The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1876-10-12
Plain Truth about the Southern States

OF prominent Republican speakers
are to bs sent into the Southern
States to address the people there
This locke at first eight like an excel
lent and even patraotic movement.
1t is always useful to bring the people
of tho different sections face to face.
When they see each other they see
that neither is as bad as the other
thought. Last year Colonel Lamar
and Senator Gordon went up into
New Hampshire to speak tor the
Democratic party, and their presence
drew large audiences of people Gu
rious to see these famous Southern
nen-just as, no donht, Mr.. Blaine,
Mr.. ScAGrz and Senator Morton
would draw great crowds in the
South to see them.
But, after all, if we had to advise
the Republican leaders we should
urge them to leave the Southern
States unvisited during this canvass.
Indeed, we should go further and
tell them that if they were wise they
would give up every Southern State
to the Democrats for this election
The South has been a constant and
increasing embarrassment to the Re
publican party. The party has acted
upon the superstition that it must
somehow make and keep those States
Republican. They seem to it the
prize of war, to give up which is to
give up the result of the war. We
speak Of this as a superstition, and it
is nothing else. In reality, the Re
publican party would be far stonger
10 day if it had had courage four
years ago to cut adrift the Southern
wing Of the party and let the Demo
crais assume the responsibility of tho
political settlements in those Slates
What harm could have come to tho
country2 Not the least.
The Democratic party South is no
composed of monsters and barba-
rians; those Southern States which
have, in spite OF Republican strug
giles and infrigues, become Demo
cratic arc almost the only peaceful
and prosperous ones; which proves
sufficiently that the Southern Demo
crat, thrown on bis responsibility,
seeks, as he must, to secure honest
and lawful government tor his State
He cannot help doing so, for lie owns
nearly all the property in his State
and has larger interest in it's pros
perity than the Republicans by far
The credit of Democratic Georgia is
as good as that Of the Federal Gov
ernment. Arkansas is pcaceable and
pros erous under Democratic rule,
while South Carolina and Louisiana
are unquiet and wretched under Re>
publican control. Alabama, long
thought to be no better than Louisi-
ana, became quiet as soon as the
Democrats gained the ascendency.
That is to cay, the Republican rule
in the Southern States has not been q
success, but the contrary; and the
failure has been caused mainly, If moi
altogether, by the fact that 30 called
Republican of the Southern States
have been the constant pots of tn,
Northern Republican politicians;
they have been nursed and coddled;
their qualities have not been ques-
toned; their fanits and crimes have
been condOned; they have been bol-
rtered mp by extrnneous forces, by
Federal troops and Federal inter-
te, once OF various kinds. They have
not ruled on their merits, or because
they were abIer, stronger, more ca
pable than their opponents, but be-
cause they were allowed to call tor
Federal troops when they chose; to
sell their support in Cong csc and
in national conventions for partisan
aud dangerous Legislation, intended