National Republican., 1878-08-29
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SOUTH.

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SOUTH.
After all, the Washington RErrRLICAN is
not the enemy Of the Southern people that II
Is generally supposed to he. Instead Of thank
ing GoD for the scourge which is killing them
or-as It should. in order to be consistent
The REPUBLICAN actually advises people to
send money and supplies TO the sufferers
Baltimore Gazette.
After all, the Washington REPUBLICAN
has been greatly belied and greatly misun-
derstOod in regard to its feelings and tenn
per toward The Southern people. 1t has no
cnmitics toward that people growing out of
the war. 1t regarded them rs in the wrong
when they seeded from the Union and en-
tered upon an armed rebellion against lthe
Federal Government. II condemned their
course-pitied their iatuous iolly-and
was confident that in the end they would
be terribly punished for their disloyal
wickedness, and ultimately bo forced back
into the Union and compelled to yield to
the national supremacy. 1t was gratiicd
when that hour came, and reioiced in the
hope and prospect Of reunited country
under the bonds Of peace and fraternity.
Every feeling of animosity and i'll blood
that had been en9cndercd by the war
found a healing balm in the declaration OF
peace, and we were ready to kiss and be
friends once mo:e-leaving the dead
to bury Its dead-the past TO be
buried under the banner of peace
looking to the future for an era of good
/ feeling, good fellowship, and unimpaircd
| fraternity within one union and under one
banner-the starry emblem of our common
fOreihthers. When the war closed this was
our hope and our joyous expectation.
Whatever difficulties we have since had
with our Southern brethren have found an
origin in the circumstances connected with
reconstruction aud the rehabilitation of our
people under new laws and q new political
order of things. We have had gricfs with
the people of the South BECAUSE OF their ap-
parent want of good faith in accepting the
political situation after the''war had closed and
reconstruction had ensued. They have not
accepted the loss of their slaves aud the re-
storing of the slave class to citizenship in n
cheerful and yielding spirit. They, nc
doubt felt a hardship under this new order
# things, and until they clothed
themselves with fresh spirit o
resistance to the issues of our unpleasant
ness they had our sympathics. But when
the amended Constitution and the laws OF
reconstruction were contemned, dcied, aud
openly violated; when the rights Of citizen
ship and the freedom of political opinion
and action were assailed; when citizens
! t,I h,fn
compromising and exceedingly cruel ant
even brutal spirit Of partisanship, and al
for mere difference of political opinion
we felt called upon by sacred duty we ow,
to the free institutions Of our common cOun
try and to the rights Of American citizen
ship TO antagOnizc all such conduct, and W
r have done so with the hest abilities on
Maker has conferred upon US. This is tn
full measure of our cnmity toward til,
South and when these causes of dissatisi,lc
ton with our Southern brethren cease "
can be on the very best terms Of friendship
and ncighhorly relation.
We feel deep sympathy for the pcopl!
. of the pes,ilencc-s,ri"l"n cities of the soutI
in this their hour of unirLion, and this sym
! pathy is matrrinIxing in substantial aid
!, utterly forgc,luI and regardless of any caus
Of political alienation that may exist Th
Office is now making up a fund rs AN earn
est Of its sympathy, in which the conduc
tors Of the paper will bear fair proportion
L aud with il will be transmitted our heart
felt cmmis,erutiOn for the suIlcringS Of tn
Southern people. And rs further carncs
0, our sympathy with the cause of Chart
u that hinges upon the arlictons Of tn
> Southern people in this dark hour, we sha
take pleasure in publishing free of chars
> all advertisements connected with thes
: noble efforts to aid the people who are thu
l. stricken by the pestiIcnce that waIkcth
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