The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1880-08-06
A TRUE STATEMENT.

Every Southern man who has an
honest heart in his body can appreciate
the following article from the Elmira
New Pork Daily Free Press, and every
| intelligent Republican in the North,
East or West will admit its truthful
ness:
Gen. Garfield wants q pledge of good
faith from the South. In what new
and untried shape shall this pledge be
given? AL methods known to the
human mind have been tried over and
over again, but they don't seem to do
any good. A new pledge is called for
with exceeding earnestness with the
beginning of every campaign, and
and words and actions that there has
thus far been no pledge at all. The
South accepted defeat and the abolish
ment of slavery, with all their attend
ing losses. 1t submitted to Legisla-
lures made up in large part OF black
men fresh from the plantation. 1t re-
ceived carpet-baggers as kindly as it
could. 1t bowed to the rule of Con-
gress and to the schemes of Northern
! adventures, official and otherwise.
1t made no cry and attempted no act
looking to a new rebellion. 1t accom-
modated itself to the new situation as
from one end of the section to the
other. 1t gave up its lands to stran-
gers through its own inability to hold
them. 1t stopped talking politics and
went to work. There is no place in
the South where the old flag does not
| wave, and no place where the old flag
of the Confederacy can be seen. What
particular kind of pledge does Gen.
Arthur want? The Northern orator
can go into any Southern city or ham,
let and talk politics with the same
freedom, safety and volubility that he
can here. In the same breath outrages
on the blacks are talked of it is alleged
that various of the Southern States
will go for Garfield by virtue of the
negro vote. Thousands of black men
who came North to try the generosity
of that section have gone home-'all
they want is to git dar,' as one illus
trious exoduster expresses it. The
Democratic portion of the South &C.
cepts as it's candidate for President a
Union General, and one who did as
much to destroy the Confederacy as
Gen. Grant himself. 1t has no candi-
date for that position except u man OF
the North. 1t has no ksvors to ask
and no candidate to present. 1t re-
joices in the nomination of the party
and will give him hearty support,
forgetting that there was Il Southern
Confederacy and that this man helped
in the work of its destruction. What
possible shape can this pledge OF good
faith take which it has not already
taken and which has not already been
repeatedly vindicated? Gen. Grant
says from actual knowledge that the
conduct aud the condition of the South
are all that can be desired, so says
every man who goes South and sees
for himself. Gen. Arthur must be
aware from these facts that he is speak
ing in riddles. Of course he is not
using high sounding terms merely be-
cause somebody else has used them.
and he is not adopting them recklessly
or with the purpose of deceiving; but
what does he mean? How is this
pledge of good faith to be given
What particular condition of things
does he object to excepting the fact that
the Democratic party of the South is
not the Republican party of that local
ity,'