The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-03-23
The Southern Grab.

The array of figures elsewhere printed,
taken from the columns of the New York
Tribune, shows but partially the extent of
the Southern raid apon the Treasury. 1t
only sets forth the demands made before the
holiday recess of Congress in December.
Since then many more bills have been intro
duced calling upon the national government
for aid for Southern projects. Nor have
the private bills, which call for an enormous
sum in the aggregate, been included in this
presentation. The money asked for in the
list given, $150,OO0,000, is not tenth part of
the demand which the South will put forth
should it succeed by the help of its Northern
allies in getting control of the national gov
ernment. AS yet it refrains from asking for
all to which it believes itself entitled. Its
leaders are accomplished politicians, willy and
patient in action, who know that the success
o. this raid depends upon the restoration of the
Democracy topower. To effect that restora-
tion some Northern States must be carried by
the Democratic party, and the politicians of
the South fully realize that frank avowal of
their schemes would deprive them of support
in the North. Should they now make their
intentions known they could not secure one
Northern State. Their policy is to delay the
presentation of their demands until they
have the power to compel the granting of
those demands. The bills now pending
are bills that Southern representatives are
forced to bring forward by the unwise clamor
of the more impatient of their constituents.
Could the wiser ones have their way not a
claim would be presented until it was sure to
be allowed.
The case made by the South is, a plausible
one. That section of the country was re-
duced to poverty by the war, and will ask
the national government to lend it helping
hand. 1t will point to the appropriations for
the turtherance of Northern enterprises in
recent years and insist that it is entitled to
Ike assistance. Its real object is to get back
what it lost by the rebellion. In the attain
ment of this object it will be assisted by
large portion of the Northern Democracy,
that portion which places the achievement of
party supremacy above all other considera-
tions and would willingly double our debt If
thereby it could secure to the Democratic
party four years of power.
The claims, it must be borne in mind, are
made upon Congress in spite of the evident
impolcy of bringing them forward at this
time. If the South with every incentive to
defer the prosecution OF its raid is now will
ing to run the risk of defeat in all the North
ern States and does not hesitate to ask for
$3.50, 100000, what may it be expected to do
when it has complete control and no longer
labors under the necessity of concealing its
purposes? 1t has 'got hold of a better thing
than rebellion, for it reverses the method
which has heretofore obtained, and compels
the conquerors to pay tribute to the con-
qnered. If it can get control Of the law
making power it will gain its ends. In an-
other year it will have majority of the SEN
ate. That is inevitable. II it can only retain
control Of the House its purposes are as good
as secured. The only hope of the North is in
electing a House committed against these
schemes of Southern spoilation. That is the
real issue in the campaign this Fall. If we
choose, the next House is ours. But vic
tory cannot be won without work. Let us,
then, go to work and roll up a Republican
majority to face Democratic Senate.