The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-07-24
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lNNNl IIlIN Nv lUHIlW'IWN ''UlINiI' .
sons between the somi"hnrhnrism
N the south md the rolulRcnt
civilization oi tl,o North Of course,
entirely "a the disadvantage u The
former attributing their own supo.
rlority over the Southern people 10
the brulnlizing cllcct Of slavery. |
But neither this alleged fact nor
the reason they assign for its exist.
cnco, will bear examination.
That slavery had its evils and
disadvantages there can be no
doubt but the history Of the
United States from the outbreak Of
the revolt against Great Britain, in
l77j, down to the election of .Abra-
ham Lincoln, in 1861, Is complete
rciutation of the assertion Of Sena-
tor Christiancy, of Michigan, made
in II speech few days ago, to the
effect that "Slavory had degraded
and depraved the Southern people"
During that lcng interval, it was the
Southern States that furnished the
statesmen who controlled the desti,
mics of the country. 1t was her
Washingtons, Jcifersons, Madis0ns,
Monroes, lenrys, Masons, Lees,
Randolphs, Marshalls, Calhouns,
Bcrrions, Jacksons, Crawfords,
Clays, Grundys, Taneys, Wirts, and
scores of others of less eminence,
who gave tone and direction to
public opinion and shaped the poll
cy OF the government.
The fact that all these distinguish
cd men were born, reared, educated
and, except when in the service of
their country, passed their entire
lives in the South, is Il direct con-
tradiction of the statement of the
Michigan Senator. We are told
upon the best authority that men do
not gather figs from thistles, and it
is morally impossible that the in
fuences surrounding people, from
whom sprung so many great and
good men, could have been brutal.
ling" as charged by Mr.. Chris.
tiancy.
The truth is that out of the insti
tuition of slavery there had grown
up an aristocracy at the South, as
real as if it had been established by
law. The Southern planter, with
his broad and well-tiIled acres, and
his village of well fed and content
ed negroes, was as much OF an arts
tocrat in his habits, feelings and
tastes rs if he had been born to II
title. With ample means at com
mand, he could give his sons and
daughters the highest educational
and social advantages. They at
tended the best schools and colleges,
and moved in the highest society in
]
tho land. They had the leisure and
means to travel abroad and to cult
vatc both intellect and taste. The
result was that we had in the South
q race of gentlemen and ladies,
equal to any in tho world for cult.
walton, refinement and moral worth.
This was the race that gave the
country II Washington and Chief
Justice Marshall. Besides mere in
telectual culture, this class of the
Southern people was descended
from race among whom honor
and courage in men, and purity in
women, was almost universal. The
latter, in fact, was II religion among
that class of the Southern people.
We venture to say that the Oldest
living Virginian, Carolinan or
Georgian is able to count on the fin
gers of one hand all the instances
he has ever known of women Of this
class who have been even suspected,
ofimpropriety. And, us for scandals,
of the nature of the Tilton Beecher
case, they are wholly unknown at
the South. In fact such an affair
in any of it's details, before, or du.
ring the trial, would have been, and
is still, moral impossibility at the
South.
Senator Christiancy and others on
his side of the case, we think take
very superficial and one-sided
view of the question. The truth is,
the social and industrial sys-
TENS of the two great sections of
the Union; the one essentially
aristocratic, and the other radical
ly democratic, were necessarily an
tagonistic and hostile. Each had
its advantages. While the aristo-
cratic system maintained higher
and purer morality,
utthiR limited boundaries, the Demo-
cratic system of the North spread a
thinner and less elevated civiliza.
ton OUer broader surface. The one
was of higher order, the other
had more breadth. The one pro-
duced the better type of the indicid-
udl man and woman, while the 9TH
er gave the greater aggregate of well
being.
1t was this antagonism of social
systems that finally brought about
q clash of arms, which defnitively
settled the question. Slavery hay.
ing disappeared. the distinctive diff
ferences between the North and
c..,I ,,;Il 81. l;ean,,on, IN fi,no |