The Columbus journal., 1880-11-10
WHAT SHALL WE DO:
A Question Just Now Receiving
Considerable Attention at
the South.


CHARLESTON, Nov. 4.-The Nescs
and Courier concludes leading ar
ticle on the result as follows: "We
do not for a moment imagine that
the American people wish that any
state should again be ruled by a
Scott, an Ames, or a Bullock. The
truth was that the control that was
necessary, and even indispensable,
in local affairs carried with ii con-
siderable influence in national af-
fairs. With the help of two north
ern states the south could elect the
president and be the master of the
government. We know, or we think
we know, that that power would
have been exercised wisely, but the
conQuerors were not ready to be
ruled, even to their own advantage,
by the conquered-nor would the
south have been, if Grant, instead of
Lee, had surrendered his army fif-
teen wears since. Besides the latent
war feeling, there was the mighty
influence of the bankers, merchants
and shopkeepers, who had no par
ticular objection to the democracy
coming into place, except that 1t in
volved a change of some sort, and
they wished no change of any sort.
Why should they? Business is good,
money is cheap, every department
of trade is flourishing. 1t is true that
the currency lin an unstable condi-
tion, but a cool-headed citizen not
in debt would not expect from a
party which prostituted itself to the
Plaisteds and Delsmatyrs a better
dollar than would be furnished by
Chitenden, Morton and Sherman
and we may add that, with eyes
wide open to all its faults, the white
people north of the Potomac had
come to the conclusion that they had
better prospect of good govern
ment from the republican party than
from the democratic. Whatever the
exact way in which, it came out, it is
hard fact that the government OF
the United States for the next four
years will be republican in speech,
purpose and action. The republican
president will apparently have at
his back a republican congress.
What they will, they can do with
the southern states and their people.
We hope and believe, however, that
the business interests which were
the handspring of Tuesdays work
will be opposed utterly to anything
that would in any way embarrass
the agriculture and manufactures,
the trade and commerce of the south.
1t is to the interests of the north and
west to take this view of the situa-
ton. They will do il whenever and
as soon as the people of the southern
states cease to be possessed by poll
ticianS the would-be autocrats OF
the union that they did their utmost
to destroy. When this spectre OF
southern supremacy is laid, northern
people will be freer to exhibit their
kindly and interested feelings, and
one OF the first questions sonthern
whites will have to ask themselves
is, whether the welfare of the south
has been and is likely to be hindered
or advanced by alliance with the
democratic party of the north.
1t does hurt those gentry to be
beaten. They are sure to have just
and equal governments in their
states in any event. Not so with
the south. In losing politically, the
south loses in pocket and i'm peace OF
mind. Will the south remain on
the losing side, and if so on what
terms and for what purpose?
The southern people, we fancy,
will make themselves heard on this
subject before winter is past.