Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-01-06

oughly have not yet held single meet
ing
For these reasons we are compelled to
regard the entire fund as yet insecure.
a Duty OF THEsOUTHERN PEOPLE.
Mr. Calhoun spoke in 1895 as proph.
ecy what all men in the past ten years
know to be history and fact He said
that there was a contrariety Of ideas in
regard 10 the nature and functions Of the
general government, between the North
ern and Southern sections Of the country,
whose tendency was to increase until
it produced a collision Of interests that
If this were not allayed, it would result
in disunion; that this would inevitably
involve the sections in war; and that the
condition of the defeated party in con
test generated By such causes and under
such circumstances, would be calamltous
beyond that of any recorded. Whether
the doctrine he taught or the measures
he proposed, fastened this calamity, or
what the motives Of his public conduct
were. are matters of the past The ter
rible result that he predicted is present,
and the course of IT'S coming was as be
described. The condition Of the South
ern States is truly a deplorable one
more wretched helpless and hopeless
than many who do not pause to con'ider,
seem to regard it
Leaving out Of view the material wreck
of four years of such a conflict on its soil
as the world never before witnessed, what
is the situation in the South Its labor
system is utterly destroyed, the produc
ton of its great staple curtailed to one
fourth its former quantity, its States and
people burdened with debt, and no speedy
prospect Of relief, its ability to supply
itself with a new system of labor so ham
pered as to leave it almost powerless, its
vital interests the prey Of every species OF
rapacity by the successful section, and
more than all these, its political cOndl>
ton, one of vassalage, from which it is
unable to extricate itself The last item
in the schedule Of misfOrtunes is the most
! greivous, for it is mainly the cause OF ali
the rest, and while it continues, prevents
all possibility of retrieving them.
We call attention 10 these gloomy facts
to make a suggestion, which will take
issue with the advice offered by those OF
our Southern contemporaries of the press
and others, who teach that it is the true
policy Of the people of the defeated sec
ton to devote their exclusive attention to
what they call Southern interests-which
means that they shall abandon all interest
in political subjects, and forego all desire
or expectation of participating in the
! conduct Of government, aud rest content
under whatever form may be set above
them The material condition will Ian
guish as long as the people are politically
PROSTATE 1t was under the benehcent
institutions that we lost in the fortune OF
war, that we prospered We cannot
thrive until we regain them. No amount
Of energy and industry can reinstate
ms. unless we are a free people Our
resources will be expended in the
hewing Of wood and the drawing OF
water for our political masters We
must attain political equality in the
government before we can resupply
our lands with laborers, whether white
or black,) at living rates, before
we can restore our financial credit
before we can protect ourselves against
the cunning schemes Of those who have
undone us. While, therefore, we do not
advise that every man should quit his OF.
fee, his counting-room, his farm and his
workshop, and turn politician, we dc
think it the duty of every citizen to in
form himself of current events and take
an intelligent and active interest in meas
ures concerted to regain the full measure
of his political rights 1t is duty he
owes to himself, to the community suf
fering in common with him, and to pos
teritv. The re-establishment Of these in
their full igor will be the first and great
step towards the resuscitation of our d.
lanidated material condition, and with
them in due time will come all that was
wont to make as independent respected
and proud. We lost all when we lost po-
litical equality, we shall regain all when
that is restored