The New York herald., 1876-09-28
Plain Truth About tn. southern states.

tions considerable number of prominent
republican speakers are TO be sent into the
Southern States to address the people there.
This looks at first sight like an excellent and
even patriotic movement. 1t is always useful
to bring the people of the 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 Hamp-
shire to speak for the democratic party, and
their presence drew large audiences ofpeople
curious to see these famous Southern men
just as, no doubt, Mr.. Blaine, Mr. Schurz
and Senator Morton would draw great
crowds in the South to see them.
But, alter oil, if we had to advise the
republican leaders we should urge them
to leave the Southern States unvisited
during this canvass. Indeed, we should
60 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 constant and increas-
ing embarrassment to the republican 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 n superstition, and it is
nothing else. In reality the republican
party would be far stronger to-day if it had
had courage four years ago to cut adrift the
Southern wing of the party and let the
l1x,~ &c
political settlement in those States. What
harm could have come to the country? Not
the least. The democratic party South is
not composed of monsters and barbarians
those Southern States which have, in spite Of
republican struggles and intrigues. become
democratic are almost the only peaceful and
prosperous ones; which proves sufficiently
that the Southern democrat, thrown on his
responsibility, seeks, as he must, to secure
honest and lawful government for his
State. He cannot help doing 80, for
no owns nearly all the property in
his State and has larger interest in its
prosperity than the republican by far. The
credit of democratic Georgia is as good as
that of the federal government Arkansas
is peaceable and prosperous under demo-
cratic rule, while South Carolina and Lou
isiana are unquiet and wretched under
republican control Alabama, long thought
to be no better than Louisiana, became quiet
as soon as the democrats gained the ascend
ancy.
That is to say, the republican rule in tho
Southern States has not been success, but
the contrary; and the failure hns been caused
mainly, if not altogether, by the fact
that the so-called republicans of the
Southern States have been the constant
pets of the Northern republican politicians;
they have been nursed and coddled; their
qualities have not been questioned; their
faults and crimes have been oondoned; they
have been bolstered up by extraneous forces.
by federal troops and federal interference of
various kinds. They have not ruled on
their merits, or because they were ADLER,
ponents, but because they were allowed to
call for federal troops when they chose; to
sell their support in Congress and in ma
tional conventions for partisan and danger
Gus legislation, intended to bolster up their
continually failing influence in their Sec
ton. They have played upon the humane
fears and the ignorance of Northern repub-
licans until their wretched and selfish mis-
government in the South has brought the
national republican party into disrepute and
danger of defeat And, after all, they who
have done this are not republicans in any
true sense. They are merely political ad-
venturers, whom the honest and real repub-
licans in their States dislike and fear with
all their hearts
Whatever efforts the republican party
makes in the South during the present can
vass will inure solely to the personal
advantage of this class of men. What
ever success the party may secure
down there by its efforts will be the
gain of the Kelloggs, Packards, Spencers
and Chamberlains That is now unavoid-
able. Those people have the machinery in
their hands they are the candidates for
Office. and they cling to Office with a death
grip. Reform in the South lies not in their
further success, but in their utter and dis
organizing defeat. If the republican leaders
of the North understood the Southern situa-
ton those of them who are conscientious
and patriotic men would shake off these
Southern barnacles, and those who are not
conscientious would still, for expediencys
sake, drop these adventures, whose alliance
has been and must continue to be an embar-
rassment to the national party.
Suppose an honest republican speaker
sent into any Southern State, except North
Carolina, and what would he find? Unless
he kept his ears stuffed with cotton and
not help learning that every speech he made
there was made in support of men no better
than Tweed and his Ring he would hear