The Portland daily press., 1865-07-31
LOYALTY AT THE soUrH.

= III 4
The public mind has been much agitated rel
Gently upon the subject of Southerna loyalty
We have many and contradictory accounts in9
relation to the matter. Before the rebenionl
collapsed we believed there was more unionl
sentiment in the South than many Dreamed oA
in their philosophy. We then supposed that
military power had pressed down this love foH
the old flag with mountains weight, and a5
soon as that was removed II would rise and
assert itself We may have been too charita1
BILE in our opinions upon this question, and
may not have sounded the lower depths Of
Southern hate of those whom they call @Yan4
keeJ" All through the war it has eenSdiffil
cult for us to believe that the Southern masses
could so intensely hate the Government as I'd
be willing to lay hands upon its pillars and
endeaVor to pull them down, especially ifthey
were left free to think for themselves. five
have erred it has been on the side of charity
Human nature is the same the world over
and it is possible that we have expected tod
much from the Union sentiment of the South
or at least, anticipated too sudden develop
meat OF that love for the Union which militia
ry despotism has SO long suppressed. In formt
ing an opinion Of affairs at the South since the
downfall of the rebellion, we ought, perhaps
to pardon something to the spirit Of sectional
pride, or in other words, to that feeling which
naturally stirs the hearts Of proud people
WHO have been conquered by superior force
or more cunning management. ALTHOUGH
the Union sentiment of the South and its love
and veneration for the Stars and Stripes, have
not been so strongly and suddenly developed
since grim visaged war has Withdrawn his wrink
led front from our sight as we anticipated, yet
webelieva the work ofcementing the Union of
all the States is fayorably progressing and viii
finally be accomplished to the satisfaction of
our people and ofthe Republicans Of the Old
World. 8a
The Southern people have been led by
shrewi demagogues and master spirits. Eve
ry possible avenue to their hearts ha been
found, AMI powerful appeals have been made
to their worst passions and strongest preju-
dicss. Whatever Of weakness there is in hui
man nature has been taken advantage of, and
the worse has been made to appear the better
reason. And yet treason could not hide all
It's ugly features under false DISCUSSES, nor
wholly suppress the spirit of broad and true
patriotism-a patriotism that embraces our
waole country, and not merely the southern
section oft. Its true that many rebels still
act as though they did not know that they
have been conquered, and are as defiant as
they ever were. The women Of the Soutb
have been worse than the men, If that were
possible. The world has always found IL hard
to conquer woman. The men Of the South
can say Of the women: "They gave to us and
we did eat" tits indeed true that awom-
ans tongue does give a greater blow to the ear
than a chestnut in farmers fire.n Such
women win be the last to yield, for hell has
no fury like their hate, but public opinion win
yet accomplish what the sword Las failed to
do, and even the tongues ofsuch women win
Cease to wag and stir up bitter strife. The
southern women whose hu5bands have
oesn Shareholders, are, and always have been,
dear lovers Of slavery They like to be fam
nea Dy slaves when they sleep, and see the
poor tanners "tremble when they wake. but
slavery NUT go down before the opinion of
the civilized world, in spite of all their f,,rv
Reform must go on, and the cor.na,. s+o,,o ~
our Republic must be, and win be- Freodor,
and not Slavery, Southern women 10 ~ a7
trary notwithstanding Public opin;on MI,
be fonni like Stephenson's locomotive. When
que-tioned by a committee of the House Of |
Lords, concerning his newly invented ma
chine, what would be the result iii came in
contact with COW, Stephenson replied: @It
would be so much the worse for the cow
He was right. The locomotive has proved too
powerful for any cows that has attempted to
cross its track, and yet this honorable commit
tee could mot see it" at the time. And we
suppose thele chivalric ladies' are equally blind,
Dat the clay has been moistened that viii yet |
CIV give them sight. Recent public demonstra-
nons at the South show that the rebels,--eveu
pardoned rebels, still cling to the peculiar in
'utution'" and we are not sorry that they thus