Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1879-11-14
A GLANCE AT THE FUTURE.
Senator Hill on the South and Secession.

letter addressed MN through
the columns Of the New York
Tribune by Hon. G. B. Chitten-
den, of Brooklyn, should be
carefully read by every man
North of Mason and DIxon's
line. If the political !dema-
gogues will not cease to de-
nounce the people Of the South
traitors, the people interested in
the welfare of the nation should
at least discountenance their
mad efforts to keep up sectional
hate:
Speaking for myself, new
err did believe in secession as
either a doctrine or a remedy
under the Constitution. But
from the beginning much ADLER
men than ! am have taught it
was both. Some of the trainers
of the Constitution so taught.
The Southern people believed
they had a right to secede, and
that the peace Of the country
and their own safety demanded
its exercise. They did not in
tend to make war on the Gov
eminent, as Republican dema-
gogues so flippantly charge.
"The attempt by the Repub-
licans to treat an act which
grew out of honest differences
Of opinion as traitorous rebel
lion against the Government is
as humanity as it untruthiui.'
But the Republican party not
only insists that the Southern
people are all traitors. but that
they shall confess themselves to
be traitors. The result is that
no Southern man can affiliate
with the Republican party with
out confessing himself crimi-
nal and agreeing to treat all his
own people as criminals. By
such confession he would show
himself unfit to be trusted by
any party. By this policy of
the Republican party every
thing decent in the South is
driven into the Democratic par
ty, and then the Republican par
ty raises the cry for solid
North against the solid South
81 do not know what else
may happen in the future, but
this much / do know, come
what may, the Southern people
will never confess themselves
traitors. Their children will
never confess it, and if the in
telligent people of the North
shall see proper to solidify and
keep the sectional Republican
party in power until this confess
sion shall be made, then your
hope of only one more year of
sectional agitation is the dream
of a distempcred brain and a
cordial reunion is hopeless.
The Southern people abandon,
and abandon forever, both seces-
sion and slavery. They admit
that superior physical force has
settled what argume..t was un-
able to settle. They accept in
good faith the Constitutional
amendments. They desire to
exercise only their proportion
'ofpower, under the Constitution
and laws. They neither desire,
nor will they allow, if they can
prevent it, any more civil or
sectional wars. This they
abundantly proved to all fair
minded men in the Presidential
count. They will not under any
circumstances "starve', the
Government, nor seek any con-
troll over the North. But they
intend to preserve their self-re-
spect, and to deserve the re-
spect Of all brave and honorable
men everywhere and for all
time, and this they cannot do
by confessing themselves to be
criminals, as the Republican
party demanded and still de-
mands.
"Now, my friend, what are
you intelligent men in the North
going to do about-itf Will you
insist upon keeping the South
solid by demanding their SELF
dishonor. and then insist upon
making the North solid because
the South refuses self-degrada-
ton at your demand3
well. suppose you succeed
Suppose you succeed, by your
absured and impossible stories
Of unnatural outrages at the
South, il making every man in
the North hate and distrust
every man in the South Will
that break the solid South VIII
that allay sectional strife9 VIII
that bring peace to the country,
prosperity to to the nation or
perpetuity to the Uniona l have
always believed the. secession
lists were the most damaging enc
mics the South ever had. But
they did not intend damage.
They intend to relieve the con-
science of the North on the sub.
ject.. of slavery, and preserve.
their own property on their own
responsibility. They were mis-
taken, but they were not traitors
/ equally believe that the repub-
lican party is the mostdangerous
enemy the Union ever had. 1t i.
lives on sectionalism. 1t teach
es the North to hate the South,
and compels the South to hate
the North. If the people of
the North are not capable of
seeing the end of such a policy,
they are incapable and un-
worthy. of free government.
The Southern people lost for
tune; fame, and power by the
war. Here and there a man
ray be found who, by reason
of his connection with the war,
has reached positions for which