The national Republican., 1866-11-01
SOLID SENSE.

There is much solid sense in the following
editorial, entitled n Duty for All,' which
we clip from the Richmond Examiner Of yes
terday:
ain the existing state Of prejudice and ma
lignity against the Southern people, cher
ished by the dominant party at the North,
every act of social disturbance, however
slight or isolated, is sure to be magnified and
made the pretext for political persecution.
The very papers which are full Of details of
crime at the North, too hideous and revolt
ing to be reproduced, are ever on the alert
to find something Of disorder at the South
which they can parade as evidence that the
whole population are turbulent, disorderly
and demoralized, unfit for freedom and ut
tery undeserving Of sympathy. Such is the
spirit in which our society has been can
yassed from the close Of the war to this time,
and it will be years to come, we fear, before
we may expect much fairness or impartiality
in that quarter. This is not agreeable, GER
tainly, but the unpalatable fact stares us in
the face, and the question is what are we to
do about 1t
that though the whole population Of the
South has passed through the ordeal of a
four years war OF unparalleled extent o nd
fierceness, producing such a tension or, the
social bands as history, since the thirty wears
war Of Germany, has rarely witnee ,sed, and
though nearly oil our youth wee for that
time without the restraining influence of
education or regular indus,r'y, and though
four millions of slaves have been Instantly
and violently set free In orr midst by hos
tile power, there has been general and ex-
traordinary degree Of quiet social order and
industry throughout the South! Shall we
make answer that the working and quiet
people Of the land compose the immense
majority; that the law-breakers are very
few indeed; and that most of the happily
rare cases Of disorder are the direct result Of
military rule and Of unwise interference with
the process Of the civil and local courts ?
Shall we aver that the great mass of the
people ore anxious for peace, and look with
disgust and disapproval upon those who dis
turb it? Shall we take up the Northern
journals and reproduce the mass of crimes
and shocking indecencies to which the South.
ern contribution is but the rivulet pouring
to the food? What good would all this do /?
These are arguments, and arguments ad-
dressed to the majority Of the Northern
people in their present state Of frantic pas
sion only eighteen months after the close of
the war, are hardly worth the paper to write
them on.
I'm this strait suffering from this malig-
nant construction Of all that we do or say,
it behooves US each and oil, in his appointed
sphere, to try to counteract this mischief.
Let us try to cut down crime and disorder
TO their smallest possible proportions. The
first and most obvious mode of doing this is
for each and every man to set an example
in his own daily conduct of good order and
industry. By example and by preeept much
can be done, and much, we are gratifed to
say, is daily being done to shame the law
breaker and the rufian. If we turn to the
gentlemen Of Virginia the most influential
citizens, whether in the cities or the country,
in whatever pursuit, and more especially
those who have borne an honorable part in
the war for our independence, we shall find
it is they who are the most conspicuous as a
class for an orderly and peaceful demeanor.
The greatest horror Of true gentleman is
a row, and those most distinguished for their
personal spirit are the most sedulous in cul-
tivating the arts Of peace.
"But this is not enough. The turbulent
and violent man must not be allowed by his
passions to leopard the peace of society, or
draw down upon us political persecution.
We cannot Afford here or anywhere, to let
these things go on. They have already
wrought us incalculable injury, aud thc:y
must be stopped, at whatever cost and
how? Not by empty regrets, one to a,Aother
but by prompt and resOlute action, by com.
posing difficulties when we have Opportunity
by lending our personal aid to the officers ol
the law, and by doing all We can-whethel
as citizens, jurors, or judgrJs-to sustain the
law and punish those WHO violate it,"