National Republican., 1880-08-13
A SLIP AT COLUMBUS.

The president made very good speech
Mt Columbus on Wednesday. On such an
occasion it is well, perhaps to take cheer.
full view of things, and we will not, there
fore, dispute the general statement that we
are now enjoying to the full the results of
the victory gained in the great conflict
for the union and equal rights" although
there may be few republicans in Missis-
eippi and Alabama and elsewhere who will
be unable to perceive it. We are obliged,
however, to point out an error into which
President HAYES has fallen in regard to
our census returns and the lessons which
they teach. Evidently our good president
has failed to really consult the figures of
the census. He has in common with
ninety'nine bundredths of the people of the
north and west looked only upon the sur
face Of things. He, therefore, is led TO
make the following statement:
1t is easily seen what it is that chiefly at.
tracts this immigration. 1t goes where good
land is cheap; where labor and capital find prof.
liable employment; where peace aud social or
der prevail, and where civil and religious lib
erty are secure. If we draw nearer to the sub
this immigration mainly go, the recent census
whose results we are now getting, gives us tn n
answer: That census shOius US parts of our
country lrhere land is cheap dnd uLere capital and
labor are needed, that are not rapidly Increasing
IN population In these states it will be found
that two things are wauting-the means for
popular education are not sufficiently pro-
vided, and the good order of society is dis.
turbed by practical popular refusal to accept
the results of the war for the union. These
two defects, wherever they prevail in our
American society, are hostile TO tho increase
Of population and to prosperity.
Now if the president will observe and
compare the census figures presented in
THE REPUBLICAN within few days and
these which we present to-day he will see
how much he has been mislcd. He will
find that the greatest relative increase o
population has taken place just in that sec
tion of the country where "the means foi
popular education has been wanting,n anC
where "the good order of society ha
"been disturbed by a refusal to accep
"the results of the war for the union" II,
will learn, doubtless to his astonishment
that South Carolina, which has not received
five hundred immigrants from abroad il
ten years, but which has sent to Texas
Louisiana and Arkansas and the minin,
regions tens of thousands of her most Ell.
terprising sons; which has been drained O
other tens of thousands of her colored pop
ulatiOn by emigration agents from tn,
southwest and by the exodus; which shows
larger percentage Of illiteracy than any
other state in the union; where the shotgun
and the tissue ballot have totally subverteC
government by the people-in such stat
he will learn that the population has in
creased thirty.fve per cent. in ten years
while Wisconsin, in which all these condi
tions have been reversed has gained bu
fourteen per cent; that the two Virginia
have gained thirty-nine per cent, Will
his own Ohio has gained but twenty pc
cent; that North Carolina has advanced il
population at twice the ratio of New York
If the presi dent had taken little pains t
get posted before lie went west, Ii
would have been prevented from alludin
to the cen sus returns in his otherwise ex
cellent speech.