New-York tribune., 1878-11-23

of his charity. Northern people saw nothing
except that their fellow men were suffering;
they did not look to SEE who they were'
or stop to remember anything about them.
They simply set about relieving them. once
in a while during these dreadful weeks there
came I'D from some Southern newspaper
tropical sunburst of sentiment on the SUD-
ject, and we were told in language
of great warmth and brilliancy that
this at last reunited us, that we were brothers
again indeed, and that the SOuth-usually the
glorious,r or "chivalrous," or generous
or "nObe- hearted" " SOuth-wOuld never.
never forget such. kindness. etc., etc. 1t was
all very well the writers were evidently sim
cere and it was no doubt a relief to them to
say this sort of thing. 1t is TO lie remarked, how
ever, that the North in the most unsentimental
and matter-of- fact way made little or no response
othese protestatIons, but went right on forward
ing contributions to the sufferers in the most
business-like manner. That is all passed. The
account, if there was any, is settled.
Northern men simply did their duty,
and were compensated by the satisfaction
it gave. They did not, and do not,
boast of it; they have not reminded
the Southern people of it or held them under
any obligation for it.
If the Southern white people supposed we
expected any acknowledgment for it in
the form of political action, they did
the North great injustice. They do us
and themselves wrong IN imputing any such
disposition to buy off their just resentment or
purchase their good will. The parallel with
Jacob and Esau stops short of that. We con-
fess we have observed with surprise dispOsi-
ton on the part of some Southern orators to
carry it still further, and cOnstrue the gener-
ous conduct of the North as sort OF expl-
alton of previous offences; something done
in the spirit of penitence for past wrongs and
injuries. This seems to be the view OF Sena-
tor Gordon, of Georgia, who in speech
before the Legislature of that State, after
referring deprecatingly to the speeches lately
made by Senators Blaine and COnkling and
Secretary Sherman. assured his hearers that
what he was pleased to call the policy OF
oppression" advocated by these leaders was
not sustained by the masses at the North, be-
cause, he said there were thousands OF Re
publicans "whose hearts bled for recent
"aflictions and whose purses were en-
"ingr "That was spectacle be said,
"that presented the better side OF
"thcse men, and that touched and moved
"thc great Southern heart, and caused
ait to beat once more in responsive
"throbs to the great heart OF the
North, as deep calleth unto deep /;
"and Southern prayers assembled that
Jehovah would not only reward them a
" thousandfold, b~that this great Southern
" woe, made national by godike sympathy,
"might become the grave of all sec
tional animostiesr Which is pretty enough,
10 be sure, but jumbles up charity and
politics in the most absurd manner possible.
Nobody at the North expected that the pot-
ical action of the Southern people would be
affected by Northern kindness, but it
seems, according to Senator Gordon, that the
Southern people took it as an expression
of sorrow that we had ever criticised the
brutal and dishonest methods OF Southern
Democrats, and a sort of promise that we
would do so no more. For he says, lat the
" very moment when Southern suffering and
Northern bencfccnCe were binding together
"thcse estranged sections, these grave Senators
"scek to reopen wounds that were healing
"and to revive passions that were dying
This passes for eloquence; but with great re-
spect for the people who applaud it, it sounds
very much like the blubbering of a rufiian
who reproaches you because when you
relieved his distress you did not condone all
his past offences and agree that he was an
ornament of whom society should be proud.
Let us have done with all this silly stuff.
~ - ,.r,l, Tod Sntrth
relief whom Senator Gordon eulogizes so
warmly, nile-tenths are persons who sympa-
thize perfectly with Messrs. Blaine, COnkling
and Sherman IN condemning the dis
honest and barbarous practices by which the
white Democrats of the South have succeeded
in depriving hundreds of thousands OF voters
of their legal rights and the free expression
of their views. Subscribing to relief funds
is one thing; giving countenance to the
dishonest and brutal practices of the persons
relieved. is quite another. A solid South
made solid by fraud, intimidation and viO-
lencc has resumed It's old alliance with the
party at the North which has for twenty years
done nothing but hatch mischief and
plot crime. That alliance sOlidities the intel
hgence and patriotism of the North IN OppO-
stion. 1t is the instinct of self preservation.
Nothing else could be expected. This Is the
continuation of the old fight taken from the
field to the forum no more nor less.
II is useless to attempt to evade
if. The North sees it, and is prepared
to meet it. The South has never lost sight
of it. We may as well be frank with each
other. The North did not dream of securing
political advantage hardly, indeed of soften
ing anybody's animosities 10y its charities. If
the Southern leaders supposed that we handed
over our contributions saying, Your sOr-
crows have touched us we regret that we