Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-11-15
The SDufh

In the closing appeal of the New York
World to the Democrats of that State, we
find the following noble reference to the
South, its people and its condition:
"Orr Southern fellow-ctizens are trodden down
under military despotism and we owe them re-
lief. When citizen. even a DaturailZeu ctlZen,
cf onr country is wrOnged in foreign and, the
public spirit of our countrymen flames up IN gen
erous indignation, and we do not stop to count
the cost If necessary measures Of redress. But
eight millions OF our people are at present de-
prived of republ. can government and are SUBJ
iected to an arrogant and insulting military tyra.s-
ny and this is but preliminary to the still further
degradation of putting them under the feet OF
their former slaves. 1t is our duty to rescue them
from this mOnstrGus despOtism, and give them
back the lost blessings OF republican government
We are bound to take as great an interest IN them
as the Republicans affect to feel for the South
en- negroes By our votes to-day we may sInlte
off their calling chains.
1.-THE south has indeed erred but this is no
time to rehearse the catalogue of its faults Theirs
was the error of generous, manly, publlc-siplrted
men, who bravely confronted great p rls and IN
Cured great losses in what they believed to be q
last cause. Their belief may have been gieV-
Gus error, but grieyOusly have they atOned for II.
They are cOuntrymen, and We must forgive
them. They are the victims of dOmineering lnso-
lence, and we must fix our attention on then VIZ
tues. If, while there no hope for their mis-
taken cause, they fought like men, they also sub
mitted like men when they saw it was lost. The
admirable. Instead of infeeting the country with
marauding bands, they scattered in silence to
their poverty stricken homes, and bore themselves
as quiet citizens. We cannot bestow Oh them
greater praise than to say their conduct wac as
orderly as that of our own patriot soldiers and
this praise they fully deserve. Though they re-
turned not i'll triumph but in humiliation, not to
plenty but to poverty, they made no attempt to
subsist by rapine, but betoOk themselves at once
to the pursuits of honest Industry. The comm on
valor with which our cOuntrymen on both sides
fought brings feeling Of regret that they should
have exerted such heroism against each other
but the equal virtue with which both armies
passed at once to the tranquil pursuits Of civil
life can excite no sentiments but unaliOyed ad-
miration and pride. 1t was an illustriOus proof
of the fitness Of our citizens, both North and
South for republican institutions,
with all their errors, our Southern brethren
we're never for moment disiOyaI to republican
IDEAS They adopted in the eleven States precisely
the same system OF government which their ia
theirs and ours put II operation with thirteen.
The maintained their State Governments pre-
ciselY as they before, and in uniting the
States in a new confederation they readoDted the
Federal Constitution almost word for word. They
did not abjure republican ideas; they merely at
tempted to set uc republic on the same mo.
del as that from which they seeded. They did
not renounce the true faith and become political
heretics; they only sought to conduct the same
form of worship in d edifce. They therefore
need no conversion to tit them for readnission to
the national communion.
cit is high time to revive the proud memory OF
better days. For great part OF what is glorious
in history and valuable in our institutions the
| country is indebted to Southern citizens. Wash
ington, who led our armies to success in the Rev
olutiOn, and gave US a country, was Southern
er. Madison, who was truly the father of the
Constitution as Washington was Of his country
was Southerner. Marshall, the greatest of our
jursts, the creator Of our constitutional urispru
dence, was q Southerner. Jefferson, who secured
for us all that vast portion of our territory which
lies west of the Mississippi River and above it's
mouths, Il Southerner. What names have We
these, whether we consider the greatness Of The
men CT the magnitude OF their ser
vices? American citizens have reason to blush
when they permit republican institutions to be
supplanted by military despotism i'll the home
and over the honored graves of these illustriOus
architects of their country's greatness"