Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-13
THE CRY OF asEcr1oNAL1su.n


Gcans are animated by spirit of section
alism, and that they are filed with ma.
Lightly towards the South. A recent
article in Hqyper's Weekiy deals with this
complaint very forcibly. It asks: "Who
"fosters sectional feeling? What section
''of the country is now, and for half a
century has been, sectional, and why :?
"Has any party or school of politicians
" ever spoken or thought of the North
"as country or separate community
opposed in interest to the Union, and
"why? Is not the appeal of Southern
Democrats always local and sectional ?
"Did not the war prove this deeply
rooted sectionalism, and has anything
since the war shown that it was in the
''least degree removed? Is there any
thing in such sectionalism, or IN the
political character. theories and tradl-
&c tions Of that section, which makes 1t
probable that its absolute control OF the
Government would be wiser, Juster,
"more national, more economical and
progressive, than the present control!
g And why is it waving the bloody shirt
'' to ask these questions, or to place these
facts before the country Is there any
q doubt that the Southern Democratic
leaders controlled their party before the
''war, and that they have controlled it
since? Is there any question that DEM
.'ocratic success and the election of Cen
d" eral Hancock are impossible except by
solid Southern electoral vote, and that
20 that vote can be made solid only by
% violence and fraud ?" No Democrat can
answer these questions truthfully without
exposing the falsity and insincarity of the
cry Of sectionalism. The fact is that this
cry amounts to complaint against the
Republicans because they are not willing
to accept Southern domination brought
about by force and fraud. There never
would have been any sectional feeling in
this campaign had not the Democracy
invented the "solid South" And what
does the solid Suuth mean? 1t means
that fourteen States of the Union are to
be taken out from under republican
government; that majority rule in
those States is to be put down that
the free expression of the popular will
there is to be suppressed; that the min
ority is to seize the ballot-box and forge
false election returns; and that by these
methods the Electoral votes of these States
are to be secured for Hancock. And be-
cause the people OF the rest of the country
protest against, and resist and denounce
this deliberate attack upon the very found
ations of free government, they are accused
by the Democrats of sectionalism," of
90 hating the South, and of waving the
% bloody shirt. The question at issue is
not question of locality beyond what the
South has made it. A similar programme,
applied to any other part of the country,
would be equally Objectionable. If the
Northern Democrats, or the Northern Re-
publican leaders, were to attempt to make
a solid North upon the Southern principles.
the ground for opposition would be just
the same, and all who believe in free gov
eminent would be found arrayed against
the scheme. When Garcelon attempted TO
steal Maine after the Southern plan, the
voice of the people was raised against his
Infamous plot as loudly as it is now raised
against the solid South but certainly
there was no room for sectionalism in that
case. It is because the South has identi.
fed itself with this Mexican policy that
1t has exposed itself to denunciation. Let
ii return to the principles of republican
government, and it will find that it has no
more reason to complain of +" sectionalism.
The fact stated by Hcrper's Weekly, that
the vote of the South can be made solid
{" only by violence and fraud is the key
to the whole situation. 1t is fact which
cannot be denied. 1t is notorious that the
solidlty of the South is neither more nor less
than the unanimity born of terrorism.
They have made a solitude and called it
Peace. They have suppressed the Repub-
hcan vote by force and fraud, and then
they boast of their 'solidity," and accuse
all who protest against their methods of
fostering sectional hatred" No doubt it
would be much pleasanter for the Democ-
racy II the Republicans would calmly ac-
quiesce in their arrangements, and make
believe TO regard the present contest as a
normal conflict of opinions only. But this
is out of the question. The Republicans
see that the ballot has been enslaved at
the South. They see that the whole Dem
ocratic campaign turns upon the successful
suppression of the Southern Republican
vote. They realize that contest under
such conditions is not an equitable one,
and that if the Democratic programme sue
ceeds it will sound the death. knell Of free
government in the United States. It is
ridiculous to suppose that thinking men
can remain silent under such condition Of
things. If they did SO they would deserve
to become the thralls of Southern usur-
patton. They must speak, they must
protest, they must resist to the bitter
end, and they cannot cease from this
fight until they have won it, save at
the sacrifice OF al. that is worth pre-
serving What the Republican party
demands and insists upon is that every
man in the country shall be free to vote as
he pleaseg, and to have his vote counted as
he cast it. Is that sectional ? Is there any
other condition by which republican govern
ment can be maintained? Is it possible to
submit to minority government, enforced by
terrorism and fraud: These questions
must be answered by the Democrats, or
they must abandon their preposterous cry
of sectionalism. The truth is that the
! foundations of all free institutions are de-
liberately assailed by the methods which
have been adopted to make the South
solid 1t is impossible, as the case stands,
1 that General Hancock can be fairly