The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-11-01
OTTAWA FREE TRADER; SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1879.
HEALTHY SOUTHERN TALK.

Hon. benz. y. Hill, senator from Georgia
was recently in New York on business visit
and while there was addressed IN an open let
ter in the Tribune, by Mr.. Chittenden, one OF
the editors OF that sheet, on the present polit
cal temper of the south, and Mr. Hill replies
to him IN long letter through the World
The letter is So manly and earnest, and in lis
tone withal so candid and patriotic, that the
Tribune has thus far not dared to publish it,
and gives 1t but the briefest notice in ITS col
umns. We copy a few of its trenchant para
graphs:
Speaking for myself, | never did
believe IN secession as either 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. Many of the ablest
men of New England so taught The South.
ern 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 intend to make war on the Government, as
Republican demagogues 50 tlppantly charge.
The Southern people abandon,
and abandon forever, both secession and slav.
cry. They admit that superior physical force
has settled what argument was unable to settle.
They accept in good faith the constitutional
amendments. They desire to exercise only
their proportion of power, under the Constltu-
ton 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 Presi-
dental count. They will not under any cir.
cumstances "starve" the Government nor seek
any control over the North.
The feeling of distrust, abuse and hate of the
South in the Republicans of the North eXhlb
its all the symptoms of mania. 1t is full of
irrelevancy, irratlonality and untruthfulness
Even your local elections for state, county, city
and town officers are dominated by this feel
ing of hatred and distrust of the South 1t is
found In your barrOoms, counting houses and
pulpits. 1t IS beyond reason and fear, be-
yond remedy. see no evidence that the North
rs weary of sectional strife" The Reprbll
can party lives on and thrives by this sectional
strife. Bad men speculate on it and dema
gOgucs ply 1t as the best means of getting of
flee. You say: "If there be anything so bed.
ded in our history that it can never be got out
it Is the fact that Southern IDEAS and Southern
men have generally opposed the American
spirit as represented by the people who planted
and rooted our institutions and thrift in the
hard and thorough discipline of New Eng
land"
had supposed that our thrift as a people
due to the abundance of our cheap fertile lands,
the great variety of our productions, the indus
try of our people, all protected and inspired
with hopeful vlgor by that unprecedented con-
stltutional system of dual Federal and local
free governments which Washington, Jeffer-
son, Madison, Plnckney Rutledge and great
number Of Southern men had much to do in
planting and roofing" IN this country.
would abate not zone jot or title" of the credit
to which New England is entitled IN this work
desplSe all seCtlonallsm, whether against the
North or against the South | believe no one
section OF this country is all vlrtuOus or all
vicious and no one section exceeds the other in
either virtues or vices. But If our history teach
es any two facts more lndisputably than all
other facts they are these
First-That slavery was planted" in this
country from Africa and rooted" in the South |
through the hard and thorough discipline of
New England"
Second That secession was both "planted
and rooted as doctrine in our constitutional
system by New England, and was taught, adj |
vocated and threatened as a constitutional
remedy for state grievances by leading New
England statesmen many years before it was
ever whispered IN the South
The first threat of secession was made IN the
first term of Washngton's administration. The
New England members in Congress had
brought forward proposition for the assump-
lion by the General Government of certain war
tebts OF the states. The Southern states had
largely paid their debts, while the debts of the
New England States had mostly been bought
up at large discount by spectators, some of
whom, a Northern historian tells us, were then
N Congress. The proposition was rejected by
southern votes. Great excitement followed
New England threatened to secede and Con.
yress could do no business but adjourn from
lay to day, and its dissolution was imminent
At this critical moment Mr.. Jefferson arrived
1t the Capital from a foreign mission. He
ound Mr. Hamilton pacing up and down in
ront of his house (or the manson) in utter
despair of the Union. Hamilton explained to
'lr. Jefferson the situation, and appealed to
lin ito save the Union" Jefferson did save
t. How? Not by argument nor by denounc-
ng the New England members as traitors and
but by a trade! He proposed "a
rade by which the New England members
rot their money and the Southern members
rot the National Capital, located on the Po-
omac instead OF further north. For two gen.
rations afterwards the favorite method of saw
ng the Union was by giving the North the
money and the South the honors. Under this
process the North has grown so great that she
insists upon having all the money and all the
onors and upon treating the South as crimi- ,
als and traitors! My friend, did you refer to
his happy faculty of coming out Of all con-
ests to save the Union with more money in
heir pockets when you spoke of "our institu. ,
ions and thrift being planted and rooted in
ne hard and thorough discipline of New Eng.
and?' If SO, Junus himself never made
arder hit, and you must take rank as one of
ne first if not the very first of American let
'r-witers | congratulate you on your we'll v
ron laurclsl
q L. of 81 nnin r,,i,ct ,-oll /. Z.