The New York herald., 1874-08-04
Shall We Have Peace or War.


that we should not be surprised at any out
break Vicksburg seems to be in seething,
angry condition. AS we read the newspapers
from that section we feel as though we stood
before the hot breath of furnace. The spirit
which animates these Mississippi journals re-
calls the times preceding the war, when seces-
sion was rampant and all the elements COM
posing Southern society were driving madly
into war. We had devils dance in that
memorable winter succeeding Lincoln cleo
ton, and we would think that we had enough
of it, for this nineteenth century at least. But
the music for new dance is heard in Missis-
sippi, and where will it end?
Let our readers study the exact situation
Mississippi has escaped many Of the scandals
that have disgraced her sister Southern States
! There has not been so much robbing and job
berry and confiscation of the public wealth to
laid in internal improvements" There has
been no blossoming of Jail birds into full
blown rulers, as has been seen in South Caro-
lima and Florida. This is owing partly to the
fact that representative Southern men like
Lamar have aided in reconstruction, and have
other leaders who assumed the responsibility
of secession, and would have shared the
glores of successful war, but who now shrink
from the high but severe and ungracious
duty of aiding an oppressed people to regain
their prosperity. 1t is also due to the fact that
the Governor of the State is not o carpet
bag adventurer who went to Mississippi
to plunder it, but q soldier educated
at West Point without much political bias,
representing the traditions of the regular
army, acting with the republican party be-
cause it happened to be the party in possess
sion, not much of republican or a democrat,
we presume, simply soldier, resolved that
there should be no stealing, and who takes the
same pride in the material efficiency of his
State as he would in the discipline and eff
cheney of his brigade. The result of this alli-
ance between representative Southerners like
Lamar and strong-willed, resolute Northern
ers like Ames, who differed in political
action, but united in protecting the credit of
the State, has been that Mississippi has held
position of exceptional advantage among the
Southern States, seeming to justify the hopes
of those who wished for her perfect and
speedy reconstruction
Why is it, then, that Mississippi should now
hang on the verge of civil war? Why should
we see her Governor, a lf-possessed soldier,
asking for troops? What influence has dashed
to the earth the fond hopes that clustered
around sorely stricken but reviving Com
monwealth? Simply, as we underestimate, the
resuscitation of that fatal spirit of secession
which, we hoped, had been buried under the
famous apple tree Of Appomattox There is
no reason for this agitation in Mississippi.
There are no such grounds for complaint on the
part of the white men as exist in South Car
olina. There are no such atrocious violations
of law and decency as are known in Lou
isiana. Taxation has not become con-
fscation. Beyond the natural disappointment
with the results of the war which men who
had fought gallantly for years would feel
there have been no grievances. The white
men have complained that the negroes had
votes, that by the exercise Of those votes
negroes have gained power, that Revels had
been sent to the Senate and other negroes
elevated to public stations. There has been
no other complaint, and this, as every sensible
Southern man must see, came with the in
flexible results Of the war The negroes
owed their freedom to the success Of the
Northern armies. Political strength newt
ably comes with freedom. 1t cannot be torn
from them. Wisdom would have taught
the white Southerner that he could best con-
| {rO1 hv hv win
the negros love and kindness. He should
have seen the moment the negro was free that
TIE interest of white and black in good gov
ernment, in order, peace aud honest admins
tration, was alike He should have known
that white and black were entitled to 'life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and
that the whole American nation stood ready
to enforce that right. 1t was a new, and not,
we are sure, q welcome relation The master
of to-day is never disposed to salute as peer
his slave of yesterday. 1t was not cheering
for the owner of hundred negroes to feel
that their ballots were now stronger than his
ballot five hundred fold But the sword to
which the master appealed lad so decided and
it was the part of honor as well as wisdom to
bow to that decision
That wisdom is not seen in Mississippi
The State blazes with the fires of furious
election canvass, and the only issue is ''war
of races" The white men have drawn the
line. Angry infammatory addresses are made
to the lowest instincts. Proud, "chivalrous''
Southern men do not hesitate to say they live
in dread of negro massacre, and to appeal to
the Irishmen to save them. Seeing that there
is large class Of Irishmen who labor in hum
BILE pursuits, and who naturally find the negro
their rival, appeals are made to them as "chil-
dren of the land of genius, of song and of
courage" as "countrymen of Grattan, Curran
and Moore" whose "sons have conquered on