Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-01-01
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WAR.

bus acolumn article against the Republic
yz.al party, in which the following remark
able sentiment occurs:
1t would be expecting too much of poor hui
man nature to hope that the chosen leaders of
the Radical mob that terrorised the North and
West in 1860, or any considerable portion Of the
dupes composing that mob, to make an open
and literal confession before the world either of
folly or criminality; but It is nevertheless evil
dent to our perception that the masses of the
| people begin TO see how they were irrltaled de-
! ceived infamed and finally ensnared by those
vile influences which precipitated the NEST
wanton and unnecessary civil war that ever
| saturated the soil of a country with the common
| blood of its children.
| This reference to the Radical mob of
| 1861" and the charge that the "masses of
| the people were irritated, deceived, inflam-
ed, and finally ensnared' into the precep-
tation of a most wanton and unnecessary
civil war by the Republicans of the North
and West, is about the coolest thing we
have seen on the subject of the war. The
idea of the Southern Democracy, that so
Systematically educated the Southern
mind and fired the Southern heart for the
precipitation of a rebellion, speaking about
the mobs of the North and West, is very
much of the same character as that of Satan
| reproving sin. 1t is presuming a great
deal on the igaOrance of the present gem
Grafton, to suppose they have forgotten the
acts of violence in the South toward
Northern men previous to the rebellion.
Right here in Knoxville, where one might
suppose such acts would least occur, an in
offensive man, Mr.. Crigger, engaged in
selling fruit trees, was set upon by a mob
and barely escaped with his life, for no
other reason than that he was opposed to
slavery, and in private conversation SO eX-
pressed himself. Such occurrences were
frequent throughout the South. Self-con-
stituted vigilance committees waited upon
men of Northern birth, and arbitrarily or
dered them to leave, or subjected them to
coat of tar and feathers. We say, it is
presuming great deal on the ignorance Of
those now living, to suppose that they
have forgotten the insOlent demands made
by Southern mobs within the past ten or
fifteen years. OF the attempt to create the
impression that the Northern and Western
men are responsible for the "wanton and
unnecessary civil war; we need not speak
A man who is fool enough to entertain
such proposition is not worthy of waste
of words to convince him of anything.
The AdUertiscT, after speaking of what it
styles reaction going on in the minds of
the people against the Republican party,
closes with the following precious NOR
ceau:
The South, heroic and noble in the bitterness
of captivity is reacting gloriously without Con-
stitutiOnal disturbance, and under the operation
of the Reconstruction Acts themselves, against
the intended results Of segregation, practical
disuniOn and provincial inferiority social bar
barism, and Native Southern standardization.
Let us see about this idea of Southern
standardization" In this, the editor
evidently refers to the relative position
which the people of the two sections occu-
Ply toward each other. The South is being
denatopalized because it is outatripped in
point of wealth, education and general
progress by the people of the North and
West. Democracy now comes into power,
with all the prestige of Southern chivalry,
and under its magic influence the South is
to again come up to their idea of superior
ity. Well, if the Democratic policy is such
as to increase our wealth, bring emigrants
into our territory, build railroads all over
the country, educate the masses by estab-
fishing liberal system of common school
education, and encourage spirit of gen.
eral public Improvement, we may hope to
stand alongside of our neighbors at the |
North. If, on the other hand, social ostra-
cism on account of birthplace or sectional |
consideration prevails, we may expect to
run in the same old ruts that have OBJ |
structed our progress for half a century. |
1t IS very certain that we will not escape |
the Standardization of which the 4drey'- |
tiseT speaks, by the encouragement of Ku
kluX Klans, and the persecution of men
on account of their peculiarp political tenets. /
If any one supposes that the mere Access
sion of the Southern Democracy TO power
with their well known antedeluvan views
is to prove of any financial advantage to
the South, or that it will prevent our ode
in the sense we suppose
the 4ducrfiscr uses the term, let them dis
miss all such ideas.
WE learn from our exchanges of the
points of disagreement between Judges