New-York tribune., 1874-08-14
A REPUBLICANS VIBW OF SOUTH
ERN AFFAIRS.

EXPERIENCE OF A NORTHERN RESIDENT IN THE FAR
| soUTH-AILEGED PREVALENCE OF WRONG M
| PREssIoNs-TRUE CAUSES OF DEPREssIoN-PRo-
| POSED REMEDIES-TIIE NEGRO 4 POLITICIAN But
| NOT A LEGIsIAToR-Iow NORTHERN MEN ARE
| RECEIVED BY THE WHITES
| To the RAZOR or the Trtbunc.
SIR: Having just returned from the far
South where have lived for years. believe I can
vey impressions OF the people and the state OF
affairs correct than those generally obtained
from the newspapers We OF the South, who read what
| is said about us in the Northern Journals sOmtimes
| amused and sometimes saddened. Ever since the war
that unhappy country has been regarded by those who
have visited 1t as region where bowie knives
were used for toothpk and revolyers given AZ play
things for children. Northern papers CLEAN their nfor-
nation the only open them, the tele-
graphic dispatches and the hasy and too often partial
accounts furnished by professional correspondents.
| They can give the political news. tell who has been
elected office. and which party Is in the ascendant
but OF the true social life of the people what they do at
home. and what motives actuate them IN private life.
and develop into public manfestltlons-ot all these
things telegraph and the correspondent can tell but
"a small part
The only way TO know the wants and understand the
condition OF any people thoroughly is to live among
Them be OF them. BY this 1t Is not meant that
the cause OF any particular political organization must
be espoused-tha for instance, should like many
!
Join the Democratic ranks and raise the cry. The
| white man. right or wrong still the white man." nor
that one should again too many Northern men have
| done abuse the principles OF the Republican party by
using ignorant negroes as tools with which TO manuac-
ture a political fortune. say this last because, being
Republican myself and Union man from the start,
have seen the principles Of the Republican party made
suseryient 10 the interests OF scoundres to degree
hardly credible in "A wellrc gulated community. Union
men OF the South have been uniformly obliged to take
back seats while carpetbaggers have been told TO go
ND higher" But II is not much about the political
status OF the South this article is intended to speak
| The time when the people there were so ram
| pant over politics. Is rapidly passing away
Feeling IL intense. Want and almost starvation
In some sections have forced upon them the truth hat
there are more important things to ba attended to than
discussing political issues. The fact Is that along the
region OF the Gulf there has not been good crop
wear since the surrender" Year after year the plant
ers have planted cotton and little else than cotton and
the worm the drouth the floods have all in their
turn to sweep away anticipated profits Inc poor
planters have not had chance to get fair start They
mort their crops ahead for groceries and provisions
generally then failure their crops are forfeited
or at least large portion OF them to the merchants
aud tho same sad, discouragine method OF making
living must be adopted year. Finally the lands
themselves pied yed. and "a result tho country
merchants hold mortgages which they dare not foreclose
because there are no purchasers at sale. One might
ask why moi bid IN the land What would be the use OF
having lands you don't cultivate yourself and have no
time get others to cultivate for you, when you must
pay ruinous taxes it, year by yeari No, the mer-
chants adopt the only plan open to them; they give
time and so the sic8ening story has been repeated
until, as might be expected, the planters black and
white, have hardly money enough TO buy anything hom
the merchants, nor the merchants money enough to
stock their stores. OF things not in such
bad everywhere but they are III that condition IN
enough places make the future OF very large por
ton of Southern people seem dismal and hopeless
Is there no help for all this Yes and although
nearly every intelligent Southern man will tell you the
true remedy each depores the fact that nobody Is
willing or able to apply 1t. The first thing that should
be done is to create healthy public sentiment. There
Is too much stealing going and that Is the truth No
man with good garden OF cabbages eyen can 90 TO bed
nj ght without apprehensons Of losing half the heads
before morning. field OF corn Is sure TO be pundered
more or less by lazy fellows, black and white who are
too good for nothing to raise their own crop "hen
the cotton fields white for the harvest negroes Will
enter them at night with bags in hand, to pick seed
cotton which they take to sell to rascay
merchant rises before day to be the purchaser and
receiver OF what knows to be stolen goods And 50
might 90 on enumerang and describing the discourage
ments TO an honest disposed to TO work in many
portions OF the S0uth.
Another cause lack OF prosperity the fact that
every planter after bad cotton year. ab)rs under the
| corn next year. SO he thinks he will be particularly
snarp and plant cotton again. and make money when
that staple becomes The result Is no corn is
planed every plants cotton; and when that fails,
there Is no in the country aud the grain has to be
| brought from the West.
have not spoken OF the political situation. nor do
think IL necessary. Politics have done much az any
thing else to the people. II whites and negroes,
instead OF dstrustiDg cheating. and stealing from each
other had steadily 10 WORK IN an honest straight
Ea ~ u ~
rich. and not INDUCED IN political camor ana hostility,
the sOuth would be happy and prospetous to-day But
misunderstanding and qnarre the most intelligent Is
| done even at this time, 10 win and held
the coored race though whatever work done ia done
| by them. The old cry has been that the negroes
won't work but the true cry should he that the whites
won't work. VINO raises the millions Of bales Of cottoni
You may go from end OF the cotton belt TO the other
/ and Won will not hundred white men az work in
the fields. while the blacks are seen toing ywhere
As politician the negro has sense enough to recognize
bs friends and az such IL success but legislator
| he is 40 doubt sad failure. And there's where he
right 10 vote thinks he ought 10 be elected 10 office,
forgetting not knowing that though all things may
| be right all things not expedent.
| A great deal has been said Of the way In which
Nortern people have been treated who SOnth TO 1--we.
The experience OF the majority has been that they are
not received with open arms, while many nave bten
treated with absolute discourtesy. Without attempting
this 1t Is possible 70 explain IT, Inc southern
people In the mass, were before the war taught by
ahoiti"nists who would take away their slaves The
war only intensified the hatred thus eDsendered. and
the Dttn gwen tilt Dhot,
unprinciplcd carpetbaggers have TO lead them,
the Southern who Is almost invariably Democrat.
ha, come 10 regard Northerner accession To
what Is termed the Radical party. But IL Is possible
for man to live South make strong friends,
| vote the Republican ticket Ike an honest man,
and be respected for doing by those who know him.
It is hard for "a SoutherDer to believe any be
sincere In being Republican. He make allowances
for preludices from education and association but he
cannot understand how when you look at "ngger."
you can honestly that his vote should
| a white mans That ~ what sticks In his throat"
But let us give the Southerner his due While we see
Ilnfn
cruel let reco ect that when he IL friend
he s firm and one and that as rule he IL sincere.
Nnrth. WI raQnu uaa