Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-11-21
Do the Republicans Hate the South

vi lllt bplllllilll
on National questions, and their methods of
carrying elections. Mr.. Hill replied few
days later in published letter, from which
we take the following passages:
The feeling of distrust, abuse aud hate OF
the South in the Republicans OF the North
exhibits all the symptoms of mama. 1t is
full of irrelevancy, irrationality and untrutll-
fulness. Even your local elections Tor state,
county, city and town officers are dominated
by this feeling of hatred and distrust OF the
South. 1t is found in your bar-rooms, count
ing houses and pulpils. 1t is beyond reason
and, | fear, beyond remedy. | see no evi-
dcnce that the North lis weary of sectional
strife" The Republican party lives on and
thrives hv this sectional strife. Bad men
speculate on it and dcmagogues ply it as
the best means of getting office.
You say the South votes solid with the
Democratic party. Why: Solely because
the Republican party will not allow any
Southern man to support the Republican
party and preserve his self respect. The
whole policy of the Republican party since
the war has been based upon the assumption
that the Southern people are the criminals
and must confess themselves to be CRIMINALS
In your letter addressing myself you say :;
You, yourself, in all your strength, cannot
stand for a moment or live, with your con
stitucnts ii YOU say that the rebellion was
crime"
Speaking for myself, | never did believe
in secession rs either u doctrine or remedy
under the Constitution, But from the be
ginning much ADLER men than am have
taught il was both. Some of the trainers OF
the Constitution so taught. Many of the
ahcst men of New England so taught The
Southern people believed they had 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 so
tiippantly charge.
The attempt by the Republicans to treat
an act which grew out of honest differences
of opnionas atraitorOus rebellion against the
Government is as unmanly rs it is untruthful.
But the Republican party not only insists
that the Southern people are all traitors but
that they shall confess themselves to be trait
ors The result is that no Southern man
can affiliate with the Republican party with
out confessng himself criminal and agreeing
to treat all his own people as criminals. BY
such confession he would show himself unfit
TO he trusted by any party. BY this policy
of the Republican party everything decent
In the South is driven into the Democratic
party, and then the Republican party raises
the cry for solid North against the solid
South -
do not know what else may happen in
the future, but this much do know: Come
what may. the Southern people will never con-
fess themselves traitors. Their children will
never confess it, and if the intelligent people OF
the North shall see proper 10 solidify and keep
the sectional Republican party in power I'M
til this confession shall he made, then your
hope of only one more year of sectional agita-
taiion is the dream of a dstempered brain
and cordial reunion is hopeless. The
Southern people abandon, and abandon for
ever, both secession and slavery. They al
nit that superior physical force has settled
what argument WAS unable to settle. They
accept in good faith the constitutional
amendments. They desire 10 exercise only
their proportion of power, under the Con-
stitution 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 minded men in
the Presidential count They will not I'M
der any circumstances ''starve" the Govern
ment nor seek any control over the North.
But they intend to preserve the self
respect, and tn deserve the respect 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 has demanded and still de-
mands.
Now, my friend, what arc you intelligent
men in the North going To do about ii VIII
You insist upon keeping the South solid by
demanding their self-dishonOr, and then in
sist upon making the North solid because
the South refuses sclf-degradation at your
demand?
1t is true that the North distrusts the
South, as it has abundant reason to. But
that it hates the South is not true. The Re
publicans have never asked the Southern
men TO degrade themselves or to admit that
they were criminals All that they ask is
that they shall now be loyal and good citi-
zens of our common country. The North
fought the South for four years at such fear
full cost Of blood and treasure in order that
this might be one country-not Il union of
discordant and hostile sections or of subject
provinces hut union of equal States in
habited by free people. They fought to
establish a nation, in which Il mans color
should not deprive him of his civil rights
and in which, in the words of Senator Chand-
Ter, man can start from the Canada border,
travel to the Gulf of Mexico, make black
Republican speeches wherever lie pleases,
and vote the Republican ticket
wherever he gains residence, with
act lao of hot
ex-rebel can travel through the North, make
Democratic speeches, defend slavery and
secession, and vote the Democratic ticket.
Have we such IA Union now? In Senator
Hills own State of Georgia, according to
ample testimony the stars and stripes are
still rarely displayed except by Government
officials and never by State military COM
panies. Ii was in Atlanta, Georgia, as late
ms the last 4th of July, that the Southern
Baptist Publishing House refused To allow
n rope for United States flag from across the
street 10 De attached TO their building,
saying they were not patriotic enough for
that" 1t was in the same city-which if it
is an exception to the other cities in the cot
ton States, is such in having more numer-
Gus loyal white element than others-that
the orator on the last Confederate memorial
day asked: "Whcre are our flags! Hidden
away until they can again come forth to kiss
the hrcezcs'; and added Our Representa-
tivcs have gone to the general Congress with
the same ideas and principles they had in
80 and go" "Oar flags" in Georgia with
the Southerncrs, for whom and 10 whom this
lawyer spoke, are the stars and
bars of rebellion, and '1he ideas and prin-
ciples OF 80 and CO." in Georgia, as Senator
Hill well knows, were not ideas and prin-
ciplcs OF loyalty 10 the Union, orrcspect for
the Constitution and the laws
II WAS Il Southern Democratic paper,
which said. but the other day: IF we would
but second the efforts Of the President for
peace in this section by proper enforce
mcnt of the laws made for the protection Of
the rights of all, even the lowest in the land,
and cndcavor 10 secure perfect freedom of
action and speech, AS guaranteed to every
American citizen by the Constitution, we
should at once disirm this Northern faction,
which grows and ialtons upon the food We
supply it," Such words would he unintel-
ligible, if the South were the law-abiding
and right respecting community which Mr..
Hill asserts it 10 be-. The same paper said,
in the same article I'VE can not afford 10
longer permit our political affairs to be con
irolled 10y mob violence and the shots
policy of Mississippi and Louisiana must
either have an end or these States of the
border must cease to hold communion with
them in self defence 10y entirely Withdrawing
their sympathy, and refuse 10 profit by the
Illegal methods they adopt" Would any
Thing but hard facts have cNturtcd this Dem
ocratic Southern admission Of the control Of
''mob VIOLENCE and illegal methods" at the
South ? Mr.. Hill says the South will not
under any circumstances starye the Govern
ment but the Southern representatives. in
Il,