The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-04-05
For the VALLEY VIRGINIAN.
Has tie South Political Missions

We believe it has. 1t has aIeady mad NS
mission, or with more preciseness of defini
ton, its propagandism. Surveying the paste
that movement at this day, and somewhat
removed from its passions, only the most
blindly infatuated will be found willing to
accord to it any very exalted genesis and
aim. The sacrifices it caused, the loss of life
and of property, the deeds of heroism it gave
to history, and above all, the removal OF
slavery from the nation, has exalted the fl
nal struggle Of that movement into something
like historic grandeur. But in its inception,
and when, rs yet, its only product was that
ever increasing school OF INSCRIPTIONS and
ambitious politicians whose dream of a separ-
ate confederacy with African slavery and
class distinctions as foundations, and in which
they were to be master spirits, found hope
of realization in the answered appeals to the
jealousies and intolerance engendered by
slavery in a portion of the coutrry. There
was little in the thing to give it the right
to call upon Almighty God to witness the
Justice of its cause. The men who led that
movement, indeed, found the field ripe iof
the harvest, The expressions and crimes of
slavery had done this work in begetting that
spirit OF blind, vindictive intolerance which
soon reached such a point that the millest
utterances against its most extreme assump-
tons were considered a sort of criinen eX-
ceptum against the peoples liberties, to be
visited with cendign punishment, and with
out trial or jury OF habeas corpus, or any
other bulwark of mans rights. Our unlucky
ssincendiary," without even the premonitCry
6 thumb screws - and ''lang irons, 7" the
burning them, would suddenly have found
himself, and with only a blasphemous ''auto
da fe,' metamorphosed into all ornitholog-
ical biped with a coat Of tar. But times have
changed, and we are not likely to return to
those 5,nwholsome days. We have no longer
need or Missouri Compromise or Wilmot Pro
viso. and our famous parallel of latitude, 36e
30> is remanded to its original and proper uses.
The secession frog, with its polliwog of Caro-
lima nulificetion, sleeps the sleep of the Sad
ducee. Perhaps it is well at times to
say all this to ourselves, as a man would
pinch himself after an unpleasant dream to
see if he was really awake. We have now
with us only nebulous comets tail of those
days in our American Junker. prototype OF
his Prussian brother, in arstocratic ;ags, the
former still irreconcilable, breeders and sell
| lers of the Divine Institution. That portion
| which bowed its head to the golden image OF
Nebuchadnezzar, and has never since lifted
| its face to see that The idol no longer stands
| upon the plains of Dura for men to worship.
But there is young South as there was
once young Italy," This new South with
| new ideas, new impulses, new modes OF lille
and thought, with its hands and head busy
| getting honest living, demands that the preju-
dices, ignorance and wrongs of the ''old
South'' be not eternized. The mission OF
| the old South was against the Nations life,
and to cxalte into Il principle of government
| the most wicked and debased system OF hui
man slavery the world has ever known. The
mission of the ''young South is all to the
| contrary; it FORCES no chains for mans spir-
| it or for mans limbs; it desires to be a per
manent and powerful auxiliary in maintain
| ing the Republic and in perpetuating free in
stitutions of government.
There are indications OF the existence of q
ssyoung South,'' animated in some degree
with desire to perform some worthy mis-
| sion, with aspirations that are noble, progress
| sive and towards liberty. Were there no sue!
indications we should still believe that its
time was to come quickly. We should still
assert that it was thing impossible that ;
free people of Anglo-Saxons should long re-
main under the blighting influences OF igno'
rance and intolerance. begotten of past crimes
and errors.
The ssYoung South" is national not sec
tional. 1t plants its feet firmly on the
ground, and without scphistry declares thu
past of the South a horrible blunder. Thi
ruin about us this immortality this sight
former slaves still ignorant and debased, exer
cising suffrage rights, is not the work OF armies
of National Congress, or of political parties
These were means, not causes. These evil
are but the track of Gods thunderbolts-th
work set an even-handed justice that com
mends our own poisoned chalice to our owl
lips.'' Out of these chastisemcnts it woul'
draw highest lesson, and from which grea
blessing and wide prosperity shall come t.
the Nation and to the South. 1t reads til
history of the past by the light of calm rea
son. 1t accepts facts and lives in realities
1t aligns itself with the best elements in tn
Nation and with justice and rights OF al
men. The South, if it would atone for tn
past and have worthy future, must stan
here. Heretofore, even from the foundation
of the Government, the negro question ma
been the disturbing element in Our nations
politics. Like Banquo's ghost. it vexed tn
times, and the horrible shadow would nc
hence at our bidding This question, sinc
the war and upon its breaking out. drove I'll
majority of the Old Line Wings OF the Sont
1 s..k- xvyit hotter