The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-23
Lines OF New Departure-What the
south Needs IL Justice and Common

was the rock upon which Johnson struck.
This was the snag in the way of Grant. The
country stood oil of Grants mistakes until
he Numbered in Louisiana. Then his power
waned. 1t was the South which gave Tilden
his apparent majority and almost made him
President. The Southern question is the
first difficulty of Hayes Now that it rears its
horrid front and menaces him, as it men
aced Johnson and Grant, let us look at 1t
calmly and see in what respect Mr.. Hayes
may take new departure. The truth about
the Sonth is painful one. We have con-
quered territory and wo do not know what
to do with it. The conquered States natu-
rally follow their old leaders, and their dim
is to recover through political expedients rs
much "a possible of what they lost in the
war. There is good deal Of cant about
''cheerfully accepting" and SO on, and
"gadly welcoming" emancipation, for in
stance But it is all can't How can tho South
ern people "checrfully accept the most
terrible and crushing defeat ever imposed
by one Power upon the other since Scipio
conquered Carthage? How can they
'cheerfully welcome" an event which, how
ever much we in tho North may sing and
pray about 1t, has ruined hundreds of
thousands Of the best men and women in
the South? This is not in human nature,
and any theory about the settlement of the
Southern question based upon it is I'M
sound, because it rests upon falsehood.
What tho South accepts is the sword. What
she is now striving to do il to put away the
sword. She has accepted" nothing. She
fought the military rule at the end of tho
war, although if that rule had been contin-
ued for ten years she would have escaped
tho corruptions Of the carpet-bagger.
She fought the Frecdman's Bureau,
although without it she never could
have controlled the labor which has
enabled her to grow as much cotton as in
any of her peaceful years. She has fought
every system of government, every expert
ment that did not bring back, as nearly as
possible. the old system. Wherever she
has found Confederate leader she has
honored and promoted him. She shows it
in the long list Of gallant and distinguished
men who hold seats in the Senate and the
House because Of what they did for the lost
cause. Wherever one Of her sons has
shown disposition to make terms with her
enemy, even sons as distinguished rs Long
street and Mosby, she has punished him
with swift and merciless rigor. She cares
nothing for the democratic, nothing for the
republican party. Her aim, her natural,
proper and excusable aim is to recover as
hat he 1pcf6 rip hn
war.
If we take this sensible view Of the South
ern question the new lines of Presidential
policy are clear. Let Mr.. Hayes say to the
South, "Act with me in good faith and will
give you more, far more, than you can win in
hundred electoral campaigns" The prac-
tical effect of the Southern efforts for the last
ten years has been to make the leaders the
tools Of the gang of spectators in politics
who now control that bankrupt, worthless,
ignominious concern called the democratic
party. The Southern people have gained
nothing, and even if they had elected Tilden
it would have been a barren victory for them,
however it might have been to the gain the
operators who held shares in the recent demo-
cratic Presidential pool. Neither Mr.. Tilden
nor any democratic President could have
had the confidence of the country to the
extent possessed by Hayes. Without that
nothing can be done for the South. AS it
now stands we have the President and the
Vice President, five out of seven members
OF the Cabinet, large section if not the
majority of the republican members Of the
House and Senate, willing, anxious to do
anything for the South that will give us
peace, take all sectional questions out of
politics, and enable us to give some atten-
ton to financial and industrial questions.
Will the South accept this ? Or will its
leaders by continued follies so exhaust the
patience of their friends in the North as to
make any effort to help them vain?
We in the North owe much. very much, to
the South, and the debt should be paid.
We understand why the Southern people
oregard any reconstruction as hollow that
throws upon them the most terrible burdens
of the war and does nothing to help them
carry the load. Take emancipation. We
in the North are as much responsible for
slavery as tho South We enjoyed many of
its material advantages. We lcgalizcd it,
and men are still living who were dragged
through Northern streets with halters about
their nccks for questioning its divine char
acter. Yet we take away all genuine merit
in the noble work of emancipation
by throwing it on the South as a
war measure, like Bismarck when he exacted
his milliards from France. Bismarck
frankly avowed his purpose to cripple and
punish his enemy. He did not talk about
fraternity" as we did when we reduced
hundreds Of thousands Of families to beg
gary. When we add to this tho reputation
r A. ,,ov;orc xyor 1nhfc nf fha Sorth bo