New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-13
THE GREAT SOUTH.

considered the 'great South. and every
intelligent man and woman knows tina.
the overthrow OF slavery only added to
this greatness. by relieving the late slave
South from that condition Of chattel
slavery which paralyzed their energies
and weakened their powers. But this
greatness. with the superadded power
which free labor gives. has some rela-
tons which the usually astute mind Of
| the North has failed to detect. Among
these relations is the fact that free labor
can and does exist under political serf-
dom. and that the whites Of the South
can. il so inclined. not only WELD the
| negro rs serf iaborer. but WELD him
also rs serf voter. But the most i'm.
portant change effected in the great
South. and which has. SO far. escaped the
Northern mind, is that produced by the
| war. in completely unifying the entire
body OF the Southern whites as CONSOLE
| dated political power inside Of the Union.
An examination OF this view will justify
every Northern man in giving few mo-
ments Of his time to the study Of the
aspect of the Southern question.
Before the war the South never was able
to put forth her full power in any contest
| with the North. The Southern people
were divided by local issues. by rival po-
litical parties. by tue personal ambition of
aspiring men and by other causes. The
traditions OF the American revolution
exerted sway over the hearts and minds of
Southern ,nen and women. The name Of
George Washington was once household
word in every Southern home. The por-
trait Of the father of his country was
once the one beloved object of love and
reverence which greeted the eye in every
Southern hotel and household. The
Fourth Of July was once o day of pa
triotic rejoicing in every Southern State.
These revolutionary traditions and Amer-
lean influences produced strong tone in
sentimental over the South. TO this was
added the fact that slavery represented
invested property. and like all property
was conservative. thus forming strong
link between the South and the Norti.
These were the influences which de-
feated Mr.. Calhoun in his day: which
confronted Mr.. Davis in 1859. when he
tried to unite the South in compact OPP
position to the admission of California.
And, finally, when Oh Mr.. Lincoln's cleo.
tion. the cotton States determined on war.
it was found impossible to unite the great
South against the advance of the Repub-
lican idea. Missouri. Kentucky. West
Virginia, Maryland and Delaware re.
manned with the Union to the last. In
each one of the States comprising the
Confederate league there were large num-
bers of Union men and women who
proved source Of internal weakness 70
the Richmond despotism.
All these conditions are now changed.
The whites Of Delaware. Maryland. Yves:
Virginia. Kentucky and Missouri are now
as determined in their opposition to the
Republican idea Of the North as those OF
the States which formed the Confederacy.
The social consequences of emancipation
have made the Southern whites unit. No
State is more sure for reaction against
the consequences of emancipation than
Missouri. No Southern man can be more
relied on 10 lead this reaction than
Bayard, of Delaware. Baltimore. once
Union city. is. next to New Orleans. the
seat Of the social agitation which now
convulses all the Southern States. The |
Confederate traditions have taken the
place of American traditions in the hearts |
of the Southern whites. Lee has taken the |
place Of Washington in the hearts OF the |
white people. The Transformation is
II war is to come. it !
will commence inside Of the Union. al !
though it may terminate outside Of il.
As the Confederate leaders in the late war
went out Of the Union in order to fight
their way back into it. SO in the new
conflict these same leaders may renew the
struggle inside Of the Union lines. in
order to fight their way to independence
outside.
Many intelligent peop.e have deluded
with the idea that the great
West was the controlling political section
in the Union. Reference to the census
will serve TO explode this error. The ag.
sreSate population Of the Union. accord
ing to the last official enumeration. is
placed at IS. 555.9 S3 souls. OF this the
Middle and Eastern States combined fur
nish l2.O00.0O0 souls. The '.great" West
l2,00O.0O0. while the great
South furnishes li,O00,O This popu-
lar obliyiousness in regard to the popula-
ton of the South can only be explained
on the theory that the North has always
regarded the two or three million aristo-
Gratis of the South as the Southern people.
The five million poor ignorant blacks
md the ten million poor ignorant
whites have never been regarded AZ form
ng part of the Southern people a: all.
This preponderance of Southern power
IS reflected in politics in figures which
should startle even the most careless ::om
heir dreams.
Political power i. distributed in the
Electoral college on I'll. following basis:
St w England Ststes. Observation-Disclosures. IS
NJ dde >tates........ 81
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