The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-07-31
Sfi,repre.en,ing the South.

~ MisrcpresentinS the South.
The same persons who continually mis-
represented and yilifed the Democratic
party in the North during the past four
wears and accused it of disloyalty to the
government, are now engaged in the con.
genial work of slandering the southern
people Letter writer's and tourists OF
the radical abolition persuasion have
swarEied to the South and are sending
back tlolefnl tales of the continued hostil-
ity oi the inhabitants of that section
and are laboring TO keep alive the pas
sion that produced the civil war They
endeavor to set mp standard of loyalty
in the South which is not recognized by
tie majority of the northern people and
seek t, impose burdens upon the Sonth
which even we of the North are nnwiil-
inc tn bear 1t is not enough that those
Wi, were lately in arms against the gov
eminent have thrown aside their weapons
with no intention of resuming them
again, aud sworn allegiance to the fed
eral constitution with full purpose OF
mind to faithfully keep and perform
their oath; they must do more. They
must cspouse the doctrines of the aboli-
ton party and become antislavery IA
natics, they must approve the usurpatl"n
by the Federal government ofall the re-
served rights of the States they must
sanction every act done by the national
administration during the past four years,
they must endorse all the excuses com
mitted 10y the soldiery, they must surrcn-
der their property withOuta murmur, and
tolsaking their manhood, admit that they
merit neither clcmency nor Kindness that
they have no rights of any kind and that
they only deserve ignOminious servitude
or death. If they fail to comply with all
these requirements, the abolition Journals
of the North claim that they are still dis
loyal and that the military occupation Of
until the people are brought to that en-
IRENE pitch of subjugation.
Nine tenths of the tales we read about
the rebellious disposition of the Southern
people are false. Even those who were
most strenuous in their opposition to the
federal government during the war are
now willing to submit sincerely and
cheerfully to the constitution and laws.
They are willing for the sake of peace to
relinquish negro slavery, with no inten-
ton OF desire for its re establishment,
but they cannot agree with the abolition
lists in all the political vagaries of that
party. Let these abolition tourists go
through the Northern States and observe
the average sentiment of the Northern
people and they will find that it is as
widely at variance with their standard of
loyalty as is the present sentiment of the
Sout6.S Neither thes President of the
United States nor the great masssof The
Northern people would be deemed loyal
if Judged by the rule which the speciTi
correspondents of the Republican news
papers try to impose upon the South.
1t is time that these misrepresenta-
tious should cease, and that the people of
our whole country should understand
and rightly appreciate the sentiments of
each other. The civil war would never
have taken place had the people of both
sections been better acquainted with
<sach other, and known the true position
occupied by each. The differences of
popular opinion between the North and
the South were never so great as they
were supposed to be, and the diffeien
now are not nearly so important as some
persons would have us believe. If we
would preserve peace in the future we
must learn to do justice to al, and cease
endeayOring to impose upon the people
of the South conditions and obligations
which we are ourselves unwilling to in
cur.