Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-10-06
The SOUTH IN CONVENTION


the party relations of the South, compels
US to recur to a subject on which our
views have already and a long time ago
been freely expressed. The correspon-
dence OF two gentlemen 50 distinguished
and, within certain circles, so influential
as Messrs. Hampton and d. III. Hill, is
too Impressive to be passed by in silence,
and we seek TO discuss it in the sincere
nope that what We have to say may be lis
tened to, and soon convince even them
The letter in question is to the general Ell
feet that the Southern Democracy shonld
not be represented in the National Con
vention, but should hold itself in readiness
to follow the lead of the North, ''giving it
all the aid they can" II requires no
special sagacity to discover why
such counsel should be acceptable to those
who are guiding the tactics of
Republicanism. especially of that wing
which sustains the administration. II
they. by hook or crook, by the dexterous
use OF soldiers here and the discipline oil
otice-holders there, can manage to have ev
cry State represented, no matter by whom,
black or white. in their convention, and
the Democratic Convention be fragment
airy, they will have the prestige of ina
tlonallty," and the Southern Democrats
Will be spoken Of as sullenly STANDING
aloot even from their own friends, VITA b
great chasm between, which, even when
the election Genes, will not be bride ed
Nor would this be entirely misrepre SEN
tatlon. Nothing, it seems to us, woulo
more chill the zeal and generous sympathy
OF tho Conservative North than to see
those vacant seats and miss the faces OF
their reconciled brethren. 1t is not enough
for us TO be told they will "follow oul
lead" We need their counsel as to plat
form; departure. new or old; candidate
Oars IS the theory that, for all purposes OF
consolidation and preliminary action,
southern men are completely rehabili
taFed and part of the political family as il
the broadest amnesty had been proclaim ed, ,
and the disqualifying constitut .onal re-
strlcuoEs had never been enacted. They,
or some of them. under the cruel legisla-
ton he1r9enemies ere trying toIperpetuate,
may not be able to vote, but they are none
the Iess our trends and brethren on that
account. Lit isEnot difficult to imagine q
great practical result to be attained b,
their presence and the frank expression Of
their wishes.
If the South, in the Convention, were,
with anything like unity, to express the
wish that dead issues should be burie q.
and an existing state of things accented
nay, more, if, while the Judgment of the
North was balancing in the choice of can
dIdates, the South were not obtrusively,
but earnestly and with genuine accord, to
ask the nomination Of one who had. like
generous soldier, fought and helped to
conquer them, Or Of statesman whose re.
mote antecedents were far from being in
harmony with theirs, bat who stands firm
~ on the great basis of Amnesty anu
Peace In the broadcast sense-if this were
TO happen, as it easily might, who would
1oubt that the wish would be listened to
and the great co operation secured by har-
monlous counsel, and not by mere ac
qulescence Yet all this is impracticable
II the representa- tlve men Of the South are
absent.
The argum ant which, at this late dav,
Is urged to convince the Southern Democ-
racy that the policy of absence and re-
serve is the true one, rests. in our iudo-
nect, on mistake of fact and palpable
tallacy IN reasoning. 1.-The Southern Del
egates, says General Hampton, Sin a Ma
tlonal Convention could exercise no infiu-
ence In shaping the policy, making up the
Issues, or selecting the candidates for the
next contest, without seriously iniuring
the prospect Of Democratic triumph.-
That this would inevitably be the case is
proven by the result of the last Demo
cratic Convention, where the very pres
ence OF Southerners was used to prejudice
W
our party"
We have tried TO show why, in o most
probable exigency, the Democratic South
can exercise very great influence,
and We utterly reject the poslulate
that the presence Of Southerners-
General Hampton himself among
others-did any practical harm, or con-
duced IN any degree to the defeat in 1868.
That defeat was preordaincd, as much so
4 c mo CnnnHoI To 81
would have happened no matter who was
,he candidate and what the platform. It
was too soon. The ashes of war excite
nent were not cold. The delusion about
'conquering heroes" had not been dissi-
oated. The mas. OF the people believed
u Grant. Even the South found conso- |
aticn in the hope, i; not the faith, that he
o whom their great Chief surrendered |
would give them as generous terms as he |
lad T, celved. General Lee himself had |
hared their faith, and had written-the |
etter is In print: General Grant posses |
es magnanimity as well as ability I" In !
500 no candidate could have defeated |
nm, and 1t has always seemed to us that |
he contrary assumption does great ipius-
ice to the leaders Of that forlorn hope
There was needed four years of misruIe
nd disappointment, and these the coup-
~ has had. Be all this as it may. il was
ertainly not the presence of the South
hat did the harm, and the precedent has
10 force.
Ii, however, this be the view-and it is
ighly creditable alike to their magma
Unity and their modesty-of leaders,
ronounced men, such as the parties to
his correspondence is an alterna-
i've to either their presence or the absence
f everybody. There is in every Southern
tate an intermediate class of less promi-
emit, or it may be less obnoxious, men
tho are not even disfranchised-who,i if
hey fought in the war, fought as young
len. and in subordinate Positions
here may be those, (though this is
nprobable,) who did not fight at all.
ct these are true to the Conservative
ause, and representative thoroughly
local sentiment. Why not send
lch men as these to the Conven-
on ? They will be welcome. They will
0 away with the desolate, fragmentarv
II which absence must give. They viii .
3 there to speak for their section. They |.
III feel they are one with us, and as the :
Ill is called, and each Southern State rep.
scented by somebody announces its vote