The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-07-25
THE SOUTH AND SECTIONAL ISSUES

AnA CVUIn AND SECIIUNAL ISSUE ES
That ultra loyal and pap-consumine
sheet, the Chicago Inter- Ocean, whose
only strength lies in the ability will
which 1t strives to make the worse ap
pear the better reason and arouses the
bitter and narrow minded prejudices o.
q certain class of Western fanatics
burst out the other day with the CRY
that the coming campaign is to bt
fought upon the issue OF united South
against the North, the rebels chow
America once cherished that title |!
against the loyal citizens of the country
We had been led to believe that the
Radical leaders, admonished by the lu
dicrous failure which attended theil
wild and frantic waving Of the bloody
shirt in 1874, had about concluded tc
put aside that worn and tattered rag as
a political boomerang too dangerous tc
be handled with safety, or, at least, to
have recourse to 1t only as q last resort
Ito revive the dropping spirits OF it's de.
votees. 1t seemed as IL the high priests
OF Radicalism had found in the ranks
OF their bigoted followers more en-
thusiastic and encouraging response to
sectarian demagoguery and nonsensi-
cal talk about the sanctity of the public
school system-nonsensica with refer
ence to national politics, because the
Federal Government has no more con-
troll over the public schools than 1t has
over the household arrangements OF
private individuals; but the Inter-
Ocean, true to its villainous instincts,
and prompted, no doubt, by the venom
OF certain Mr.. Ham, one Of its editors,
whose connection with the Chicago
whisky thieves Is hardly calculated to
commend him to the favor of a demo-
cratic government, has thought flt to
spring the sectional issue at the very
outset OF the campaign. aut
The South against the North Who is
there in this part OF the country who
does not shrink from such an issue
The Northern people do not seem to be
able to realize how earnestly the South
has sought, during the weary years Of
political agitation since the war, to put
aside every consideration of sectional
character and to be received into full
fellowship in the brotherhood Of the
Union. The yearning Of the South for
peace and quiet Is so intense that, were
her people not restrained by manly
pride from what might be regarded as
weak, humiliating and cowardly
prayer for mercy, they would send UP
to the heavens cry Of such agony over
the cruel misrepresentation to which
they are subjected as would melt the
heart OF any despot, save a Radical
spokesman, and speedily lead to the
bridging of the bloody chasm. But so
long as ninety odd thousand office-hold
ers and their dependents are pecuniarily
interested in keeping alive the embers
of sectional strife and hatred, it will be
difficult to bring about friendly rela.
tions and complete reconciliation be-
tween those who SO recently confronted
one another In the stern array of
battle. s .a m
The slightest reflection upon the com
position Of our national ticket and the
utterances Of our convention should
satisfy the people at large that the
Republican party Is the sectional party
and the Democratic party the national
party Of the country. Radical papers
and demagogues are forever asserting
that the Democratic party rests it's
hopes of success upon the vote Of a
united South. Nothing could be further |
from the fact tits true that the South
ern people have been SO foully and out
dealt with by the Republicans
since the war that they must be endowed |
with more than human charity to sup
port party which has not shown the
least tendency to relent from its hos
tility, and that consequently the South |
will cast an almost unanimous electoral
vote for the Democratic nominees; but
it is no less true that the strength Of
Tilden and Hendricks Is to be found in
every section OF the country-in New
England, in the Middle States, the
West and ON the Pacific slope, as we'll
as In the South. It will be found that
the electoral votes cast for our nom
inees will represent every part of
the country, - every nationality,
every g material interest, every
pursuit, every religious sect
in word, every element OF the popu-
lation that has not become thoroughly
by dishonesty, malignant
through sectional hostility, greedy from
being gorged with Illicit plunder, fanatr
cal from blind prejudice and narrow
minded bigotry-every element that
ongs for the return Of truly national
spirit OF patriotism and for the reforma-
ion Of the countless shameful abuses
hat theaten to fatally gangrene our
public and private life. We Of the ]
south are perhaps even more earnest in
,ur demand for reform than our North !
,rn brethren Of the same political faith.
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