The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-09
SPIRIT or THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS or THE LRADING JOURNALS
uPoS CURRENT ToPIcs-coMPILKD BvERY
DAY FOR THR EVENING rBLEGRAPH. te
The Era OF Good Feeling.

From Lae ". y. Tribune.
The Savannah Republican, in an effort to
show "what is necessary to an era OF good
feeling" argues that the North must sur
render certain 'ideas" or convictions which
now occupy the Nor hern mind. The csnsti-
tutionsl difficulty with cur Southern brethren
is that they always demand the surrender Of
that which in its nature is incapable OF being
surrendered. II they would merely ask
change in our laws or surrender OF our
purses, we might crafty them. But in de-
manding change in our 'ideas" and convic-
tions OF right or OF relative excellence, they
are asking the only thing it Is impossible for
us to grant. The first idea We are called on
to surrender is stated to be "the desire on the
part Of the North, for purposes of their own,
to force the Southern people to discard the
old bond of uuion and enter into new one
with them, never contemplated in the forma-
tion of the Government, or proposed until the
physical preponderance was proved to be
against us.n This assumes that the "old
bond of union" was one in which the State
had the right to secede. Our Southern friends
will witness the era of good feeling long be-
fore the North sanctions the right OF secession.
The Repubiican'S second requirement is, of
course, that we shall allow none but the Rebels
of the South TO vote. 1t says:-
''The North goes even further than this. She
insists that We shall organize society In the
South ard come under tue jurisdiction OF laws
that have no force or existence at the North. In
other words, that Lnere shall be one k1nd OF
government for the South and another kind for
the North, and slill both continue to exist TO-
gether as one homogeneous political society. Is
such a demand Just? Is IL even consistent with
reasonp"
The falsehood of this statement consists in
assuming that "the South" includes only the
Democrats of the South, and that the legsla-
tive inaction of the North relative to negro
suffrage here expresses the conscience of the
prantad
partial suffrage to the South. The assumption
that the South opposes negro suffrage over
looks two ffths OF the people of the South
who desire it. The assumption that ''the
North" intends to grant suffrage to the negro
at the South and not at the North everlooks
the fact that the whole Democratic party OF
the North opposes negro suffrage everywhere
alike, and nine-ten of the Republican party
favors it everywhere alike. The remaining
tenth of the Republican party, combining
with the Democratic party, retard but cannot
long prevent suffrage from being without dis
tinction of color. Meanwhile, it is the Repub-
liean party South and North that extends the
suffrage, and it is the Democratic party that
delays It's extension without regard to locality.
The Republican party would find it difficult to
surrender any or those fundamental ideas OF
political equality on which its very existence
depends and by which ell its success has
been won. Nor are political parties prone to
surrender the ideas which make them VIC
torious.
We beseech our Southern friends, there
fore, not to postpone the 'era of good feel
ing' so long. We are ready to help the South
with working men, intelligent, highly edu-
Gated women, plenty of capital to reconstruct
its plantations, develop its mines, and start
its manufactures, rebuild it's ruined railroads,
and convert its wilderness into garden. But
the first essential to genuine era of good
81 L. AIak l>nI, IaD h..
vited The Calvinistic theory, according tC
which an essential element in the enjoyment
of the elect is to be the contemplation of the
Distinguishing grace which has selected them
for exalted bliss, while Others no more un-
deserving, are consigned to unspeskable woe,
may do very we'll in theology as theory o.
the next life, but it does not answer in poll
tics, or as model for government. AT least
having tried it, and abolished it, we are not
hapkering to return to it. Another condition o.
the "era of good feeling" must be that every
body shall have leave TO tell whether he feels
we'll or ill. This involves that freedom o
speech, of the press, and of thought, o
which Southern Democrats have not been the
most consistent champions.
We are fully conscious that we need to re
store in the South an era of good feeling. To
this end the chief means must be to make
Southern industry profitable, and the Southern
working class free, not only from all human
masters, but from the most inhuman of al
masters-want. Adam Smith argues thai
slavery arises whenever two men are seeking
one master Freedom begins only when two
masters are seeking to employ the labor Of ont
man. The South has the cotton the cheaI
labor, the water and coal power, the brains
the demand, and no small share of the capita
necessary to set running fifty thousand cotton
manufactures and twenty million spindes
This would reverse the present condition o
both blacks and whites at the South. Where
now ten helpless laborers are seeking to bt
employed by one master, there would then be
two masters competing for the labor of on'
man. Herein lies true freedom for the work
ing class, rapid increase in wealth for al
classes, and that general ''era of good feeling
for which the South is looking. But to thii
end there must be peace, protection to capita
and labor, AMI vigorous suppression of Ku
Klux,K Kans and the entire ''mob aud m urder'
spirit. Will the Savannah Republican labor T.
bring about these conditions OF the ''era O
good feeliDgR"
Convenient Ignorance of the Indlal
Bureau.
From, 1te N. Y. Times.