Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-11-06
THE L SOUTH.
What il Has Accomplished
Against Itself

Vicksburg Herald lind. Dem. paper, Nov. 4.
The democratic party is o~yerwhelm-
inyly defeated. Garfield is elected,
probably by one hundred electoral
votes majority. The republicans have
the house by a good working majority.
MIR. Garfield wa not a strong can
didate, but he is the leader of a dew
ilish strong party. General Hancock
was a strong candidate, but his party
was weak. These are facts, and it be-
hooyes those interested to take them
into serious consideration.
|. What made the republican party so
irresistible?
What made the democratic party so
weak?
The republican party is backed by
a solid north; the democratic party
is backed by a solid south. This ex-
plains the result, but we must look
further to discover how the republi-
can party was able to combine the
north against us. 1t was able to do il
because we combined the south. A
dozen republican districts and three
or four republican states in the south
would have enabled the democratic
party to elect Hancock with all ease.
lie would have carried ten north
ern states. But the solid south
crushed him down as if he were load
ed with lead, while his opponent with
a bad record is elected BY wonderful
odds. The solid south did more. Il
lost Us Ohio, Indiana, New York,
New jersey and every northern dem.
o%cratic state, 1t laid on the shelf
some Of our dearest, truest friends.
Thurman, Mcdonald, Hendricks.
Herman, Wallace, and scores of CON
gressmen who had to walk the plank
for no other reason than that they
were backed by the solid south. How
bitterly all true, patriotic ~southerners
must feel this. How humiliating 10
know that their friendship means DO
@litical death. But while this is so.
we would not overlook our own short
comings. We have allowed our ex.
treme men to have too much influence.
We have shouted for a full vote, a free
ballot and a fair count, while we
have winked at almost any Of
fer to pull this or that candidate
through, We have denounced the
grab game Of the republicans, but at
the same time we have played it pref
ty strong ourselves. We have decried
the use Of supervisors in northern
cities, but We have not kept our own
skirts clean. LIP trying to deceive our
opponents we have deceived ourselves
aud destroyed our friends, the Thur
mans, the McDonalds and the Wal.
laees Of the north. Defeated and hui
inflated we are confronted BY a stall
wart president, backed by a republi-
can house. We must stand firm. face
the situation and meet it like men.
We must not commit the or
rors in the future that our ex.
treme men committed in the past,
When we make platforms we must
! I've uD 20 them We mns. accent the
amendments in good faith, or give the
Boqrbons the reins, and prepare to re-
ceive another dose of reconstruction.
We still have the senate, but we will
not have it long unless wo drive the
fire .oaters Of the south to the rear and
keep them there Even the control Of
our local affairs is endangered by the
criminal blunders of the idiots, who
lely on bulldozing, fraud, hypocrisy
and perjury,
The storm the Herald saw coming
more than a year ago has burst upon us
with terrible force. Let us hope that
it has done its worst, and that the po-
%litical atmosphere will be purer and
better for years In eome