The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-04-14
SENATOR MORTON.
A Brief outline Of His Views o.
0OuthoFn A6h1Fo.

A Brief outline or His views en
8ouahern AAhiFs.
A representative OF the Journal
called on Senator Morton yesterday,
and found the distinguished gentle
man looking exceedingly we'll, and
apparently but little fatigued by his
| long Journey to and from New Orleans.
| In reply to inquiries he stated that
his general health had not been SO
good for several years. He has much
less difficulty than formerly in walk
ing, and is steadily gaining strength.
He enjoyed his hasty trip through the
| South very much, and particularly his
short stay in New Orleans, which city
he had never visited before. He
passed through six Southern States,
and in all of them saw the same evi
dences of depression, stagnation and
unthrift 1t was sad and discour
aging to see such a large section of
country SO completely devoid of
healthy life and enterprise. The great
trouble in the South, he believed, was
far deeper than any political trouble.
1t lay in the character, education and
habits of the people themselves. They
seem to be utterly lacking in the ele-
ments which constitute a progressive
society. Labor is not honorable, ana
enterprise is unknown. In nearly
all Of the country that he passed
through blowing was going on. He
saw hundreds of negroes blowing, but
not one white man. The whites are
doing little or nothing toward regen-
Grating the s. nth or restoring its
shattered fortunes. They are their
own worst enemies, New Orleans
was a mystery to him. The levee was
full of life and crowded with shipping,
but the interior of the city seemed
perfectly stagnant so far as business
was concerned Amusements we're
we'll supported, some five or six thea
tiers running all the time, and the
people seemed to have plenty of
money; but he could not see where it
came from. There was no manufac-
turing in the city, and no local enter
prise or public spirit. From the roof
of the CustOm-bouse he could count
only five steam engine chimneys, and
two of them belonged to hotels. The
former trade of the city seemed to
have found its way into other chan
nels, and the people were making no
efforts to recover it or to open up new
channels. Politically the city was
perfectly quiet. The action of Con-
gress in recognizing the Kellogg gov
eminent had had marked effect in
clearing up the political atmosphere.
If Congress had done this two years
ago he believed nearly all the South
ern troubles of the last two years
would have been averted. The hest
tating policy of Congress, and the
division of the Republican party in
the North had encouraged the Con-
servatives to continue their agitation,
and kept the negroes in a constant
state of terror lest they were about to
be deserted by their friends and turn
ed over to be dealt with by the Demo-
Gratis. Louisiana had been the center
OF political agitation for the last two
or three years, from which a bad in
fuence had radiated to all the South
ern States. He was now more than
ever convinced that Congress had
made great mistake by adopting a
policy in regard to the Louisi-
ana question. Nevertheless its recent
action had unquestionably had good
effect, and he thought the general
state of feeling throughout the South
1t present was better than it had been
FOR some time past. Republicans
we're united and hopeful, while the
were at least quiet. and
Iii violent demonstrations have ceased.
Journal, April 9th.