The Portland daily press., 1880-09-24
The Real Issue.
Points in Senator Cookling's Speech.

The speech of Senator Conkling, delivered
at the New York Academy of Music
embodied the strongest presentation yet
made of the argument against surrenderng the
political supremacy in the nation to the Solid
South. twas temperate in tone and wholly
free from vituperation. and was ornamented
with the elaborate rhetorical finish so charac-
teristic of the orator. After an exordium elo-
quently describing the share of the citizen in
the work Of governing republic and shaping
its policy, Mr.. Conkling said of the Sc ctional
issues presented in this campaign in such una
voidable shape by the Democratic attitude:
Yet he who discusses them must be told in
the coarse parlance of the day that he waves
''the bloody shirt" 1t is relief to remember
that this phrase and the thing it means is no
invention of our politics. 1t dates back to Scot
land three centuries ago. After massacre in
Glenfruin not so savage as has stained our an
nails, 200 widows rode on white palfreys to
Sterling towers bearing each on a spear her
husbands bloody shirt. The appeal walked
Scotand's slumbering sword, and outlawry
and the Ock made the name of Glenfrun ter
rible to victorious Clan Alp.:se even to the
third and fourth generation. 1 am not going
to recite horrors, nor to allude to them, nor to
the chapter of cruelty they fill; nor to retry
the issues of the war. My purpose is quite dif-
ferent. 1t is to show, if can, what is actual
ly at stake now, who and what the contending
forces are, how much the result may mean,
and which way prudence and wisdom point.
Then he took as his text Gen. Grants state
ment lin his letter to Gen. Arthur) that ''the
Democratic party as now constituted and con-
trolled, is not fit party to trust with the con-
troll of the general government" and sketch ed
in striking outline the facts showing the pres
ent complete control of-the Democratic organ
ization by its Southern wing, and the great in
feriority of the South to the North in industri-
al and commercial capacity He then said
with unanswerable force:
By analysis and average we see that produc-
ton. industry, commerce, capital and revenue
are found 1-14th in one section of the country,
and 13-14ths in the other sections. These are
hard, stubborn facts. They are not recited
with pleasure-far from it. They are recited
with deep regret, yet their recital will be de-
nounced as evincing spirit of exultation, of
hostile, individual criticism. 1t will be said
the South was taunted with her poverty. All
this will be untruly, unjustly said As an
American, profoundly do l deplore the Ian
guor, the misfortunes, and the wasted oppor-
tunities of any and every portion of our land
The ruinous course of affairs in the South
comes home to every citizen of this great State
whose interests ard whose grandeur are SO
dear to me. New York and her people, from
love OF self and love OF gain, saying moth
ing of other reasons, earnestly long that the
South may be peaceful and prosperous, and
| able to pay her taxes and bear her share of the
| public burdens? From the wheat fields of Min
nesota TO the pastures of Texss there is not an
| acre whose fertility does not benefit New York
| nor could she profit by the misfortunes or poy-
| erty OF a hamlet in all our borders
| 1t is not needed to the argument at this mo-
ment even to relate the causes of the mildew
and sterlity of the South, sunny fertile.
and blessed by nature, as she is. Were |
| speaking to Southern men, with hope that
| they would listen, it would be well indeed to
beg them to reflect upon these causes. When
| the war was over, had there been hearty,
manly acceptance of the most generous mag
| unanimous terms the world ever saw accorded
| by victors in any case-not in any like case,
because there is none like it in history ;had poll
tics and thirst for power played less part, vast
| ed less time and done less wrong: had indus
| try, enterprise, thrift and humanity ruled the
| hour; had there been more mending and build
| ing, and planting and sowing; had there been
| less ostracism and hate to repel Northern capi-