The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-06-03
THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH.
ON WHICH SIDE DOES THE PREJUDICE
PREPONDENATE.

of chiyalrous generosity in keeping
with the proud prestige of the Amer
lean people, as sel"-governing ma
iion, and in illustration of The high
manhood claimed by both sections
when protesting to fight for the same
great principles of the Constitution.
If, with the surrender Of the last
Southern soldier, and an acknowl-
edgement Of the irrevOc:.ble failure
Of the Confederate cause, by those
who had been mduously aiding it,
the Federal Government had at once
rendered these terms Of rccOnstruc-
ton manifesting confidence in our
people by permitting them to reor-
ganize their State Governments, free
from all Interference, we should have
had fer better state of things than
we have had since the war.
There would have been a prompt
return of peace, with ell the bless
in gs and benefits of peace. We
she I'D have bad order in the society
of al! the Southern States almost
with the cessation Of the echo Of the
last cannon Of the conflict. Our in
dust,ies would have been resumed
with higher hop es Of rapid recovery
from The desolation and depression
that weighed down tie heal is of our
people. Strangers from the North
would have come amongst US by
thousands to invest money and make
their homes here. The government
would have gone on almost as ii II
had never been disturbed. We
should have harl no such unwarrant-
ed and iiliberal legislation, no such
sectional antagOnlsms in place Of ma
tional harmony, as have retarded the
return Of good feeling and impaired
the prosperity Of the whole land.
Nine yc. rs have passed now since
The close Of the war; and there IRE
men high in place and in the power
in the councils OF The county who
have yet less friendly feeling for the
South than they have for foreign No
tipns. How long it will last it is i'm
possible to tell. But it is to be most
| iiealti'v hoped that two years hence,
when the contest for The Presiden-
tial succession is about to begin, the
anti Radical party Of the Union will
have in it's platform a plank of ma.
tionality so plain, 50 broad, and SC
distinctively declared to be with ref:
erence to iinpartiality in enactine
the Federal laws, that no man who
refuses to stand upon it can have the
hardihood to deny that he is an enc
my Of the Southern people, incapa
BILE Of doing them justice as Ameri
can citizens entitled to fair and full
consideration in the adoption Of any
governmental measure avowedly de
signed for the national good. t.
We are satisfied that the masses o
the Northern people are either not il
sympathy with tue prejudices 0
their party leaders, who hate tn
South, or if they are, that they AZ
sha,nefully deceived and misled b,
Misrepresentation made to them
I TO take no higher view of The mat
ter, life is too short and these time
are too progressive for great coun
try like this to be held back by tn
prejudices Of partisans In power VIII
lose sight OF the fact that the South
as we'll as the North, is within til
Union, under the Federal Govern
ment, and equally entitled to be Der
Gifted by legislation looking to th
material interests of the America
people. ..
Our Northern enemies will sa
that the proponderance Of prelude
is on the side Of the South and NJ
I of the North. It is not true; I'll
history of the world affords no pa
allel for the heroic magnanimity
the people of the late Confederac,
t in meeting and greeting, as FRIEND
: in peace, the men who bravely fougl
!, them, and whom they bravely fougl
: in war. The support Of Hora'
: Greeley, by tens of thousands =
n Southern citizens who had been Co
0 federate soldiers ought to have be-
y enough to sweep away forever eve
n vestige of doubt as to their desire
S reconciliation, their forgetfulness
# the past-their earnest, honest pr
" pose to be truly friends, in fraterr
y association under the agss Of t
9 Union. instead Of strangers and el