon the greenback and the rile-when they
could not buy him they shot him. They
have exulted in his ignorance as giving them
a pretext to say to the North she is not fit
to have the ballot" They have rejected all
offers to act with the better part of the Re-
publican party in the South when such an
alliance would substitute order for disorder,
good rule for bad, and then when the worse
element of the Republican party has
triumphed because of their refusal TO
make common cause with the good men of
that party they have exulted over the
triumph as an evidence of the badness of Re-
publican rule.


Look at South Carolina for example. There
the Democrats because of the immense Re
publican majority have no hopes of carrying
the State. There Republican ruler in
spite of the determined opposition of
bad men of his own party has gov
erned wisely and well. There he so
seriously offended large portion of the
organization which elected him that it with
drew its support from him. The breach SO
widened that the only question became a
| question whether Gov. Chamberlain should
be reelected or whether the government o.
the State should pass into the hands of his
did the Democrats do under these circum.
stances Having no chance of success them
selves they refused to support the reform
governor and by making nomination in op
position 10 him did all in their power to sus
tain his enemies. They deliberately chose
evil instead Of good. They threw all the
weight of their influence in favor of tn.
scallawags and against the reformer. Happi
ly Gov. Chamberlain triumphed over the en-
emies of his own party. but he owes nj
thanks to the Democracy. During the con
fiict, the men who so clamorously cry fo
good government in the South refused tt
stay the hands of the only man who coult
bring about that result in South Carolina.


The conduct of the Democrats in South
Carolina is their conduct in all other parts o
the South. They deliberately prefer negro
misrule to triumph of honest, enlightened
and reforming Republica If they can
not get the government themselves they pre-
fer that it should be as bad as possible in or
der that they may cry out, "Behold the effect
OF Republican dishonesty and ineficiency 7
They are everywhere engaged in a conspirac,,
to dscredit the negro, to show that he is un





worthy to hold the ballot. Every attempt II
make him wiser man, better citizen, the!
regard with horror and dread. Their ideal o
government is state in which the Southern
white shall hold exclusive rule and in whicl
the negroes shall be driven in herds t
the polls to vote as their masters dictate. l
is because these efforts are so open, thes
1 I'll D.,
publicans of the North, the men who depre
cate all waving of the bloody shirt, but VIII


believe that the negro should be protected il
his right to the free ballot and that he shoul


be educated to use that right wisely, ar
focking to the banners of Hayes and Wheel
er. They feel that they cannot trust tn
Southern Democrat and his Northern ally.