The Portland daily press., 1879-09-22
Southern Barbarism.
The Vigorous Views Of an Independent
Paper.



Southern people as barbarians. The charac-
terization is not complimentary; it is not re-
spectful; and of course is the reverse of agree
able to those whom it impleads. But it is true.
Not in the meaning that every inhabitant of
the South is an uncivilized creature, for the
fact is not SO; but in the sense that society at
the South, by comparison to society at the
North, is still in relatively barbarous state.
There are some ed ucated, refined and civilized
men and women of the South, some in whom
the savage nature is well subordinated to the
social nature; but, taking the former slave
holding section as a whole, these are not ma
jority of Southern men and women, nor of
Southern white men and women. The char
acter of society is that of its dominating part.
modified by such negative influence as its
dominated part may be able to make effective.
The dominating part of society at the South is
not yet advanced from conditions of ignorance
and savagery that give the character of barbar-
ism.
When African slavery was one of the "pe-
cular institutions of the Southern section, no
other proof Of the barbarous character of its
dominant class was requisite. For, in no coun-
eTr Fy u eKased adhg 9 Pdea ea haa prop
erly be called civilized. Though there are
many barbarous countries in which slavery is
not found, its existence in any country is a
certain mark of barbarous state of society.
1t is proof of deficient moral sense in the
average man, causing a defective understand
ing of the equity principle which is the foun-
dation of all civilized polity. Its existence is
hut ctr Of fI,n
nance of the savage nature of man, which de-
nies to his fellow-men the liberty he asserts for
himself, over the civilized nature, which adj
mits the equal right of all rational beings in
their claims to natural liberty.
The abolition of slavery was not an index of
the advance of the shareholders in civilizations
for it was effected by force against their WILL
1t has no doubt been followed by some degree
of advancement from the state of barbarism
that slavery indicated. There are many ex-
slave owners that are glad of the change, and
would not re-establish slavery if they were at
liberty to do so. This is some evidence that
the South is getting more civilized than it
was. But there are in many portions OF the
South thousands of men who still think there
was no iniquity in slavery, and who, if they
had the power would remand the negroes to
bondage.
More generally the barbarous nature OF the
Southern people is manifested in the notion
that the negro is different kind of animal
from themselves, WnOm III Is not crime 10
slay; at least not so great q crime as to slay
white person. The same notion is peculiar to
savage tribes elsewhere. The wild Sioux who
wreaks his savage vengeance upon the slayer
of member of his tribe deems it no offense,
but rather an evidence of bravery, to slay the
man of different tribe. The difference be-
tween the Sioux barbarian and the Yazoo bar
barian is one of degree only.
Another index of barbarism is the DISPOSE
ton to regard and treat as enemies men who
hold opinions contrary to their own. The
savage idolater is moved by the strongest of
human feelings, the religious feeling, to de-
stroy the man who comes preaching a different
religious belief The Southern barbarian can
not plead religious motive for the intoler-
ance he manifests in hating, prescribing and
shooting to death the man who holds political
opinions contrary to his own. a candid and
impartial Northern observer in Mississippi
writes
'tPeople in the North have formed no idea of the
bitter burning, unrelenting hatred that the Demo-
Gratis have for the Republicans There are now 250
white Republican voters in this country, not one of
whom is a Northern man. They are avoided by the
Democratic whites, despised, detested, ostracised
They called radicals and that word contains all
the significance of hatred, horror and infamy that
the word 'infdel used to contain in the Christian
world
What is said here of society in Mississippi is
true, with some modification, in almost every
part of the South where slavery existed. 1t is
one of the clearest manifestations of barbar-
Gus state Of society.
The affectation of what at the South goes by
the name of chiyalry is the same sort of chiv-
airy travellers everywhere observe among bar
barous tribes. 1t is seen in the paint and feath-
ers of the Indian 'brave,' in the braggadocio
of the Oriental banditti; in the readiness for
quarreling and blood-letting of the Arab.
There is no creature so sensitive to what the
Southerners call "honah" as the semi-nude
savage who vindicates it in the Southern lash
ion by committing murder.
Disregard of the rights of persons looked up
on as enemies, and contempt for the rules
which civilization makes for their security, are
unfailing indlces of barbarism. Everywhere
in the South these marks of a barbarous peo-
pie are more or less conspicuous. No reSpecta-
bly, civilized American can peruse the evidence
taken upon the trial of one of the savages i'm
plicated in the horrible Chisholm butchery in
Mississippi, without feeling sense of shame
in being citizen of a country where such bar
barism is suffered to exist. The proof is per-
fectly conclusive that in Mississippi the laws
of civilization are Intellectual to restrain or
punish barbarism, as savage, cruel, and lawless
as any that ever infested South African Jun
ge 1t is not in the Chisholm butchery, the
Yazoo murder, nor in the hundreds of maim-
ings for political opinions that every year are
committed i'll that section that the most con-
elusive evidence of q barbarous state OF socie-
ty appears but in the fact that society there
hardly ever attempts to restrain such horrible
practices of birbarianS. The murderers of po-
iitical opponents are seldom apprehended or if
apprehended, are seldom brought to trial, or
even committed to jail. An indictment by
grand jury in such case is a farce; the convic-
tion of an offender is an unknown occurrence.
1t is established by most conclusive proof, be-
yond any shadow of doubt, that the savage,
Henry j. Gully, murdered Miss Chisholm; yet
it is said that not one man in all Mississippi has
the least idea that the murderer will be found
guilty. Public opinion in that country would
not Justify the conviction of man holding the
prevailing political opinions for deliberately
shooting to death political opponent, or the
daughter OF that opponent. Such is the state
of society in Mississippi. 1t is state of barba-
rism. Society in its controlling part is COM
posed of barbarians This is the fact, esta6-
lished by ample evidence, not only as regards
Mississippi, but generally in the region where
the barbarous character of society was SO long
manifested in the upholdng of African slavery.
Society in the South is still in the state OF bar
barism