The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-16
FAIR PLAY FOR THE SOUTH,
4 SIGNIFICANT EDITORIAL FRoN
THE NEW YORK HERALD.

TIE NEW YORK HERALD.
"rhe Oppression OF the South by the
PolitIcians-Are We TO Have a Re-
stored Union!"
From the New York Herald, July 13.I
For some years before the war of the re-
belllon, when Northern politicians were en-
deavorlng to consolidate into one great politi-
cal organization all the elements opposed to
the Southern States of the Union either In
Interest or sentiment, a persistent and sys-
tematic effort was made to create prejudice
against the white citizens of the South. Apart
from the crusade against the institution Of
slavery as an offence against the Divine laws,
and moral and social evil, the slave-owners
were denounced as class, and we're held
I'D to reproach as un-American, insolent,
overbearlng and tyraunical. The South
ern people had themselves to thank
for the success of this unpatriotic
attempt to excite sectional animosIty and
strife for political purposes. Their peculiar
position had rendered them jealous, suspicious
and arrogant. They had been accustomed 70
conceived an uptavorable opinion OF Northern
courage. The sense Of the Insecurity OF their
slave property kept alive 10 their breasts
constant feeling OF hostility towards the free
States, and the lone of their press and public
speakers was offensive and CALLING to the peo.
pie OF the North. Eventually, the efforts OF
the politicians and the indlscretion OF the cnlV-
airy brought about secession ana civil war.
A bitter and costly experience taught the
Southern men how erroneously they had
Judged of the spirit of their Northern fellow
citizens. while the sufferiDgs and the bravery
of the South won the sympathy and respect
of the North, aud we're accepted as an
atonement for past foll!es and offences. When
the last gun of the war had been fired, and the
great rebellion lay crushed and dead at the
feet of Grants victorious army, there was not
a citizen of the loyal States, outside handful
of schemlng politicians, who did not earnestly
desire to see the South relieved as speedily as
possbe from the Inevitable penalties OF her
madness and restored to all her constitutional
rights under the reconstructed Union. The
Northern people required Assurances that tne
late Confederate5 wonld consent to accept IN
good faith the decision reached by the tribunal
Of arms; and were willing, as soon as this was
received, to bury their anger and their sorrow
in common grave. Foremost among those
who thus periodically sought TO- restore The
Union In the hearts OF The people was the
soldier who had rescued IL from actual dee
structione Towards the close OF the year 1855
General Grant made Rn Inspection OF the re-
belllous States for the purpose OF learning by
personal observation the sentiment OF their
leading citizens and ascertalning what
amount Of military force would be required
for the preservation Of order aud the enforce
ment of the laws. Ia his report to President
Johnson the acknowledgement expressed his
conviction that the South had not only &C
cepted the decision of battle as final, but
had become convinced by reflection that tnis
decision had been fortunate one Tor both
sections Of the Union. my observations"
wrote General Grant, "Iead me- 10 the conclu-
sion that the citizens Of the Southern States
are anxious to return to selfgovernment
within the UaleE as soon as possible; That
whIlo reconstructing they want and require
protection from the government; that, they
think, Is required, and Is not humlllatlng TO
them as cltlzens, and that 1t such course
we're pointed out they would pursue It. IN
SHAT there cannot be greater commlngllng
at this time between the citizens Of the two
sections, and particularly of those entrusted
with the laW.making power" Tha-tronb!e OF
the recently liberated negroes was not over,
looked by the victorious general. He found
them to be inclined 10 idleness and 1moued
with the idea that freedom from bondage
meant freedom from labor. But he trusted TO
time and the management OF the State gov
ernments to render the freedmen willing to
work and TO remove by slow degrees the evil
OF Ignorance, The legacy of their former con-
dition.
Nearly eight years have passed since the
war closed and the general Is now Inc Presl-
dent. The politicians, who have unfortunate.
~ surrounded and controlled his admnistra-
ton, have continued during the last three
wears and O half the same course towards the
South adopted by them as soon as the REBEL
Ion was over, when they were contendlng
with President johnson for the political con-
troll OF that section OF the country. The efforts
of these men have been to secure political
power In the Southern States by colonlzing
fhe South with carpetbag politicians, and
holding with them the solid negro vote.
The process was simple and easy. In ten
of the exrebel States-Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Viz
pinIa and the two Carollnas-ander the
census OF 1870, there were four MIL
lion six hundred and twenty.fouT thou
sand white inhabitants to three million
six hundred and thirty-four thousand negroes,
or less than one million more white than black
Inhabitants. Taking the proportion OF one in
i've for voters, the while electors may be
calculated at two hundred thousand more than
the black. In South Carolina, Louisiana and
Mississippi the negroes are In majority. Ia
Alabama there are only nVe tnousanQ more
white voters than there are cOlored; and In
Florida the white electors are only Thousand
larger than the black. Proscrlptlve test oaths
and Acknowledgement laws were resorted to for
the purpose of reducing the Southern white
vote. and as amnesty became more and more
political necessity, Ku u.Kiux laws. author
izlng the suspension OF the writ OF habeas
corpus and placing the elections under the
protection, or rather under the tyranny OF
federal bayonets, were invoked 10 counter
balance the enfranchlsement OF the whites In
the last session of Congress, notwithstanding
the notorious fact that the Southern States are
now as peaceful and law-abldlng as those OF
the North, the most disgracetul scenes were
enacted in both Houses In the effort to force
through q renewal OF the Ku-Klux bill at the
risk of the interruption OF the whole r1achine-
rv of the government. To-day the South ie
held under military despotism, subject to the
rascally corruptions OF carpet.bag civil gov
ernmerts, and threatened by the dark shadow
of political negro supremacy. Her people have
done all In their power 10 prove their wiling.
ness to accept the lessons and fruits OF
the war and to obey the laws of their country,
They point to their paralyzed Industries, to
their impoverished homes, to their broken
fortunos pnd npad TO be allowed to enter