The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-02-12
Senator Bruce's sPsech-why the south
A. Democratic.

opens up question, which has been fire.
quently asked-Why is the South demo-
cratic unit? Senator Bruce gives on reason
namely, that the President has abandoned
his friends, the colored men, There
fore we hear much talk from the re-
publican leaders about the perils to the
country of united South" and the neces-
sity of voting down the democratic party,
because it has behind it ''solid South )
and sectionalism in politics is so dangerous
an element, and has been so potent for mis-
chief in our past history, that this cry prom
ises to be very effective. 1t is useful to see
on what foundation it rests. There is no
doubt that if one part of the Union is per-
manently arrayed against the other for some
selfish purpose, as was the case before the
war, when the Southpwas united for the one
end of spreading the area OF slavery, or, as
happened in General Washingtons time,
when the West was jealous of the East, this
is an inconvenience and may become peril
to the whole country. This is properly sec
tionalism and sectional party, party
having at heart not the good of the whole
Union, but the selfish advantage of part of
it, is undoubtedly mischievous
1t is fact that the Southern States are
now solidly democratic. Does this make
them sectional? We think not ; for they
have no sectional or selfish aim they do not
seek to advance any selfish policy they
have no objects in view in their political agi-
tation, inimical to the whole Union. 1t is
an error, therefore, to speak of the present
political condition of the South as ''sec-
tional' in the proper and usual sense of that
word and one proof of this is seen in the
fact that during and shortly after recon-
struction the republican leaders themselves
planned and hoped to make the South solidly
republican by the overwhelming numbers of
its colored voters, and believed they were in
this following q quite legitimate political
aim.
Nevertheless it is not a pleasant nor q
healthful thing that the whole of great and
important geographical section of the Union
should deliberately join itself to one of the
two political parties which divide the coun-
try. Instead of raising the mad-dog cry of
sectionalism about it it would be far
wiser to look for the causes of this phenome-
non. We propose to examine them briefly.
In 1863 of fourteen Southern States-ex-
Guiding Maryland-all but Georgia. Ken
lucky and Louisiana either cast their votes
for General Grant or cast no vote. In 1872
Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and
Texas went democratic, and Louisiana was
oil CO.., ,aJ Tn tha
Southern States, except South Caro-
lima and Mississippi, had become demo-
cratic. In 1875 the democrats car
ried also Mississippi and at this time
even South Carolina is not certain to remain
republican. Thus, since the accession of
General Grant to the Presidency the repub-
lican party has lost almost the whole South,
and this in spite of the fact that the federal
power and infuence-always very potent in
the Southern States-have been used as
they never were before since the foundation of
the government, to maintain the republican
ascendancy in those States and in spite of
another fact of equal importance, that there
are in all those States two parties as strongly
opposed by sentiment, opinion and tradi-
ton as the republicans and democrats in
the North, and leaders in each of these par
ties ambitious for power and place and
very ready to seize these from their op-
ponents if the opportunity offered. How,
then, is it that these two parties and their
contending leaders have been welded into
solid mass of opposition to the republicans
How is it that wings and democrats have
sunk their traditional animosities and jeal-
ousies all over the South and are found act
ing together?
If we examine the story of Southern poll
tics during General Grants Presidency we
shall discover reasons quite sufficient to ac-
count for this remarkable coalition, without
having to suppose spirit inimical to the
Union or the general welfare. We shall find
that in every Southern State where republi-
cans have ruled they have been incredibly
corrupt and wasteful of the peoples money
they have robbed the taxpayers, until in
many places their levies amounted to confs-
cation they have created vast State, county,
city and even township debts, over and above
the heavy taxation have destroyed the credit
financial disgrace and ruin upon many COM
munities and while thus shamelessly plum
dering they have neglected all the most i'm
portant duties Of rulers have corrupted the
courts of justice, encouraged or tolerated
lawlessness and crime, and refused all RENE
dies for the peoples wrongs. The people of
the Southern States would not be Americans,
they would hardly be human beings, if they
rested content under such monstrous mis-
government as that of their republican rulers
has been.
The result has been that gradually, in
most of these States, the decent and inteli-
gent part of the whites has been driven into
the democratic party. Louisiana, for in
stance, is a wing State, and the wings would