Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-30
THE SOUTH.
Inc Cry of sLawlessness in the
South'' the Device of Political
Tricksters.


Tricksters.
From the New York Times-Radical.
The sea. serpent and the monster goose
berry render periodical service to Ger
tain class of newspapers There ar
others, and those, we are sorry to say, Of
the Republican faith, which, with mar
velous regularity, descant upon 9Th,
reign of laRlessness in the South" Thu
heading appears periodically. We ac
cept it rs a sign, when Congress is in
session, that some eytravagant measure is
in contemplation. At other times. tbs
stale story is intended to serve
some election purpose, or TO afford
a semblance of justification for some
extraordinary assumption Of author.
ity of the kind with which Gov. Holden
is familiarizing North Carolina and start
ling the country. Whatever the end to
be served, we are quite sure that usually
there is an unaVowed purpose, the accom-.
pllshment of which seems to render ex-
pedlent the awakening Of popular indio-
nation against the South. ssThe reign IF
lawiessness in the South is stereotved
expression, which is used to fire the Rsdi-
cal heart when the tendency in matters
political is 10 Indifference and staqna-
ton.
The device is blunder even in party
sense. We donot say that it is destitute
OF effect. Experience has shown that an
lncessant repetition of sensational stories
relating to crime in Southern communities
influences the action of Congress, and is
effective as an electioneering agency in
the North and West The power that
suppressed the rebellion will submit TO no
triiiing when any portion of the work
achieved is declared to be in jeopardy:
and systematic reiteration of statements
exhibiting the temper and conduct of the
Southern people in an unfriendly light, |
contributes not little to popular excite |
ment on the subject. The gust0 with |
which these statements are printed and /
read implies mistaken conception of the |
real interests of the Republican party. |
The supposition acted upon is, that that
party has more to gain from '1awlessness
in the South" than from order and
peace. Only make it apparent that
CRIME begotten in hostility to the Union
abounds unchecked at the South, and Re-
publican majorities may be counted on
with certainty. That seems to be fav-
orite hypothesis. But it is one that Of
tends against common sense. For con-
tinued violations of law, and continued
defiance of the authority of law, imply q |
more or less extensive failure of recon-
structiOn. And reconstruction being one |
OF the distinctive results of the Republi-
can policy, whatever implies the failure
or reconstruction, as a means of restor-
ing order and good government, also i'm I
plies the failure of the Republican party ,
10 achieve one of its cherished objects. ,
If there still is '1awlessnes in the South" !
On the extensive scale which alone can
Justify the use of the circumstance in }
political controversy, then a very import
mt part of the Republican work has been I
Ibortive. This is not the conclusion
Which the party managers would wish .
he country to adopt. q
OF course, the truth is above and be- r
ore all party considerations. Whether it =
lurts Republican interests or helps them, i
ct us have the truth. The misfortune is. 7
hat we have much more in the highly =
olored narratives that are promulgated ;,
nd commented on by the mischief ma Z,
ers. Thus, criminal incidents which are r
assed unnoticed at the North, are in
ested with a political significance when
hey occur at the South. We have plenty .,
f lawlessness in New York, but who r.
mong US proposes to hold the entire =,
responsible for it? Who pro- -
oses to make it an excuse for Federal
Interference, or to use it for campaign -,
urposes in Ohio or Mississippi Yet -
le whole South is arraigned y,
the bar of Northern opinion be- D
ause murders are committed in Tennes- y,
7e or North Carolina. The whole South =;
m people are made the text for solemn 81
and loyal threats and warn :,
lgs, because some drunken Rebel in Il
lemphis shoots an industrious negro, or n
ecause gang of ruffians in Georgia iu- =,
llt and injure some worthy Northerner
Tho has gone there to earn an honest
wing. These occurrences are bad, .,
neither reported from Kansas or the ~
outh. But we act unwillingly and IN q
lstly when we apply the generalizing ii,
recess to one case, and omit it in the II,
her. OF this injustice the South may ia
,asonably complain. 90
As whole, the South is as free from ~
wlessness as any other part of the ~;
,untry. There are bad localities in the a.
States, but so there are in 10,
lis city and in this State. The general ~
,ndition of things is, however, one that III
lie Southern people have no reason to be
slammed of. Virginia, South Carolina,
eOrgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Missis- br
ppi may safely challenge comparison he
18th States similarly situated in ordinary as
spects, at the South and West. There to
rs been a fair average of progress every vi
here The main body of the pOpuIa- at
IN have applied themselves to industrial TO
Irsuits, with steady determinatiOnwh which tn
IS already borne good fruit They are tn
building villages and cities, cultivating II
rms and familiarizing themselves with We
terrrisss which will yield more than the Fl,
1 prosperity. Let us cOncede both the sa
tent and significance of these indica- Sit
ms, uDgrudgingly. is