Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-07-05
WHAT THE NORTH Is LED TO BE-
LIEVE OF THE SOUTH.

renee. which appeared in Harper's Week
~ Of May oath, a paper of as large cir
culation, probably, and especially in the
north. as Is enjoyed by any paper In this
country. As an illustration of the kind
of literature which Is furnished to our
northern friends. we here present an adj
ditional extract from Mr.. LIS screed !:
1.-The retormers introduced in the south
ern states the conception of a free press,
free speech, free suffrage. 1t need not
be told how perfectly the democratic
leaders have eradicated even the ideas.
The period from 1865 to 1870 brought
with it lessons that have been
wholly forgotten, taught to Charleston
and New Orleans the sanctity OF human
life. the necessity OF reform. the barbar-
ity of the duellst, the odious cruelty OF
the street fight. the supremacy OF the
law. For q time republication and
reform softened the of the pee
pie, checked the progress Of crime.
| Street fights became are in Louisiana
and Mississippi. and duelllng was dis
~countenanced even in New Orleans. But
since 1870, and wherever the democratic
leaders have renewed their rule. the saw
age practices of the past have been re-
vived. The duelist once more lifts his
murderous front even in the halls OF
congress, and escapes UNPUBLISHED. Muir
der once more stalks abroad in Atlanta
and Vicksburg. The barbarous contempt
for human lite that marked the days of
slavery and isolation has nearly return
ed, and a united south seems resolv-
ed to repel every trace of progress.
There is not a liberal newspaper in all
Georgia-a state as populous as Switz-
erland. There Is no one in Alabama
who dares to denounce the secret or
open tyranny of its reactionary chiefs.
South Carolina has fallen into the hands
Of It's old oppressors, and the men who
fred upon Sumter rule in its decaying
borders. The reactionary party has
seized upon the control OF the south.
knowledge perishes, civilization retro
grades, the manners OF the community
become barbarous."
The reformers here spoken Of are the
republican carpet-baggers whom an in
scrutable providence permitted to visit
the south at the close of the war, the
Bullocks. Durells. Caseys. Ameses. KIM
balls. Claytons, Dorseys, Kelloggs,
Chamberlains. Pattersons and Spencers
men whose anne are synonyms for
plumber. fraud and violence. 1t is pas
sing strange. in an enlightened age such
as this pretends to be. with the fragrant
history of these men so fresh in the
minds of all, that any man or newspaper,
laying clam to decency. should publish
to the world that these ''reformers in
troduced to the southern states the con-
ception of a free press, free speech, a
free suffrage" The writer passes for a
scholar-he is a scholar-then, is 1t pas
sion or prejudice, or both, that permits
him to teach such an untruth to his tens
of thousands of readersP Has he for
gotten the history of American liberty?
Does he not remember that but a little
more than Il hundred years ago there
was in this country q struggle for a free
press, free speech, tree suffrage?
The first voice that vas boldly raised
for liberty in the councils OF the colonies
was that of the Virginian. Patrick Henry.
and his celebrated resolutions were the
Tirst step in the slsrioua revolution that
gained for the country its independence
from England. 1t was the Virginia
house OF ~burgesses, too, which, on mo-
ton of Col. Washington, first passed res
olutions against importing British goods.
1t was this same southern state which
first recommended to the colonies a gen.
eral congress. and its honored son, Pey-
ton Randolph, vas the first president OF
that congress. When the war for lib
erty OF speech and conscience was fairly
inaugurated. it was a southern gentle
man named Washington who was called
to lead the forces. and though all honor
is due 10 Greene. and Wayne. and War
rem, and Putnam, and Schuyler, they
were never Drawer or more patriotic
than were Moultrie. Huger, Sumter,
Hampton, Marion. Lee and Hayne.
There was no Benedict Arnold born on
southern soil.
And when Henry Lee. ''Light Horse
Harry" he was called, the father of the
greatest general that America has ever
produced, laid down his life, in 1918, it
was because of a wound received in 1914,
from q Baltimore mob, in defending an
editor and his press. This was the Vir-
ginia soldier to whomGen. Greene wrote,
''No man in the progress of the cam
paign had equal merit with yourself"
1t will be remembered, too, that on
the Goth day Of May, 1775. the people
of Mecklenburgh county, North Carolina,
assembled at Charlotte and passed reso-
lutions ~embodying the first declaration
OF American independence; and that on
June 9TH. 1776, Richard Henry Lee, OF
Virginia, made a motion in congress
which finally prevailed, to declare the
colonies to be free and independent
states. The resolution was agreed 10,
and the greatest bill of rights everknown
to earth, written by a southern gentle
man, Thomas Jefferson, was adopted on
July 4th. To the support of this SUBJ
lime declaration of principles the men,
bers of the continental congress pledged
their lives. their fortunes and their sacred
honor, and n man, a southerner. be-
cause he had much to lose. being rich,
for fear that a mistake might be made in
the person who staked his all for liberty.
against the power of a king. wrote first
his name IN large letters. ''Charles Car,
ROLL" and added after it the words, sot
Carrollton."
A southerner was president of the con-
vention which formed the constitution,
and he was also the first president OF
the United States. Andrew jackson,
another southerner, was the conspicuous
figure in and the gamer of the war O
'12. and TAYLOR Scott Twip0s Omit.