Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-05-09
THE Duty OLE THE SOUTH.

took the ground that IN 1850 there would be
but two parties in the field for the Presiden"
tiai contest-the Democrats and the Black Re
publicans and every day since that time has
only served, by some new evidence or other,
to convince US more thoroughly Of that fact
It is immaterial what are our political feelings
in this open acknowledgment Of what we con"
ceiye to be a palpabIe fact. No man can fail
to regret the death Of political principles which
be has advocated in all earnestuess and truth.
But when the mandate Of the people has gone
forth, declaring by an almost unanimous voice
their opposition to the predominance of such
principles, is it not folly rather than consistency
for the same individual TO continue his advoca-
cy of them?
]! is not the province Of an editor to con-
tinue his course in the vindication and recomr
mendation Of political doctrines which the tri-
al at the balIot"box proves distasteful and in
exPedient. 70 pursue such a course any lon
ger after such a trial and such q sweeping re-
suit, would be but little less than ~fanatical :
and the political policy of q State cannot be
judicious or wise, or even successful, which is
in opposition to a %nationa! policy, or which has
been condemned as such.
When the mandate Of the people was re-
corded last November it opened to US the fls
ture too plain to be mistaken, and we inform.
ed our readers what our idea of that future
was. We intimated to them our sincere con.
Viction that that mandate was the unquestion-
able and final overthrow of the principles of the
Know Nothing or American party in a national
point Of view. We must confess that it was
painful 10 US to make such q confession but
our positive convictions, the necessity of truth,
and the interests Of the Southern people, were
our monitors, and honor left US no other alter
native. While we saw "Americanism' crushed,
by the national ballot.box of November last,
we saw on the other haad Black Republic an.
ism rather jubiiant than otherwise in conses
Quence of that aetion-Democracy had
"Scorched the snake, not killed i'll
and we at once Informed our readers what they
might expect to see in 1860-that there would
then be but two parties in the contest, The De-
mocrats and the Black Repnblicans--and that
the only hope of the South was TO throw aside
all previous political differences and form San
unbroken Southern phaIanx" 1--WE cared not
under what name) for the purpose of defeating
the common enemy; and we called upon Sou
thern journals, in view of such future, to use
their mighty lever in bringing about this har-
monious action. These were our sentiments,
as expressed in the Sertine! on the 9th of De.
cember last, and in subsequent numbers, and
they are our sentiments now. In consequence.
we were attacked by our old enemies upon the
ground that we wished to raise o "Southern
Party upon the ruins of Know Nothingism." It
is false. We want no "Southern Party; !" but
we want q union of Southern heads and Sou
thern hearts for the preservation of an ~institu~
ton which is the life-blood of the South, and
for the purpose of staying a fanaticism which
threatens even the overthrow of the Govern
ment.
The following, from the Mobile Register
seems SO appropos, and speaks SO plainly of
the course necessary for the Southern people
to pursue, that we cannot refrain from insert
ing it. While our contemporary entertains
similar ideas as ourself of the approaching
evil, he is somewhat more clear in his recon.
mendation of a remedy:
On the other hand, the patriotic Wing or
american may accomplish everything. BY
cooperating with the Democratic party. For
the safety of the South, it is only necessary
that its people be animated by a single will and
contemplate the same object. And this result
is TO be attained by no painful and humiliating
scFl1ces. All that is necessary is, that obsor
lete and insignificant issues be submitted and
postponed to the supreme interesto of the South,
Individual aud party disputes sheuld be sus-
pended under the shadow Of a common danger
~to be resumed, if need be, under happieF
auspices. So in ancient Athens, where the
feuds Of faction ragged with the greatest VIC.
lence, all the differences of party were closed
up to repel the foreign foe. Are we less ca
pabIe of the highest efforts of patriotism? Ia
not our necessity as great? Why then does
any individual in the South sulk in his solita.
ry tent! If the patriotic Wing and "Ameri-
can" had any ally in the North, he might urpe
some apology for refusing to cooperate with
the Democracy; but there is no Wing, no aAmea
Tican" party in the North. Everywhere Black
Repnblicanism is triumphant, or is resisted on.
iy by the Democracy. To strengthen the
Southern wing of the Democratic party. is to
reinforce our friends in the North; to secure
unity here, is to guarantee ascendancy there.