Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-01-09
SourHERN pLSTRESS,

The Democrats are endeavoring to make
party capital of the present destitution pre-
vaillng in the South, and impudently charge
the Republican party with being the authors
Of the suffering. On the contrary, SO far as
this suffering Is attributable to political
causes, the Democratic party is chargeable
with 1t all. The promises Of Northern
Democrats promises afterwards broken
lured the Southern people on to their ruin,
by encouraging them to make their mad
attempt at separation. The sympathy OF
Northern Democrats during the war, en-
couraged the South to prolong the useless
struggle and thus make its ruin more com
plete.
After the long struggle was over 1t was
Andrew Johnson's treachery, supported by
the Democratic party, which first inspired a
hope for the unattainable in the minds Of
whipped rebels, and thus encouraged, nay
inaugurated, resistance to Reconstruction.
1t is the Southern wing of the Democratic
party which now, with the full sympathy
and cooperation of the Northern wing,
votes to delay Reconstruction, opposes the
holding of any Constitutional Conventions
intends to vote against the Constitutions
when presented; and in every way tries te
prevent the restoration of the lately rebel
lious States to their proper place in the
Union, and equitable representation in the
Council Chambers of the nation.
In Short the Democratic party Nortl
and South, persistently opposes organiza
ton and pacification and thereby cripple
the business and industry of the South, thu
producing misery, famine, and want, ant
then impudently attributes to the Republical
party the results of its own mad folly.
But to deal fairly with this party of re
action and turmoil and not to charge it witt
any more crimes than the ter ible list it |
already guilty of, we must say that all th
present distress is not traceable to the Dem
ocratic rebellion and the subsequent Demo
cratic opposition to reconstruction, but in |
great measure results from natural and no
political causes. 1t is caused by the abso
lutte loss in the cotton culture from the higl
cost of supplies and the great fall in tn
price of cotton. In the settlement of tn
years business on the plantation, freedmen
who have faithfully worked their shares an
have lived economically, find that the pro
: ceeds of their shares are so reduced by the fal
, in the price of cotton, as to leave them littl
or nothing, if not in debt to the landholdci
The planter finds that the results hay
increased his debts, and left him withou
means to advance the supplies TO begin til
planting of another crop. This, we are as
sured, is the case with very many of tn
best planters who have dealt fairly by thei
laborers, and whose laborers have worke
faithfully, and who have had fair CROP
The practical question now is, however, nc
with the causes Of this distress, but ho'
shall it be alleyiated and the terrible DANCE
to law, order, and government from stary
ing men, as well as humanity, calls for
speedy answer to that question. And
must .ot only be relieved but somcthin
must be done to prevent, as far as possible
the recurrence of a similar state of affairs.
The cotton tax must be promptly repea
ed, if necessary immediate aid must be ex
tended, and the culture Of cotton encoui
aged and made profitable by keeping I'll
foreign stuff and the fabrics made from 1t a
far as possible out of our markets TAX
off tax aud put on tariff