The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-11-12
should the South Remain Solid.
Nav Nnrlr LVnrId


Since the election number of our rspub-
llcan contemp jrarie' hava beo1 laboring to
persuade the southern people that the inter
ests of the south lie in division, aud not in
unity. To state this proposition seems to be
almost enough to raiu,e il. L. is truo that a
sectional division of parties is most unfortu
nate for the country, and that every effort
ought to BIO made to avoid such u division.
But If the stronger section is "solid" against
the weaker, tho weaker simply has no choice
Inc soiid nth Is u formidable element in
politics. A divided south would be weak in
proportion to the extent of the division. and
the DreaS-up OF tho south cannot possibly
come about except by the substitution of
otner issues Tor the sectional issue upon which
the republicans have made their canvass. 1t is
not sufficiently borne In mind, even by DIS
putants VINO mean to DO quite fair in dis =
cusslhg the interests of tho south, that the
opposition OF southern communities TO re-.
publican rule is in great part matter of
self'preservation. In states like Mississippi.
Louisiana and South Carolina, republca n
state governments means simply a govern.
ment OF thieves. 1t is sir ply not possible
that any respectable and industrious person.
who only asks of government that it shall
protect him in his lawful business and secure
to him tho fruits of his labor, should be a
republican in state politics. If the case is
not SO bad in other southern states, the res
son simply is that in those states there ia no
danger OF tho republicans getting control of
tho state governments. For this state of
things the republican party is responsible.
since the attempt of the republican party tn
reconstruct the state governments of tho
southern states brought it about. If tho
ground which General Hancock took nj Nav
Orleans had been taken by congress, and tina
local law, except that part of 1t which no.
lated TO slavery, had been left to DO admin.
istereu oy the local courts, it would have
oeeh possible Tor the southern people to sep
Ara'e ssS!e pol'llcs and national politics, AID
0supporIa protectIonist or n free trader,
2 strlc. constructionst or an advocate of
noerh internal improvements, a federalist or
democrat without helping to hand over
the government OF his own state to gang of
criminals. But congress, and not the south,
chose to make the interests of the republican
party In the south Identical with the inter.
ests OF Chamberlain and Moses and kellogg
ana Madison Wells, and TO make it impossl.
Ole Tor any respectable and representative
southern man to belong to the republican par
": MT. Hayes administration has done some
thing to amend this state of things. Tne
southern states have been left free 10 order
their domestic affairs in their own way, and
tne result has been state governments i'm
mIeasurably cleaner and more respectable
than the state governments which they sue.
ceeded, But there is no reason to suppose
that II these governments fell again into tho
hands OF southern republicans they would
not DO as dangerous and as disgraceful as
they were before. Every man in one of the
plundered southern states who should assist
IN bringing back the scoundrels of the period
OIL reconstruction would be looked upon as A
public enemy. He would be nuhlic
enemy, and so long as this danger exists, SO
long as the cause of the carpet. bagpers i
the cause ofthe republican party ia the south,
so long It Is quite certain that tho south can.
not. will not, and ought not, 10 cease 10 he
solid against the republican party.