Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-05-20
NEWSPAPER OPINION.
The South and Curtin.
From the Philadelphia Times.

The South has ever been most unfor
tunate in being compelled TO accept
the responsibility for the few mad caps
who lose no opportunity TO teach the
world that they have learned nothing
and forgotten nothing since the late
war. They are popularity classed in the
North as the Confederate Brigadiers,
not because they have been distinguish
ed as soldiers, but because they reflect
the lingering embers of the rebellion in
the South. True, there are quite as
many and probably more fools and
revolutionists representing the North
than misrepresent the South in Con
gress; but their follies do little harm,
while on many occasions the foolish
utterance or act of a single Southern
Senator or Representative has furnished
more inhammable material for the Re.
publcans in Northern campaign than
hundreds of truly representative men
of the South could neutralize.
A combination of the lower stata of
Southern Representatives was secretly
mittee remanding the Curtin Yocum
contest back 10 the people of the dis.
trict. That it was animated by the
lingering hatreds of the rebellion, is
too clear TO admit doubt; but that it
reflected the sentiment of the Southern
statesmen or of the Southern people, is
as clearly not the fact. Mr.. Lowe, of
Alabama, who never rose to the distinc.
ton of Confederate Brigader, and
who is an active, plausible, unscrupu.
lous politician afflicted with the Green.
back craze, was the chief instrument in
organizing the Southern resentment
against Curtin, exhibited in the vote on
| Tuesday last. Chalmers, of Mississippi,
OF Fort Pillow unsavory fame, was the.
only one of the Southern conspirators
who could be ranked as Brigadier,
and he will never forgive the North
| for the stains he put upon his own
military record. With them were such
as Bright, Caldwell, Singleton, FELTON,,
Mills and Richmond, whose emf.
nence as warriors was limited to regi.
mental and company commands, while
such soldiers from the South as John
ston, Herbert, Armfeld, Manning, Shell.
| ley, Forney, Davidson, Hill, Cook,
| Black burn, Shear, Gibson, Scales, Vance
and O'Conner, and Reagan of the Con
| federate Cabinet, resented the demand
tin. They were the representatives OF
the South in war; they are the repre-.
| sentatives of Southern sentiment in
peace, and the hatreds of war, com.
monty classed as the disloyal eruptions
Of the Confederate Brigadiers, come
from those who were petty soldiers in
the field and are petty statesmen, with
all the petty malignity OF petty men in
the councils OF the nation.
No matter by what title the actors
shall be designated, the facts remain
that the Southern detection TO prevent
the people of the district from electing
Curtin to the present Congress, was in
spired by Southern resentment against
a conspicuously loyal man of the North,
and that it came only from those who
are least respected as oracles OF the
South either in Congress or at home.
IL is deliberate conspiracy, planned
and perfected in secret, confined to the
few blatant worshipers of the planta
ton whip, and made up of the same
elements in Congress which are ever
disturbing the peace and shaming the
South at home. Had their purpose
been mapfnlly avowed one day before
the vote was taken, they would have
driven a.msiority of the Republicans to
give a cordial assent to the report of
the committee; but they oonsummated
the conspiracy only the night before
the vote-and its animating purpose
and power were unknown until after
the vote was cast. Had the represent.
alive men of the South anticipated such
q combination OF half a score of their
fellow members, they would have man.
fully and eloquently appealed to all
parties in the House to Join them in
relieving their people from so unjust an
imputation, and the response would
have been an overwhelming defeat Of
the traders in sectional strife. With
such an issue presented to the House
as leading Southern warriors and states.
men would have presented it, the vote
wonld have exhibited the line drawn
between the sectional factionists of both
North and South, and the great body Of
Republicans and Democrats would have
been in solid column against sacrificing
justice to purposes which have perished
with all patriotic citizens. The one
consistent leader OF the Southern bolt
against the report of the committee was
Mr.. Stephens, the late Vice President OF
the Confederacy. lie trimmed against
secession till secession came, he &C.
cepted the second Office of the insur.
gent government and trimmed against
it and the war until both failed he has
trimmed around all sides of all parties
since reconstruction. and he is now
trimming for the next revolution in
Georgia, and will welcome the coming
guest at the White House whether his
name shall be Grant, Tilden, Blaine or
Bayard.
The sectionalists of the North have
everything to gain by the follies of the
sectionalists of the South and like fol-
lies by Northern men are unfelt and
forgotten while every exhibition of sec.
tional hate by Southern men, however
obscure or characterless the source, Is
heTalded rs the act Of the South. The |
same Republican aectiona alists who cias,