Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-03-15
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL.
WILMINGTON, n. c, MARCH Is, 1866.

1t was an opinion generally entertained at the
North anterior to the late war; that the slavehoid-
crs of the South constituted substantial and
potent aristocracy, and that under their despotle
power the non-slaveholders staggered as Slntad
under the weight of the old man Of the noun
tain"
The Yankee held and taught that the power
welded by this body was founded solely upon the
possession of slaves and reasoning from this false
premise, concluded that the abolition OF slavery
would precpitate into ruin the edltice 1t sustained
There was never greater fallaey, though cor
roborated By the support Of the North t"17o'""
Standard.
The Shareholders of the South were never a sep
arate and distinct class There were but two casts
in the South, black and white, established by
nature and recognized and ordained by law.
Slaves, as all other property subject to the mu-
tations of fortune, changed hands daily. The on
" controlling power in the South was that OF IN
tellect, and of fancied actual merit. 1t Is a
well known fact to southern men, that large slave
holders were not generally, active politicians that
like wealthy men in other quarters of the globe,
they were conservative, and shrank with umld1ty
from innovation and change.
The bar o. the South was its most enterprlsln8,
energetic and powerful body, though its influence
upon public opinion Was largely shared by mem
bers of the other liberal professions, cultivated
farmers and merchants, it never the rcpresen-
tativc of great wealth in lands slaves other per
sonal property.
The southern leaders who guided for MANY
years the destinies OF the United States were lead
cIs not because Of Slorev but because of superior
intellect, craftsmanship, and that popular conf
dencc which is the just reward of conspicuous
virtue.
The Yankee shlinks from the picture of South
ern ascendeucy in the past with natural soreness
and disappointment he fiatters himself that there
will be no more leaders from the South that he has
destroyed its foremost man, and reduced all to a
dead sta gnant level but his fears impeach his
sincerity, and give the lie to his hopes. Whatever
his pretended convictions, he breads competition
with Southern politicians and statesmen upon the
floor of Congress, and in the Cabinet. How other
wise can be explained his pertinacious exclusion
Of Southern members from the Legislative Halls,
when his action is clearly condemned by policy,
and denounced by patriot President. The pros
tratiOn of the South at the close of the war was
proportionate to the prodgious effort it had made
III that terrible struggle the bulk of its popula-
lion felt their failure rs a relief Such was the
temper OF It's people; they might easily have been
permanently conciliatcd Much has been done
since then by Northern fanatics to inhame their
wounds but let the wise and genial policy of Pre-
sident johnson prevail, and wounds we'll of the
heart as body viii be healed, though their scars
remain forever. Let the South be restored to its
proper position in the Union, and it will soon be-
como, as of yore, all element Of wealth in peace,
and Of strength III prosperity.