The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-12-03

The Era Of Peace.

The Era of Peace.
That Northern man must be cross-grained
and very hard to please who is not satisfied
with the conduct of the Southern whites since
the election They have won great victory
in breaking the backbone of the powerful conf
bination of carpet-baggers and negro dupes
which has long misgoverned their country.
In the revolution they have wrought they are
sustained by the public sentiment which has
triumphed at the North. They see that they
are in happy accord with the majority. OF voters
in the Northern States for the first time since
the close of the war. This emboldens them to
speak out their minds freely and in full conf
dence that they will be understood and appre-
ciated. And they are doing so in q way that
leaves no doubt of their sincerity. The tone
of the Southern press is simply admirable.
We read nowhere in its pages word of ven
geance on the late tyrants. There is but little
Of exultation even but we note everywhere
remarkable modesty and reserve. The best
men of the South have long been disposed to
forget the ancient grudge Of the war. Only a
few Southerners of influence have sullenly
cherished the old animosities. And now we
find the whole Conservative party OF the South
generously inclined to forgive and forget the
carpet-baggers and the negro allies who have
mercilessly plundered them for nearly ten
years. 1t is revenge enough to know that these
petty despots are overthrown in some states
and that in others their doom is near at hand.
The men of the South will be content to take
the wreck which carpet-bagism has left to
them and rebuild and refurnish the vessel as
best they can. In the kindness Of their hearts
they may 60 so far as to refrain from prosecu-
ting and Furnishing any of the theiving rings
which they have broken; though we hope that
such magnanimity will not be extended to men
who do not in the least deserve it. When New
York City voted down the ring, the next step
in order was to catch the thieves and put them
in prison, and that fate they could avoid only
by flight. The South seems only too happy at
the prospect of escape from carpet-bag domina-
ton to think of penalties for her oppressors.
Before the elections the Radicals asserted that
whenever they were defeated there would be
an immediate outcry for repeal of all the
legislation comforting rights upon the freed
men. This was wanton misstatement Of
Southern Conservative feeling. In their cam
paigns the Conservatives pledged themselves,
if successful, to respect the acquired rights OF
the negroes and on this promise they received
in many places large share of the colored
vote and since the election they have volunta-
riy renewed those pledges in the strongest
terms. The Democratic State Committee of
Alabama say in their congratulatory address {;
"These duties require of us that justice must
be fairly administered according to the laws OF
the land; that the rights Of all the people of
Alabama, both of person and of property,
must be preserved inviolate that there must
be no oppression of any race or class OF men"
&C., and other passages of the address are to
the same effect. The Charleston Neacs and
Courier says in the same vein: "The Southern
whites should seize every opportunity of prov
ing that, as their power increases, so Will they
do more and more for the moral and intellect
tual elevation and the material advancement
of the negro maintaining him in freedom, en-
abling him to earn more and live better" Sen
ator Gordon, CONSERVATIVE in speech at
Augusta after the election asked that he be
commissioned to pledge anew the fidelity of the
people of Georgia "to the Constitution and the
laws, their support Of all rightful authority,
their cordial friendship for every man and all
men of all sections who will aid in restoring
peace to the sections, justice to the States, lib
erty to the citizens, purity to the government
and the constitution to its supremacy" Such
is the language Of the Conservative press and
platform, with no exception worthy of remark; /;
and we point to it is augury of great good to
the whole country. It is of the utmost impor-
lance to the peace and prosperity of the Union
that this right feeling should be manifested
spontaneously at the South, and not be forced
out of her by the pressure of other sections.
The great mistake of the Administration has
been in using unnecessary means to compel
the Southern people to do justice to the freed
men and to respect the constitution and the
laws The truth is that they have not been
wanting in consideration for the colored race,
nor in obedience to the laws, and the compul-
sorry policy of the administration was superfu-
ous and insulting. This is now evident when
we see that in the moment of Conservative
success at the South the leaders voluntarily
bind themselves to be as respectful Of the laws
and of the rights of the humblest as the warm
est Radical friend of the negro could desire
One of the objects sought for in the political
revolution was to restore harmony to the white
and black races at the South, and to Danish
the last trace of dissenson between lately rival
sections of the country and this great end we
may now say, is in a fair way of accomplish
ment.-Mew York Journal Of Commerce.