The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-01-29
construction. It looks like q political

\ LSSOA0UAnO oAOAs IL lOOAS 1lh6 u DOHlElCal
triumph for the South, but it is not.
The Southern people have nothing to
dread more than the political triumph
OF the men who led them into secession.
That triumph was fatal to them in
1860. 1t would be no less now. The
trouble about military rule in the South
was that our people did not ikeit It was
not in accordance with our institutions.
am clear now that it would have been
better for the North to have postponed
suffrage, reconstruction, State Govern
ments for ten years, and held the South
in Territorial condition. It was due to
the North that the men who had made
war upon us should be powerless in 8
political sense forever. It would have
avoided the scandal of the State Coy
ernments, saved money, and enabled
the Northern merchants, farmers and
the laborlng men to reorganize society in
| South. But we have made our scheme,
and must do what we can with it. Suf-
frage once given can never be taken
| away, and all that remains for us now
is to make good that gift by protecting
| those who have received it.
"And yet" said the General, "if the
Southern people would only put aside
the madness OF their leaders, they would
see that they are richer now than before
the war. We hear constant wall from
the oppressed South, but the wall comes
only from politicians. The South is
richer now than before the war. There
has been fall in the value of lands,
but the whole country has felt that. l
do not count the value of the slaves,
although l would not be surprised if
the figures showed that the Southern
people had earned more than the value
of the slaves they lost. Money is not
held in as few hands as before the war,
but the people, per capita, are richer.
And that, after all, is what we want to
see in republic. Take cotton alone.
Before the war crop of 100000 or
100000 bales at cents pound was
an immense result. Now we have crops
OF 100000 of bales at 10 cents pound.
What commentary that is upon the
old story that the negro could only work
under the lash! Before the war the
North sent the South pork, corn, iron,
cloth; now the Southerners blast their
own iron, raise their own pork, and
make their own cloth. Many of these
things they learned to do during the
war, and now they feel the advantage
of that stern education. Mr.. Gladstone,
in his remarkable article on Kin Be-
yond the Sea- spoke with wonder of the
recuperative powers of the country.
What gould hn coil - H.
known the full statistics? Before the
war the South sent it's cotton to the
North and to England. Now there
are mills fourishing in the South,
flourishing even under the depression
which affects the cotton industry in tn
North. When I talk with New En-
gland cotton-spinners they tell me of
hard times and closing mills. When I
talk with Gen. Toombs, of Georgia, he
tells me that his money invested in the
cotton-mills in the South returns him
25 per cent. All of this is natural, be-
cause labor is cheap in the South, the
cotton grows there, and there is an un-
limited supply of water-power. The
growth of this cotton industry i'll the
South must have an important effect on
the commerce of the world. So with
iron. The South is doing splendidly
with iron, and would not be surprised
to see it compete with the established
industries in the older States. In rice
and sugar do not see any advance up
on what was done before the war. But
these crops are as large, I think, as
before. In this you see the success OF
the negro as laborer. He has steadily
worked during all this time of excite
ment. While his old masters have
been declaiming on their misfortunes,
their ruin, their oppression, he has
given the South material prosperity
that it never knew before the war.
What comment you find in these
facts upon the cant of the demagogues
who keep the South in an endless broil
over its miseries, bringing disgrace up
on our country by reputation schemes,
while all the time it grows richer and
richer. Since the war all this profit
has been income, for during this time
the people have not paid their State or
local debts, and that has been to their
gain. This is only temporary, however.
In the end it will be great loss. There
is nothing that costs SO much in the
end as reputation.
"The most troublesome men in pub
lie life" said the General, "are those
over-righteous people who see no
motives in other peoples actions but
evil motives, who believe all public
life is corrupt, and nothing is well done
unless they do it themselves. They
are narrow-headed men, their two eyes
so close together that they can look out
of the same gimlet-hole without wink
ing"
COLLAPSE OF THE MAINE INTAMY.