Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-09-30


it solid against the Union 7 Every act Of
every Southern State since the war repels
such all unjust imputation. Is it solid in any
proper sense of the word ? The large Repub-
lican vote cast in the Southern States proves
that it is not What justice, then, is there in
this cry, the sole object Of which is to array
one portion Of our common country against
another, to arouse passions evoked by unhap-
by civil strife, and to reawaken aninOsities
. which every patriot desires to see buried for
ever What would be said if the South
should raise her voice in angry protest because
the New England States have been so solidly
Republican until Maine has broken the ranks?
With as much justice might we of the South
complain of the former solidity of the Pacific
slope, or that of the great Northwest, as that
we should be denounced because we cling to
the faith of our fathers and support the Demo
| cratic nominees.
But admitting for the sake of argument
that the South is solid, and that this is an
abnormal and unfortunate condition Of affair,
why did not our Republican friends, who al
feet NOW to see such danger in this soliditv,
point out and protest against the danger
when the South was absolutely solid for tie
Republican party? If the danger to the couls-
try, and the only danger that threatens it,
lies in the solidity of that particular portion
Of it, we surely must have been in great peril
when under the reconstruction Acts, admin
istered by carpet-bag adventures, the South
presented solid phalanx of Radical bummers
and thieves as her contribution to the wis.,
dom, the craftsmanship and the patictism Of
the country. No Republican orator among
those who are telling the people that the solid
ity of the South means war, pestilence and
famine, the overthrow of our institutions, the
abrogation Of the Constitution, and worse
than all other evils, the defeat Of Garfield,
then warned his unsuspecting countrymen OF
the imminent danger threatening them. No
stalwart organ called then upon the loyal
North to avert this peril by becoming solidly
Democratic, because the South was solidy
Republican. Then everything was serene in
the Republican camp, and all went merry as
: marriage bell. Every office-holder was
Republican, and the country was necessarily
not only safe, but prosperous. Gigantic mo-
nopolies appropriated the public domain lob
byists drove an unblushing and prosperous
trade on the very floors of Congress whisky
rings defrauded the government of Millions
while the chiefs Of these rings hobnobbed with
t high officials, and Black Fridays, DeGolyer
pavements and Credit Mobilers brought out
in strong light the incorruptible honesty Of
our rulers and our would-be rulers. Thank
God, in these disgraceful scandals, which
I makes every honest citizen blush for shame,
the Democratic South had no share. But
this depression, induced by my admiration Of
the consistency of that great party which
E claims all the intelligence, all the virtue and
all tine patriotism of the country, has led ME
from my theme
Is it unnatural that those in the South who
, have always been citizens, except when dis
franchised by the Republican party, Should
now be Democrats2 The answer is to he
found by reverting to the history Of parties in
/, this country In the convention which framed
our present Constitution, the line which still
separates the two parties was sharply drawn.
On the one side were the advocates of strong
government-the rallying cry Of the Republi-
who urged the establishment of a government
of the people, for the people, and by the peo-
pie. Party names have changed since those
: days, but the great antagonistie principles
which struggled Tor supremacy then still live in
the Republican and Democratic parties. The
former party still ''gravitates,' - to use phrase
, of it's Presidential nominee-towards strong
government-towards Capitalization while
the latter advocates the ancient Democratic
doctrine, strict construction of the Consti-
tuition, conceding to the general government
all its legitimate powers, while securing to the
several States all powers not delegated by them
to the general and common government. In the
J long contest between these antagonistic and
contending principles, the South has been stead
ily and almost invariably found to be on the
side Of the Democracy. Her vote in the Pres
! idential contests has more than once been cast
f against her own honored sons because they
were not Democrats, and she has cordially
supported Northern men because they were
All the political training of her people, all her
traditions, all Their instincts and all their in
terests, led them TO be Democrats. They were
such by inheritance In the old division OF
parties into Wing and Democrat, minority
3 of the Southern people, strong by virtue OF
their intelligence their zeal and their patriot
ism, was found in the ranks Of the former
But when the Whig party ofthe North became
merged into the Free-Soil party, when section
I alism unhappily took the place Of politics, the
Wings of the South were forced by the instinct
of self.preservation to enroll themselves in the
+ Democratic party. The south was thus again
made solid for Democracy by that fell spirit of
sectionalism which has brought such unutera-
BILE sorrow upon our country, and which II
not effectually rebuked, will bring still further
misery and ruin. When the war came, all
6 party lines were forgotten in the South as
in the North. Whig and Democrat, Union
? men and Secessionists, were all alike drawn
into the vast whirlpool, and again was the
l South forced into soldity for self-protection.
| I am simply expressing historical facts; not
, expressing any opinion on them, but leaving
CQclT ulSCuSSlOu W Iilc pullUooPAiS oeuuCAAU Va
history.
i Following the order of events, what was the
condition Of political opinion in the South
when the war was ended? It is undeIiable
, that there then was great soreness felt by
the Southern people towards the Northern
, Democrats. We had seen them fighting for
the preservation of the Union as earnestly
!, and as steadfastly as the Republicans We
had seen them offering their treasures and
! their lives as freely as those who had been
|, their most bitter enemies and there was at
} that time but little disposition among the
Southern people to renew old party ties. 1t ls
; a very significant fact confrmatory OF this
| view, that in nearly every Southern State at
the first election of members of Congress held
after the war, pronounced Union men or Old
Line Wings were elected as Representatives.
My own State furnishes striking 1llustra-
tiOn of this fact. There the distinguished and
venerable B. F. Perry, who had opposed seces-
sion to the last and who has always been re-
cognized as Union man, was elected to Con-
gress, and James L. Orr, another strong op-
ponent to secession, was chosen by the people
Governor of tho State. This action on the
part Of the Southern people certainly did rot
manifest spirit of stubborn or malignant p
position to the inevitable consequences VI q
feat It rather showed disposition on their
part to accept in good faith all those colse-
quences, and an honest and honorable effort
to conciliate those who had fought success
fully to preserve the Union. This effort SIN
cere and patriotic as I firmly believe it to have
been, was destined to fail, and it's failure was
due solely to the Republican party. This
party had absolute control Of the government
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