Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-03-15
The SOuth-The Solid Sonth.

meanings. The word South, ex
pressing one of the four cardina
points by a very simple transition
is used to denote a section of coun
try lying south of another give1
section, and by still another very
natural change is made to mean the
people dwelling there. These
changes are natural, simple, and
lead nobody astray. But carried
further, as in the caption of this
paper, it becomes a perVersion that
/ is misleading. Granting that the
term South is legitimately applied
to the people in the late slave
/ States, 1t must include all Of them.
| What would be thought of a use of
the word West, which would ex-
clude the Democratic party of that
section or the Methodist Church :?
Before the late civil war it is not
strange that the term South meant
only the white people Of this Sec
ton. For used not in a geographic
cal but a political sense, it meant
those who had voice in
the Government. The reason
having passed away the usage
should fall to the ground. But in
stead of this, the term South has
become more restricted since the
war. Once it meant the whole
white population, now it means
only part, faction-numerous, [
grant, and dominant, but still a fac
tion-bitter, partisan and unscrupu-
lous. This use and abuse of the
term South, together with the Bit
terness and narrowness of the fac~
ton assuming the name, was we'll
illustrated in the charge made in
one of its organs against DR.. Humes
a year or two since, as a reason
why he should be removed from the
Presidency of the University, that
a." he was not in sympathy with the
South. Well! with what South
can some Daniel tell US First and
foremost there is the Christian
South, has DR.. Humes no sympathy
with it? Why, he is part and par
eel of it, a Christian minister of
nearly half a century's stand
ing, a leader in the Chris
tian ranks. Next comes the
educated South, the South with
its schools, colleges, universities :;
with its multitudinous press and its
large army Of writer's, editors and
authors. Standing at the head of
a leading University, and for many
years an instructor and guide Of
numbers of those who have taken
their places among the teachers,
writer's and orators of this genera
ton, his must be brazen face who
would allege that DR.. Hume8 has no
sympathy with the literary and edu-
cational interests of these Southern
States and, dwelling in one of the
principal commercial and manufac-
turing cities of the State, a prop
erty-hOlder and taxpayer, no one
will allege that he has no sympathy
with the material prosperity of the
section where he resides, What,
then, is this South with which it was
affirmed the venerable gentleman
had no sympathy? Is it about to
elude our grasp? Is it a mere
name, without a reality back of it ?
By no means. It is a reality. The
South, the Solid South, means in
the mouths Of those who glory in
the term, the dominant faction,
the Democratic party Of the South.
1t ignores the Republican party.
1t ignores those portions of the Meth
odist and Presbyterian Churches
which are connected with organiza-
tions that are not sectional but tru-
ly national in their character-liy-
ing in the South, citizens, politi-
clans, Christians, contributing to its
material wealth and to It's moral
and Christian influence; yet because
they did not sympathize with the
rebellion and DO not vote with the
Democratic party they are counted
not in sympathy with the South. |.
This building up Of sectional walls /
between these Southern States and /
the rest of the Republic has been
most disastrous in the past; it ex-
erts q baleful influence now and is .
full of prophcsics of disaster for the
future. The past is beyond recall,
but the present is ours, and the flu
ture may be averted. This fact of a
"Solid South that is so boastfully .
paraded by partisan press and the
intimidation and fraud and blood |
shed by which it has been secured /
is building up more than Chinese !
wall between Us and the rest of the |
world. Reputation will not attract |
capital. It's strength is in and with |
the Solid South. D." Dragooning
and bulldozing voters will not at
tract to US the emigrants from other