The Portland daily press., 1875-07-08
An Old Programme.

1t must be evident to all who carefully
study the utterances of Southern political
leaders that the doctrine of state sovereignty
is still held by them. and that they look upon
it as the most important issue before the
country. In the North the phrase is in ill
repute, and our Democrats disguise it under
the expressions 'local self-government" and
"home rule" The heresy does smell trife
sweeter called by those names, it must be
confessed, and many people who are by con-
ylction nationalists have been induced 10
take up the slogan of home-rule without
knowing what it means. But in the South
disguses are unnecessary, and from political
platforms, lyceum halls, and editorial desks
state sovereignty is preached. No society,
charitable, industrial, educational, agricul-
tural or convivial, holds a meeting at which
some speaker does not arise, and in oratorical
or argumentative strain, dwell upon the doc
trine.
The North has been flattering itself that
the war settled the question of national SUI
premacy forever. 1t seems that we are mis-
taken. The South has not given up the
contest. True it has learned the folly of re-
sorting to arms, and will not be likely attempt
that again. The leading minds of that Sec
tion see now that they would have done better
to make the fight in the halls of Congress
where large Northern reinforcements gave
them an equality of numbers. They do not
believe it is too late now to win the victory.
The fight is not over. The North has still
long struggle before it. But it has one ad-
vantage over the decade preceding the re-
belion;i has large force of Southern sup
porters.
The doctrine of State sovereignty was for
merly used for the protection of slavery. 1t
is now to be used to control labor. 1t is
again brought forward for the purpose of
fixing the status of the negro in our form of
civilization" The landed aristocracy of the
South are to take control of that section and
the negro is to be reduced to system of
peonage. The aim of the Southern leaders is
to commit the Democracy of the North to
the dogma of State sovereignty. In this they
are succeeding. Should the Democracy car
ry the next presidential election the southern
leaders will by virtue of their superior intel
ligence and audacity and administrative
experience, control the party and dictate the
policy Of the administration.
To effect this result the Northern Democ.
racy have been instructed to be ''all things
to all men;'' TO favor rag-money where ex-
pansion is popular; to advocate hard money
where belief in the necessity of the resump-
ton Of specie payments obtains; to denounce
sumptuary laws wherever the brewers exercise
a controlling influence; to keep silent where
sumptuary laws are approved by public SEN
timent; to oppose common schools where
there is a strong movement to do away with
them; to support common schools where
they are staunchly upheld by the people; to
favor free-trade in mercantile communities
to favor protection in industrial communi-
ties; to be liberal in liberal sections to be
negro-haters in benighted sections; to fight
railroads where grangers abound; to support
them where capitalists abound. This is the
part of the Northern Democracy. The part
of the Southern Democracy is to administer
national affairs in the spirit of state sover.
eighty. The programme does not greatly
differ from those put forward so often in the
wears before the war