The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-24
The Con niiicting Reports from the Southern

From the Times.


States.
From the Times.
In estimating the tone and temper Of the
Southern people it Is unfair to consider them
as a unit We see on the one hand from the
pens of Southern writers, rose-colored pictures
of new prosperity, based on enterprise, indus
try, and education. and destined to excel all the
prestige of the past. But IRON other writer's,
and those mostly of the prominent and leading
men OF the South, we get only gloomy prophe.
oies of ruined agricultural and debased social
condition.
The cheerful opinions frstnamed come from
the younger in years, the less established IN life,
the representatives of the young South, who,
while perhaps cordially sorry that the expert.
ment OF a Southern Confederacy has failed, are
still unconsciously elated with the hopes that
an absolutely Tree government holds out to
youth and energy And again, the prophets of
evil days are those who in any event have lost
all that was most coDeolatory TO their pride OF
family or estate, and who can see in the regene-
rated South only "nation OF shopkeepers, y with
the loss OF all that IN their opinion gives dignity
to people.
Looking back to the old social position of the
South, we find landed aristocracy controlling
its policy. Without formal titles of rank, they
had all the essent ais of a class nobility. They
were the magnates of the land, holding the "poor
whites" in political sublugation designed to
inc that subjuRetion by the strong contrast
afforded by the condition OF the enslaved blacks.
Labor was tabooed as dlsgraceful; and without
labor the lower classes of whites remained,
socially the nominal equals, politically the serls,
of the great landowners.
We do not expect to see this crushed aristo-
Cracy take the change good-na;uredly They are
your true conservatives, and their eyes will
always turn toDdy to the faded glOrles of the
good old days OF class legislation and class domi-
nation in social intercourse. The same devotion
which the Cavaliers gave 60 "Charlie over the
water when the dread element of popular power
dethroned the Stuarts OF England, will, for the
same reasons, be given by the great planters and
statesmen OF the South to the lost cause of
slavery.
In England to-day the dead Golden and the
living Bright and Stuart Mil are the incono-
clasts of what remains of British aristocracy.
Suppose that this English progressive element
were suddenly, as has happened here, enabled
to open the t1ood-gates ami confer the rights OF
suffrage on the operatives and peasantry OF the
kingdom. few years OF tempetuous debate
would follow, perhaps a civil war, but IN the
end we should witness the destruction of the
remains of teudalism, the overthrow OF class
legislation, the destruction of the Church estab-
lishment and, at last, the breaking up of the
great landed estates. Doubtless this would bring
about more healthful prosperity and more
truthful greatness Tor England, but generations
would pass before the last ieremiad over the
good old times" of oppression and wrong would
BY parity of reasoning, we do not expect to
see among the first families OF the South any
demonstrative really sincere loyalty to the
uCW Cu Ous luGJ MOulu uCSIIOJ IL IL Jucy
could--but they cannot. 1t only remains to
treat them fairly, and to indulge their little
sulks and petuances. Human nature is too
weak for such sacrifice Of all past ard present
preudces as some OF our radicals would seem
to require. Why not let these old gentlemen
drivel and grumble in their own highly respect
able way I? Men at the North, who are engaged
in the very risky and not-at-all American busi-
ness of founding family" will sympathze
with them-but nobody else will care.
1t is our duty to see that nothing Of the grand
principle of the right of man to "liie, lberCy,
and the pursuit OF happiness" is abandoned.
Honestly believing that we are acting Tor the
best interests of the Southern masses we can
afford to be liberal to political old age and de-
crepitude. If the policy OF that portion of the
Southern press which is truly loyal would only
recognize and profit by these evident antago.
nisms; If, instead OF vague plattudes, they would
fairly express the irrepresslble conflict between
class legislation and the ''plain people;' it it
would become The advocate OF universal liberty,
founded on universal education, and thus
attract to the support of the Government the
lower and more numerous classes and build
them up into an industrious and substantial
middle estate, they would thus, by the operation
of natural laws, and not by governmental
tyranny, send home the wedge that would sun
der forever the unnatural alliance between the
landed aristocracy and the lower claeses OF thu
South,