Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-09-04
g The South has Tried Cringlng and
Fewning Long Enough"
From the Chester Reporter.

From the Chester Reporter.
The recent plain, frank, and certainly
harmless expression of his sentiments by
the distinguished ex-President has raised
perfect howl at the North and in res
ponse thereto the weak kneed and time
serving among the presses Of the South
have caught up the refrain, and are saying
all manner of unmanly and unbecomln5
things about Mr. Davis and his speech.
The Charleston News aud Courier, which
is sometimes thought by people out OF the
State to reflect the sentiments and opln-
ions of the white people OF South Carroll
ma. joins IN the hue and cry as-follows;
It has been our habit To think and speak
of him with kindness, and even affection
as thoroughly sincere well-meaning man,
whose faults were OF the. e.head, and not OF
the heart but we must say plainly thaS
Mr.. Davis is one OF the most troublesome
clements that the South has to deal with
In its effort to bridge the chasm OF war
and secure reunion and peace. For what
ever Mr.. Davis says the Southern people
are held responsible. His rash words are
hidat our doors It is useless to deny or
arnlain The answer is, "Oh yes! You
saw what is polite; but Mr.. Davis says
vbat Won think" This was the case with
the Atlanta speech, andit will be the same
with the speech just delivered.
The Southern people have honored MIR.
Davis. and trusted him. He owes it to
the South to hold his tongue. as the best
service he can render his people.
In our Judgment just such stuff as this
has done the South ten thousand times
more damage than all the speeches JEFF
Davis ever made. 1t shows to our con-
auerors that we don't respect ourselves,
that we are not worthy of their respect,
and that we are fit subjects for the oppreS
sions and indignities their base natures
prompt them to impose upon US. Inc
South has tried cringing and fawning long
enough. No thrift has followed it. we
have done everything since the close OF
the war that could be devised in the way
of concession to appease the wrath OF our
implacable foes; but 1t has all been wltn-
out avail. Why? Simply because the
North knows that it has all been done tor
policy: that; whatever the politicians who
are seeking place may say. the heart of the
neonle Is as true now to that cause tor
which they gave and suffered so much as
it was when the colors of the South were
floating the most bravely.. They have
overpowered US and have made US suo,
{ missive to their authority. This does not
satisfy them. They would crush out OF
our souls the love we feel for the cause
for which we fought, because in that sen
hment they recognize en- unrelentlng enc
nv to the warfare they are waging on
civil liberty itself. They cannot crush out
Of US our heaven-imPlanted love LOT Tree
dom, and hence they hate US.
To our mind there is but one sentence
in Mr.. Davis speech that even the most
cautious Northern Radical could take e1-
ception to. That is where he says we
have been cheated rather than conquered
and could we have foreseen the results o.
the surrender we would have been free to-
day" Is there any Southern man that
will deny the truth Of this i the men
of the South bad realized in 1862 that the
loss of their caus meant that they Woulo
be the slaves of slaves, can there be any
doubt that there would have been such al
uprisingas would have carried the Southern
Cross to the top of Bunker Hill Monument
if so far had been necessary to save them
from the threatened doom? The Soutt
never realized the consequences of defeat
It relied upon the lying resolutions OF th'
Federal Congress, and believed thai ever
if it was overpowered things would 60 OF
as they had done before. In this way sh'
was cheated" to her defeat.
The wild red man of the plains Away
abates somewhat OF his accustomed tor
lures when his captive deports hlmsel
with unfinching courage and manlfest'
no signs Of coward crouching: Let u
hereafter assume that our Northern con
querors have as much magnanimity as th'
savage Indian. Let us talk out plainly
squaTely and boldly what we think ane
feel, and ii they don't like it let them d
what they please to help themselves