Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-06-04
THE STATE IF THE SOUTH.
GOVERNOR HENDRICKS OPINION
OF IT.
Rxusiueis Seems Lively RIad the PEG
pie Prosperous Ehe MeckEen-
burg Centennial Celebration -
Presidentiai Prospecting by II
conscientious Correspondent.

d. S. A, the able and conscientious
Indiana correspondent of the Ciucin-
natl Guzette writes: Gov. Hendricks, |
as announced in the G.ze:ta this inol n
ing. returned from North Carolina
yesterday. During The day ho was
bust Y engaged trauSa rting the state |
business which lad accumulated in |
his absence, bat this morning l found |
hlm ready tor visitors and IN a par |
ticulariy communicative mood. In |
reply to my SatutatIou, in winch cX-
pressed the hope that his trip South
ilad been pleasant ore, he expressed
himself highly pleased with his tour,
(which" said he, ''laDgthened out
somewll,.t more than L had first piali
nea...I rude two days and three nights,
passing through Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia. North ANA South Carolina
aud Virginia His hrst stopping
place. he said, after leaving Louis
vale, was Augusta, which he regards
as one Of the protest. cities he was
ever IN Eur IN hour and fl half he
rode Though broad avenues at least
200 feet wide, with rows of shade
tre cs IN the center, srchIng overhead,
and Il walk between them. Business
seemed 10 be live ly, and the people
NOR" prosperous than he had expected
to tird them. His observations, how
ever, were mostly confined to the
States of North and South Carolina
He passed through them III the day
time, and great majority OF the peo-
pie he met lived there. Many parts
If the CarolIuas, he says. are perfect
gardens, beng under
HIGH STATE or CULTIVATION.
The farm houses /. ok neat aud cozv.
The outbniijingS are III good repair,
eii.d the iulccs were all up 10 the eight
rail- staudard. He saw miles and mites
OF new board fence, as we'll made as It
ever is III tiIc North. The people, too,
looked prosperous AID happy. Much
( OF tue .aud Il. being CuInVaJvd by
! ,.rgrO, :. but hun red II whites we're
, similarly engaged. Now anu then the
.allroad ran through tuin!y populated
! districts, where the soil Is poor, AID
u ,Chiug cooked thriay or Inviting. but
/ I. Al genera ihiug iIe was tayOrably
/ disappointed. From many accounts
+ which, ne ma, read and Heard, he was
| PREPARED 10 see wre! chednesS and
! sqUalOr on every side. and especially
| III North Carolina. Gn the contrary,
thrift, prosperity and happiness seem
! ed to prevail. a least twenty thou
! sand people attended the Centennial
| Celebration at Charlotte, the shire
| town OF Mecklenburg county. There
were MANY negroes etrolilng through
tie city and hanging on the outskirts
of the crowd, but the great majority
| OF those assembled were whites. All
were comfortably, and, 80 lar as he
observed, neatly clad. The ladies did
not constitute SO large a part OF the
audience as they generally 60 III the
North on a similar occasion, but still
they were out IN large numbers, and
, the style OF dress dld not differ mate
rally from what we are accustomed 10
see In ONO and Indiana. None were
dressed eXIrava galtIy, but all We're
. well dressed, and III good taste. But
/ by far the most noticeable and most
characteristics feature Of the crowd
was the cheertuluesS and good nature
which seemed 10 prevailed. All seemed
HAPPY AND CONTENrkD WITH THEIR LOT
They were patriotic, but not bolster
ous. He saw very little drinking aud
few intoxicated persons. Near tie
place where the old log Court House
stood, Ia w!4Icn the Declaration of In
/ de 1eudencl was read and ratified, i
bs autIfu. flag staff nearly $50 feet
hIgu, had been erected, and on its top
was /. huge hornets rest, Twenty OF
/ thirty hornets nests We're also carried
ID }out through the crowd on long
, spears, aud wherever they appeared :,
patriotic shout was sure 10 follow. Il
didn't understand their meaning" said
the Governor. ''Dut Governor Vance
Informed me that Mecklenburg was
originally settled by ScOtch-lTlsh Pres
/ bvterians, who We're intense Wings,
1 ana after, the Declaration If Indie
pandtnce, aud Jefore, III fact, they
were SO deVotedly attached to the
cause OF the Colonies that their cOun-
I " was called the hornet = nest It
was queer sight to see these nests
carried abOut on spears. Some of
them, | was told, had been kept for
many years,
Governor Hendricks stated also that
he neither saw nor heard anything
! which led him to suspect that the
. Southern people were not contented to
| abide the results OF the war. One of
tbs speakers was Il little extreme III his
uIterauceS, but the crowd gave 10
reason to believe that they sympa-
thized with him. With that exception
nothing was said by any OF the speak
ers at all out of place. He talked with
several prominent Democrats in regard
to the outlook, who felt confident that
they could carry everything in the
South except South Carolina and Mis-
sissippi. Governor Vance was certain
NORTH CAROLINA WOULD 60 DEMO
CRATIC,
! especially now that the State and Ma
t.oual elections occur on the same
day. OF course Gov. Hendricks said
nothing about his being a candidate
for the Presidency, and it may be I'M
| charitable in me even TO Inspect, much
more to write, that lis visit to the
South was made for the purpose of
looking after his Presidential interests
| in that SC elton. But that this IL the
purpose for which he wen5, no one
here doubts, while Lis Inside"
| friends do not hesitate to affirm that
Southern strength is pledged to his
support, and that upon the South he
relies chiefly for his nomination next
! Spring. MIR. Hendricks chances for
| securing the nomination are certainly
very fiattering. Those who dispute
| the fact that he is a formidable caudl-
pate, don't understand the feelings of
| the people. There can be no doubt
that he will control more Southern
States in the Convention than any
other candidate. The editors who re-
! turned few weeks since from q
| Southern excursion cOrrobOrase each
other in the statement that Gov.
| Hendricks name Is about the only one
| they heard mentioned in connection
with the Presidency. 1t is known too
| that he is in constant communication
with all parts OF the South, and that
his Cntspoben. working friends are
among the most Influential in every
State. But the South is by no means
alone IN it's admiration for him. His
money vi..ws give him
AN ELEMENT OF STRENGTH
among the capitalists OF the East,
while the common people are possess
ed with the idea that lie is one OF the