Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-05-18
The South.

Gradually tho eyes of tho NORTH
are being opened to the truo con
dition of tho South. That visit OF
Mr.. Grcolcy'S to Texas is likely tc
bear good fruit. In travelling
through the Southern States the
Editor of tho Tribune saw how the
pooplo were robbed in the name oI
the great Republican party, and he
had the courage to denOunce the
robbery. Other men Of influence
in the North wero induced to look
at the question with impartial eyes,
and tho moro they looked the more
they were astoundcd at the misgov
ernmont of the South. The Nation,
Republican journal, wants to
know what service the carpet. bag.
gers shave rendered tho country
that we should grant them tho mo.
nopoly of robbing tho rebels" The
question is us pertinent as it is diff
ficult to answer. The Rcv. Henry
Ward Bcecher now comes TO the
front with an earnest plea for the
South. In tho last number of the
Christian Union he reviews the
whole matter ably and dispassion-
ately. lie points out how the South
was exhausted by the war, how it
yielded as a man who drops from
sheer exhaustion. On the heels of
financial ruin trod q total disar-
rangemcnt of the system of labor.
Tho immediate consequence was to
greatly paralyzc tho industry of the
whole section. Then came a fail
uro of crop aftor crop, and the
Southern people wore poor indeed.
But this was not all. Tho crown.
ing burden was misgovernment.
Tho State government fell into the
hands of "ignorant and knavish
mon." Public money has been
wasted and stolen, and "a proud
and high-spiritcd population have
seen their places Of trust and honor
filled by foreign adventurous and
uncducated freedmen" 1t is a
very gloomy picture that Mr.. Beech
or draws with his eloquent pen, and
holding up the picture to all tho
world, he asks:
Sand is this all? Was it to bring
about this that the sacrifices Of
war were made? No. There is some.
thing yet to be considered-a thing
which rightly measu. ed outweighs
all the loss. Four million slaves
have become free. What that
means, wo can know when we can
measure in imagination the anguish
of slavery the dumb, hopeless suf.
ferlng, tho manhood donied, tho
womanhood outraged, the human
soul put under the conditions of the
beast. Out of that shadow a whole
people have been brought. Already
the fruit of that great deliveranco
begins to appear, but its full ripen.
ing and perfection will take many
years to unfold. A race has started
on tho road to manhood. They
have left Egypt, but have not reach
cd the promised land. They arc in
tho desert, receiving laws, institu-
tions and training, and looking for
q happy future. The ignorance
and helplossness of their old con-
dition must long weigh heavily up
on them. And in their now state
of freedom, they havo met with Il
double misfortune, in that political
circumstances have tended to bring
thea, under the guidance of dcma-
gOguos, anI at variance with the
class most ablo to noIp them"
And then Mr.. Bcechcr briefly
points out the present duty of the
nation at largo to tho South.
"The best service that can be rem
dored to the Southern people polit
ically is to let them alone. Disabil
ties should bo swept away at a
blow. There should bo no more
Federal interference with local af.
fairs. Political salvation for the
South can only come through her
own people. Our active duty to.
ward them lies in another direction.
1t consists, first, in helping secular
and religious education. This is
the supreme need of the South. We
should have faith in their sincere
cndeavors, according 10 their light,
opportunities and means, to rebuild
society, and to include the freedmen
in their efforts. They need from
us not simply pecuniary help, but
Christian sympathy and a manly
trust. There are societies that are
doing wise and energetic work in
this direction, and they have a claim
on us beyond almostany other form
of bencvolence. And finally, what
ever fosters better acquaintance DO.
tween tho North and South is ofthe
highest value. Unlike as tho two
sections are, il needs only mutual
knowledge TO establish hearty
friendship between them. We learn
cd in the war to respect each 9th
er's courage; there wants but the
familiar intercourse of peace to de-
velop that sympathy of feeling
which is the vital element in true
unity"
When men like Mr.. Greeley and
Mr.. Bccchcr earnestly demand Il
change in the government of the
Southern States, surely dolivcrance
is close at hand, for no two men are
more trusted and respected by the
Northern people at largo. The
Southern people have stood up no.
bly, under the heavy burdens i'm
posed upon them, and they have
proved themselves worthy of the
high donors of American citizen
ship. Their courage borders on the
sublime. Though crushed as proud
people have seldom been crushed,
they have not folded their hands
and quietly driftcd out upon the
black ocean Of despair. They have