Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-06-20
Is il DespOtism !

The New Orleans Picdylipe is helping
"the Southern people" to cheerfulness and
prosperity by great deal of talk of this
sort:
'The Southern people for the first time since 1915.
find themselves under 4 heartless, inimcal despot-
ism. What are they TO dor The Government Of
the United States stands ready. by its military
power TO support and enforce the usurpatiOn and
yillainies which dominate over them. They are
not in condition TO take up arms. What are they
to do but to turn to their private pursuits, and
strive, out of the wreck Of their fortunes and
try, to carve out the means Of livelihood for them
selves and families!"
1t is profoundly to be deplored if "the
Southern people, or any portion of them,
find themselves in the condition above de-
scribed. If so, they may rest assured that
they have the truest sympathy of the whole
people of the rest of the country. But is
there such thing possible as despotismg
If so, there should be such thing as pos
sible freedom But if "the Southern peo-
pie" are in the plight depicted, then the
people OF the United States have failed in
selfgoyernment, liberty is shown to be
impracticable and the Southern people"
need shed no special tears The charge
that the popular masses of this country
have reduced the Southern people to des.
potism implies that freedom is hopeless,
that if the Southern people were not un-
der the despotism thus complained of
they would be under some other, and is
therefore as absurd as it is false
According to the census of 1870, Louis
lana has population about equally di.
vided between whites and blacks, the
latter preponderaling by few thousands
According to the Constitution of the
United States the 3G4,210 colored people
of Louisiana are part of "the Southern
people" But the New Orleans Picaylae
/ like many other journals published in the
| South, cOnceives that nobody has any
| political rights in that region except tho
native whites. They alone, they think
constitute "the Southern people" Mann
| others think the term despOtism meaning
! less if slavery was not despotism ovel
its millions of chattels. A great many
unprejudiced and liberal-minded persons
who have a high regard for the cultur,
and social qualities of the native whites o
the South, believe that their duslly breth
rem also have rights that have come t.
them simultaneously with that situation
which the Picdy,tns characterizes as 81
heartless, inimical despotism" over 9Th
Southern people"
We fear that the paragraph we hav
quoted is an unconscious confession tha
"the usurpation a-l yillainies" complain
ed of, the 'heartless, inimical despOtism,
is concentrated in the fact that an actua
despotism has been destroyed, and that tn
subjects of that despotism have been raj,
ed to the condition of Southern people
whom they who insist upon regardin
themselves as exclusively SHE Souther
people" cannot accept as fellow-citizeni
We hope we are mistaken in this matter
for we should be sorry to have to believ
that the despotism which so troubles ou
contemporary is but the loss of the pOwC
to maintain despotism over half the pee
pie of Louisiana. Certain we are tht
"the Government of the United State
stands ready, by its military power" {
prevent the Te-establishment Of that de
potsm in any form or on any pretense.
! But this complaint in behalf of til
} Southern white people should rather /
attributed to the disorders and misgOverl
? ment known to have followed upon the r.
, construction. Only when such expire
? siOns are carried to the extent of doin
, gross injustice to the Republicans of I'll
country does it become proper to remin
"the Southern people" that this Tecol
t struction is an inevitable result of the
war Of rebellion. All of the attendant an
incidental evils that can be avoided shoul
be, but there yet must remain va
. amount of inielicity inseparable from ii
radical change necessitated by the a
7 tempt to destroy the Republic for the SAX
e of slavery Louisiana seems to have la
2 more than her share of this inlelicity, an
t the fact may be due to the spirit whiC
1 persists in doing nothing but worshipin
, and deploring the lost past and cursin
( the present
I New Orleans controls the political an
| md of In
4 nearly fourth of the population and
= much larger proportion of the wealth
the entire State. The influential residen
I. of that city can, if they will, break up Il
] race division of parties throughout Il
+ State, and lead the colOred masses by
g coming their benefactors. They can, pc
G haps, improve upon the example of the
/ sister city of Savannah, which, am
y formidable difficulties, has made for hers6
noble record of courage, enterprise m
y prosperity The Georgian whites will
? acknowledged to be part of "the Southel
u people" but their temper is in strikiI
IS contrast with the despair which some
y our New Orleans friends cherish as
II sweet luxury. For instance, here is
Il specimen of the style Of the Savanna
e Journals, copied from the AdUertiser al
d Republican of that city;
e ''The example of savannah-one Of the propos
e Atlantic termini Of the Great Western Canal
3 worthy OF note and OF imitation The war left
- PROSTATE In every interest and in this respect
y but shared the fate Of all her Southern sisters
~ has risen however, above her misfortunes, and
" tanned to growth and prosperity unequaled al a
" previous period Of her history. In this latter
- gard, she may be said to stand shining among
n seaports Of the South. And why this distinouC
f. This Is an interesting subject Of inquiry. Oh
AZ among the reasons are the following; First,
I allowed the disasters OF the war 70 paral!
le her energies second she depended on herself, .
n not on Others, for the work OF reeuperation"
4. st Louis Globe