Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-09-08
The south Not suppliant.

Judge Keys recent speeches du-
ring his Northern tour have justly
excited in the South a desire that he
shall not assume to represent the
South, or to ask pardon of all the
world for her past course. The South
has not commissioned any plenipo-
tentiary to sue for pardon, or to con-
feSS for her past sins. On the con-
trary, she has repudiated every self
appointed apologist. The South,
conscious of equality and oppressed
by no sense of sin, is neither sitting
in sack-cloth and ashes, nor going
on penitential pilgrimage, hat in
hand, begging pardon for being
alive. One thing nothing has ever
vet induced the Southern people to
do, is the act of eating humble-pie,
or kneeling in establishment. Be
ing equal and free, if we had been
covered with moral criminality,
there is no power to receive a suppli-
cation for pardon. Beg pardon of
the North, an equal only, and given
no power to dispense pardonI BY
no means. Ask forgiveness of the
National Government By no
which is our own and our own crea-
ton. Who, then, is entitled on any
hypothesis to ask such an act of hui
initiation? No power on earth. But
back of all that, the Southern peo-
pie have always distinctly main
tanned that there was no harm in
maintaining our own view of dis
puted question. This view has been
maintained above all others, above
material interest, above everything,
as religious principle, q sacred du-
ty owed to dead kindred and heroes,
and a thing to be martyred for, to
die by.
1t is little too much to find one
claiming to speak byauthority break
out here when there was not even
the poor excuse of pressure, and
humbly sue for pardon for "erring
brethren"
The Indignation is perfectly natu-
raj and the duty to repudiate it
promptly and emphatically is i'm
peratiVe, and yet Judge Key has in
jured only himself. His own atti-
tude isnot enviable. When the Pres
ident calls him a sinner who has re-
pented, he may reply that the lamp
has held out until he came into the
true fold, but his friends will blush
for the attitude of suppliance. 1t
cannot hurt the South. Her atti-
tude and her calm dignity are too
well known for her honor to be COM
promised by unauthorized confess
siOn.-NdShUjIIe AD1eJicOW.
Now compare with the above
what the n. Y. Tribune says of Gen.
Hampton's speech at White Sulph-
ur Springs, which is rather a health
ier utterance than those of our Ten
nessee Uriah Heep:
1t is remarkable for a certain ur-
banity, and passiOnless retrospect
which indicate anything but eternal
hatred. We do not see what Mr..
Hampton could be expected to say
which he did not say. He made an
absolute surrender of himself to the
Constitution, amendments and all /;
and what more could he do? Those
who expect leading Southern citi-
zens to say that they are extremely
sorry for what they have done, and
to protest piteously that they will
never do so again, must be over
fond of seeing their fellow creatures
in humiliating attitudes. We ought
to be so far satisfied when Mr.. Wade
Hampton declares his loyalty to
the Constitution and the Union. 1t
is true that he makes a reservation. |
He bargains for equality in the
enforcement of the laws of the Gen
4
the South" Is there anybody at
the North too " loyaP' to agree with
him? What more can he say?
And now comes the New York
Herald, and kills Key quite. 1t
says:
Mr.. Key is the only member of
the Presidential party that has blum
dered. President Hayes has taken
pains to introduce him at every
place, and put him forward to make
brief speech; but on one or two
occasions he has acted like an un-
skilful player at whist, who trumps |
his partners tricks. Mr.. |
Key accordingly exhibited himself |
on the stool of repentance. At Ben |
ningtOn he described himself as one
of the "erring brethren"-a want |
of manliness which has provoked
the derisiOn of the Southern press.
Secretary M'Crary, who has more
political sense, has explained away
this expression of Mr.. Key by say
ing that he was present at Benning-
ton, and that the Postmaster-Gene- |
raj used the expression in evident |
jest, and that it was greeted with a
goOd-humored laugh. This eXpla-
ton might be accepted if Mr.. Key
had not put his foot in little deep
er at Lake Winnipiseogee yesterday,
when he applied to himself the lines |
in DR.. Watts hymn
"And while the lamp holds out to burn,
Ill Lii a.A.