The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-26
Our New York Letter.
The Elections and their Re.uIt..-The
Southern Question Again - Northern
Magunnimfiy and Sou,hern sullenncfs.
"A Quesfion of Equal Rights

a sShCshAOh u A4Ahl bbSnts.
New YORK, Nov. %, 1878.
1t is not from the financial point of view only
that the results Of the late elections are impor-
tant aud gratifying. The time has come when
the manhood of the North is to be tested. We
have certainly given the plan Of allowing the
Southern chivalry to have their own way full
and exhaustive trial. A great many people
had no faith in it. Those especially who had
good memories and could recall the state of
things that existed before the war, couldn't be
persuaded on any terms that it would be safs
to turn over the political control of the states
formerly in rebellion to the men who had
borne arms against their country. There was
good deal of haccid talk among a set of by
brids of Democratic partialities and Repub-
can antecedents in depreciation Of bayonet rple,
and at one time, if a man Strengthened himself
up sufficiently to express the opinion tina. it
wasn't exactly justifable to murder citizen
because he wouldn't vote as his slayer wanted
him to, he was forthwith accused of waving
aloft the "bloody shirt. have had misg,v-
ings for half dozen years lest the race was
degenerating into pusillanimity. remembered
what a poor, mean-spirised, abject. crawling,
sneaking creature the Northern dough-face
used to be in the days of slavery; how he cork
screwed himself out of shape and crawled on
his belly averring his readiness to submit to
any humiliation or indignity, to bs trampled
down and spat upon so that his party could
only bs permitted to dispense the federal pat
ronage. There was time when this spirit of
Ia L. &c III
the free states. In New York City it literally
permeated all the circles claiming q monopoly
of respectability. Bench, bar, pulpit, press,
countng-house, bank, parlor, drawing-room
were poisoned with it. Every man who had
the courage to assert that liberty was the nat
ural and inherent right of every human being,
was rallied at as a fanatic or denounced as
disturber of the peace. Boston aristocrats
assumed the role of the bravo and hunted
down abolitionists when they were entirely
sure they were unarmed and non-resistant;
their judges crawled un der chains to get inside
their Court House; their citizen soldiery en-
acted the part of blood hounds and tracked
| poor fugitive from bondage that they might sur
render him to his master and the whip and
| auction block.
That was gloomy period in American his
tory. And yet it followed in less than three
quarters of century after our Revolutionary
sires had illustrated their valor by conqueripg
independence. The world moves like pendu-
lum, surging from one extreme to the other
Now our countrymen are heroic in the main
tenance of principle, anon they are contempti-
BILE in their submission to great wrongs in fur
tharauca cf what thav doon, THAR in t.raats r.,
1850 they held meetings in which they made
loud proclamation of their serviiity aud sub
serviency. They averred their willingness to
wear any badge of shame their task master
might see fit to stigmatizs them with; there
was no depth of degradation into which they
were not ready to descend 50 that they could
only pacify the fire eaters in the direction of
the tropics. Eleven years afterwards the same
people threw off their livery of ignomiuy as
suddenly as If it had been touched with an
enchanter's wand, and rose on the instant to
the foil stature of manly independence. We
all know what followed; freedom for the slave,
crushed rebellion, a united nation-all the
fruits of proves and sacrifice but great re-
wards for great sufferings.
Bravery and magnanimty are twin ssnt-
ments. The victors were very generous. They
prescribed no penalties, demanded no guaran-
tees. They simply insisted that those inhabi-
tants Of the revolving commonwealth who had
not borne arms against the government should
be endowed with citizenship. Less than this
would have bsen dishonor. Things went on
toDerably well until the Republican party began
to weaken. Some of Its members wavered in
their fidelity and became lukewarm, or actual
ly deserted on trivial pretexts. Finally the DEM
Gratis gained a lodgment in the management of
public affairs by carrying the lower house of
Congress. Then the craven spirit began to dis
play itself very conspicuously. 1t wasn't al
ways expsdient for man to admit that he
fought in the Union army. He was much more
likely to be an object Of polite attention if
he had been a rebsl The ex-Confederates in
the Sou.h were encouraged and assisted to
assume direction of their State governments
By and by new President was inaugurated,
and be removed the last barrier that checked
the way to the re-sstablishment of a com plete
Southern autocracy. We have had time
enough since to see just what the consequences
are. Chivalry is not essentially different from
what ii was in 1861. 1t ruthlessly tramples out
private rights and rules by violence or fraud as
may best accomplish the object. The violence
is not of the bold and daring kind that involves
danger to the perpetrator. 1t consists very
largely of. shooting In the dark and stabbing In
the back. 1t assaults women and children,
and wears masks and burrows in secrecy
But it Is utterly destructive of order and upsets
the foundations of society. 1t is thing to bs
deprecated and annihilated as well for its bale
full effects upon the material prosperity Of the
section afflicted by it, as because it is at war
with every sentiment of humanity and justice.
Only eighteen months have elapsed since
Wade Hampton promised the President that
he would protect the rights of the colored citi-
izens of South Carolina if he would only take
the troops away See how the plumed knight
of chivalry keeps his word! He hasn't even
kept up the show Of fair election in any coun-
ty of the State; the Republicans have majori-
ty of the votes, but they haven't been permitted
to poll enough to give the operation a decent
appearance. Hampton's apologists claim that
it is not entirely his fault, but that really he
cannot restrain his followers That is very
probable, but they are simply carrying out, a
little more zsalously than is consistent with dis
cretion, the policy he helped to inaugurate.
The scheme to establish minority rule in the
Gulf States is just as much plot as secession
was. The same agencies are relied upon to &C.
compiish it that were originally thought to be
sufficient to effect dissolution of the Union
The principal factor in the case was then and
is now, the Northern Dough-face, the most pit
liable craven that American politics ever gener-
ated. Secession would never have been at
tempted if those who initiated it had not felt
sure of the cooperation of a suficieat number
of Northern allies to prevent an uprising Of
loyal people to defend the integrity of the Union
by arms. Having failed to gain their object by
force, they are now intent on comprising it by
strategy. To do tnis they must literally tram.
pie out the rights of half the voters of their sec
ton. And all the while that they are bending