The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-12-21
TEE NEW DANGER FROM THE
SOUTH.

TEE NEW DANGER FROM THE
SOUTH.
Senator Lamar, and other prominent
Democrats from the South, perhaps
unintsntionally, have given remarka.
ble support in declarations reported
from Washington to opinions often
urged by the Tribune. They say ''their
constituents are almost unanimously
in favor of the repeal of the Resump-
tioc Act, and the reconciliation of
silver; as long as the Northern polite
ians insult the people of the South,
at the same time that they are de-
mandinR sound financial legislation,
the unthinking class of people in the
South will be on the opposite side to
them on most economical questions;
the credit and honor ofG Government
that cares nothing for them tCtH be Of
Gerry little consequence to them." Here
is the pith of the matter, as some of
the ablest and best Southern men see
it. They admit that Southern voters
are almost unanimously" in favor of
measures hostile to the credit and
honor of the Government. What
more has the Tribune ever said, even
when accused of iniustice7 Have
these Southern statesmen no eyes to
see that fear of ''solid South" and
its mastery 10 National affairs, and the
upholdipg of extreme measures to pre-
vent that mastery, have been largely
due to certainty that the South was
almost unanimously hostile to public
honor and National prosperity2 We
know, and the South ought to know,
that all our industry, ou= commerce,
our hopes of public prosperity, rest
upon the public credit as a corner
stone. Our financial institutions are
bankrupt to day, if public credit is de-
stroyed. Our commerce can find no
capital for its operations, our industry
can find no means to turn wheels or
light fires, if national credit goes down
under Southern blows. To us, the
whole nation. and every workiDgnan
and every business man In the nation,
is interested in saving public credit.
But the South votes as if, until the
Government pleased them, its honor
and credit were ''of no consequence.
Could language depict more clearly
the dividing gulfl
The statesmen of the South forget
history. The North has constantly
feared the South-whyf Because it
meant hostility to National credit.
The Southern statesman puts the cart
before the horse. Because the whole
South and part of the West were on
fire with repudiating schemes, the
North put down johnson and reconcil-
iation. Seward and Welles, Doolittlo
and Dixon and Cowan, and elected
Grant in 1868. Because the purpose
of the Southern people was in this re-
spect profoundly distrusted. Northern
capital and industry reused with re-
siStless power to turn the scale in 1872.
Because there was no faith in a Demo-
cratic South. with respect to public
honor. Mr.. Tilden went down in 1876.
Always there has been a body of con-
servative men at the North, anxious
for liberal and conservative policies.
But they have been forced to see that
every step toward Democracy was a
step toward reputation. Democratic
lea1ers faithful to the National honor
have heen found, in both sections.
A Democratic party faithful to the
National honor has given no signs of
its existence. At every chance, four
fifths of the Democratic members from
the South have voted for measures
hostile to public honor, and dangerous
to public welfare. Is the distrust
stranger
We know human nature. We know
that defeated men are never anxious
to pay the cost of their defeat. 1t
would be the most marvellous miracle
of history, if the Southern people
should now feel toward men who
loaned money. to insure their defeat,
quite as the Northern people feel to-
ward those whose self denial or conf
dence gave victory. Do Southern
Statesmen expect US TO forget that
this same feeling has shone, plain and
glaring as the sun at MONDAY, in every
financial vote since the war; This il
not all. The North has thousands of
influential men who have loaned mon
~ on Southern State, county and city
bonds. They have seen "readjnstment"
of nearly every debt, uLtil the contrast
between Northern and Southern COM
munities has become startling. But
communities speak for people compos-
Ing them. II the Southern people
care nothing for what the civilized
world deems financial honor, in respect
t. their State and local obligations,
shall We give them power to stab the
Nations honor and to destroy the Ma
tons prosperity These are the ques-
/ tons which lie behind all divisions and
/ policies Of parties at the North. Has
goo.' reason. The men who act with
it. whether at the South or at the
North, are known TO be powerless TO
defend the public credit within that
party. IL they are in earnest, why do
they not ally themselves with the men
AZ the North who hold the public
/ honor sacred? Why are they still
sehenipz and working for . party
wi ich casts four-fifths of its votes for
r.pudiatioul Standing where they are,
ho Sever pure their aims and nools
the South no statesmen who can COM
pr-hend thSir force3
One remedy the is, and only one.
The Tribune has urged il often. The
Democratic party is distrustsd. for
their efforts, they are losr. The little
baeku ward eddirs above the cataract OF
Niagara do not make sane men willing
70 trust themselves in the rapids Tha
Iru-h is downward. The men at the
South who want to create South
sirich shall be trusted, must begin by
taking themselves out Of that down.
ward torrent. They must show them
selves ready to fight for public homer
al every risk, and to uphold, as far az
they conscientiously can, the men
upon when its real defence must de-
pend. A South ''almost unanimous
Iy" in favor of repudiation-so nearly
that its best men dare not make the
only sure resistance in their power
WHO can trust itl Not men who know
that tainted honor means broken
banks. empty fields, dark furnaces and
silent mills.-NetO York Tribune.
To see q pretty girl putting on .
postage stamp makes q fellow wish he
1 Il z.