Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-12-19
SOUTHERN sENTIMgxr.'
Letter from Northern Wan " hO Neni
40 Louisiana with RnIIer His
Experience in TennesSee

"a sfeeus whose nJteFances in favor OF uni
In Eersal freedom anu against the iutOler.
= ance OF private opinion were, morally
q and Intellectually, very much superior
). 70 the PARTISAN spirit, which, under their
% tile OF Democracy, had controlled the
= government so long. For a few months
!. after my removal from the south was
,r frequently surprised st the unjust accu-
!. satons OF the press as against southern
. men ana southern society generally,
; but attributed it to the ignorance Of the
. real conditions rather than to design.
!. But as the election campaigns opened,
q discovered a deliberate purpose TO
. mislead the popular intelligence for the
: promotion of partisan ends. Mr., Har-
: rlson, on Friday night, exposed the KEY
4 TO The whole programme when he
: opened his remarks by saying, in e.
, feet, that just before the elections we
are wont to bear OF murders and out
: RACES innumerable over The southern
= border, which kindles anew the Re
, publican enthusiasm aud unites the
! party in defense OF his principles
: chiefly, | should Judge, represented by
= its negro policy. To any who will give
! the subject moments thought, il viii
: appear absurd that this policy, Which is
50 invariably TO the advantage OF the
one party, should be peTsistently adopted
year after year by its defeated opponent
II is the Republican party which profits
10y these Outrages, aud il it not reasona-
I. ble 10 suppose that Ii Is, therefore. The
chief instigator Of them, If not directly.
10 quite Is much effect iLdirecJy? En-
ter1ng the army in Buffers New Eng
land division IN 1861, l served until the
surrender in 1865 in the gulf depart
meDt. During most Of that time oc-
cupied position which gave me
Z pretty thorough acquaintance with the
people OF New Orleans and OF Alabama.
After the surrender hRd charge of the
reconstruction OF one Of the princIlal I
southern railroads for few months. I
and when that work was completed was J
engaged Ia business in Kentucky for 4
term of years. IN 1869 / removed TO 4
/ Tennessee, which was my residence 4
until last November. 10 writing there.
fore OF southern sffairs, / may clsim TO
know something from actual experience
Of the subject under discussion, aud Il II
/ Of
/ IHK DISTRICT Or VEST TENNESSEE,
now so prominent In the public eye,
wish to say few words. The cost of
appearing as IN defense of those people
who have been - grossly mallgned mas
been fully counted, but will not prevent
my bearing true testimony in their be
half. Senator Morton, in his speech ON
Friday night, asserted uDqualitiedlv that
II was unsa t for northern man 70 en-
Ger the south and make his home there.
My own experience is very much at va
Ilance with that assertion. During
residence OF eight years as a private cit
lzen, there was never an occasion when
ieh tle slightest hesitation, in private .
or III public about defending the Federal ,
cause Tor which l had done service.
Often have / defended General Butler
from the absurd charge of sp0on-steal-
ing, aud when on one occasion an ed /
itcT, who had skulked into Indiana from 9
Kentucky during the war, attempted 10 (
make capital by public attack upon
that question: his action was promptly |
denounced by all of the more influential 4
citizens. Frequently did ! sustain Sem .
atOr MOrton's public course 3 few wears
since, although | am free to say that | -
would have been ashamed to act with =,
such men az controlled the Republican !,
party Of Tennessee. There was never a
moment when | carried Srms about my
person, OF Kept them at my residence, y
nor did ever see any occasion for the "
Use OF them. In my business assooia- II
lons l was treated with the same cour-
tesy that might expect anywhere, aud, Il
in fact, oft times experienced a warmth Y
OF sympathy foreign to the northern h
character, Daring the past two
yearS, as secretary OF the West f
Tennessee fair, Travelled all over It
Middle and West Tennessee, and be- (
came acquainted with many OF her peo-
pie, and 1t appears to me as simply out r.
that class Of men so intelli- =,
gent, aud 50 true 70 the Interests Of their -
commonwealth and country, men who :"
have striveD with all their might for
-he past few years to wipe away every ~
Yestige OF that sectional feeling which u
Ees instilled into their minds in the ca
lays OF slavery, men who have ao.
wonders Ia the development b
li the aboundiBg natural resources of "
hat State, should be publicly branded m
lndeT the general term "Murderers."
There are men in all OF the southern hi
States, and in all of the northern States, de
90, who are lavless and Inscriptions, ca
at 70 charge upon the whOls commu. &c
iity the responsibility OF their action, Is
IS ridiculous ~ to denounce all the peo. ~,
'le OF Indiana because of local ruffian- aao
sm. There are districts along the Ten liz
lessee river, and along some OF the ~
mailer streams, Inhabited by people
YhO know comparatively nothing of
who never knew what II
mmOn-schOOl was, and who live prin- et {,
ipaily by hunting and fishing, which is ~ ~
turbulent element in the State. III
,REIR PREJUDICES ARE DEEP ROOTED, hu
md especially against the negro, who XII
las heen wont TO assume superiority to FIR
hem, both before the war aud since. eli
last tennessee has large proportion of
his population, and Il is from this class -.
nat the Federal regiments were mostly 81.
eerGited during the war, and e is this -
lass whieh votes largely with the Re ~ ~
ublicans-pTiDcipally negroes-in Ten oMb, a.
lessee to-day. Having no sympathies -"
With the better classes OF the State. but -
atlTeF hsrb0ring ieuds OF long standing, ~
he war gave oppOftunity tor gratifiea- ~, w
ION 81 their revenge, aud the necessi- plu
leg OF the hepublieGn OIice-holders y
ave still further afforded an ample field OF'
lT the exhibition OF their bloodthirsty I
roclivilies. I need not charge the re- mo
possibility directly upon the Republi. bri
an party, only liz &c fas as they defend SUI
be action OF unscrUpuiOus adventures, fall
'bo unbl1shiDgly seek Office, with the abc
0DniyaDce aud aid Of Federal officers, I
m0Dg Fecple with whom they have Fri
Q SHADOW or sympathy, and fr0m 3.
HON by such course they cannot sx- thi
sOt TO he regarded with worry much Of tina
sspeet. The confederate action Of Gov lyil
fnOr Senter restored the State 20 the live
)ueiO4 u ats own cItiZens m 1859, since 7
mich time up to the present there has rem
zen a condition VI Astounding pros Sns,
Gritty throughout It's borders. 40 -
sople that / have ever met in twenty inc
lne Of the States are more isw.abiding Bs1
ian The people OF West Tennessee. rt,T
ils0n Il one Of its most prosperous :,
'nniies, but its population includes a :
W OF the class named. Naturally the ths
,ilon Of congress, in half enaetiIig the ,, uyii
vii rights bib, which had better have tell tel
scOme law than 10 have been lett isi ~ ( s
ar tinientionslly-in It's present status, the
ss qulckeDed into LIE all Of those preiu- per
ces which find their deepest root 7
nong these "poof whitesD 10 whom ] the
ave referred. 1t was 5 most unfogtu- In
sts and uDeailed for measure, and viii Ba,
taId IN nanyyears the growth Of that ing
ndly feeling between whites and feet
acks Which waz making snoh satisfac- Vn'