Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-02-18
THE sENTIMENT OF THE SOUTH.


Man is a curious animal, and "fearfully
flung together" The lower animals az
consistent; the upper ones rarely and
furthest of all from consistency, is a
party politician. Standing at the head
of the class, is your Yankee patriot and
vendor of political drugs. Assisted by
the West, his countrymen overcame the
South and reduced her to submission to
an iron rule. That accomplished, he
rushed down here prospecting around
examining houses, lands and popular
opinion among the freedmen. HIS IN
tention was to "settle" on some line
conGscated estate, employ acres OF freed
men and grow millions Of pounds OF cot
ton; or work himself into an office which
wonld serve the purpose of furnishing
ready cash, and achieving something
higher; or. as has occurred in most
cases. set up as lawyer, as a means oil
operating among the people IN the
double capacity of attorney and politi'
clan. His first movement is to make
the acquaintance Of the prominent, or
leading men of the city or village, and
in conversation with whom, announce
the most liberal views on the sub
ject Of politics. The next place
he is heard from is Radical meeting
where he is making bitter speeches
against the Southern people, denouncing
;he President and sustaining CongJess
IF n resident Of this State, he goes the
entire length for Brownlow, coniiscahon
disfranchisement, negro suffrage, exclu'
sion from the juries, and all. He de-
mands that the people among whom he
has located, and from whom he proposes
to derive his sustenance, shall be stripped
of the commonest rights Of freemeD, that
he may be constituted their ruler, do all
the voting, hold ell the offices, get all the
money. and practice all the law. To the
latter end, he advocates the test oath,
that Southern lawyers may be excluded
from the bar To sum up in word abe
programme of our Yankee emigrant, be
demands everything for himself and his
class. He must be the judge, the jury,
the clerk, the lawyer, and at the polls
a 7. newer onca anfers his head
that the person whom he styles a rebel,
possesses any rights which humanity is
bound to respect. I
There is great noise made in the
Jacobin papers about the treatment OF
Northern men in the South. Now, every
Southern paper has, again and again,
stated the facts in reference to this mat
ter 1t is only such Northern man as
we have attempted to describe, that Is
despised and refused recognition in our
society. He is despised as he should be,
and excluded as he must ever be. de
is not willing to trust the people among
whom he resides. To him they are
traitors, murderers and robbers. Should
they take him to their bosoms and ca
ress him Should they confde to him
cause that involves either their rights OF
their purses2 Certainly not Such
monster is ct only to afford to mankind
an example Of the extent to which hu
man deprayiiy can exist How different
with another class of Northern men
They come to the South for no politiea
purpose. They come 10 assume no su
periority over us, but to take thei
chances with US by identifying themselve
with the fate of our land To suel
men we extend our hands and thro'
open the doors of our hopitable homes
What if they fought us2 They tough
according to the recognized principles
civil combat, and when they overcam
our section, they held out their hand
for reconciliation. Our people nobl.
responded, and trusted that fraterpii.
would once more become the predsmi
nant sentiment Of q united country
These men we invite 10 the South. W
want them for their enterprise. W
need them to 81 up the gaps that BATH
left in our population. We desire then
that they may assist US to resume n
march Of prosperity. We viii Withhold
from them nothing that we posses
They shall have position, and FORUM
and friendship, and even cur love,
they shall deserve it But for that 9TH
class who come among us to fatten upC
our wrongs and revel in our sdliction
we have no heart, no hand, no hospit
be home-nothing but disgust Til
we believe, is The sentiment Of q
Southern people, and it is just
pvrnn rop wv SMITH