New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-25
UUfr THE SOrTH NEEDS.


UHfT THE SOUTH NEEDS.
1t is not possible to consider the lat" mani
fcstations of passionate feeling at the South,
which the speech of Mr. Frye has elected,
without profound pity. There Is 50 muck oi
the spoiled child about these people. they seem
50 incapable of compromising their own best
interests or their duties toward others, and
they fy into such childish fury of impotcnt
rage when mwclcomc truth about their dopgs
is told. that their most patient and hopeful
friends cannot be blamed if they almost de
SPAR of seeing any good come ont oi this
generation. And yet Stagnaton at the south
is not what any rational man Of either party
desires.
II j. very hard 10 make the white Democrat
of the South understand that the alternative
il and must be stagnatiou or political free
dom. Neither immigration nor skilled labor.
neither capital nor enterprise, can b" drawn
to the South until there i, truc free
dom in that region. This j, no ncw ;hiug
TO say. Kind and plying hearts have urged
Southern men 10 realize il year after year.
ever since the war. There has always been
some excuse for failure tn arrest tho>r acts
of violence and shame Ia which Democratic
managers have repeatedly rc>oricd. NJ first,
Ia resist reconstruction aud disirlmh-r-
ment Of leading men then to rr-is, negro sui-
fragr; then TO break down carpctbag his
rule: then to cast off negro domination then
IN resist Federal interference with tIUcps and
at every stage it was said that, the immediate
end attained. there would he no more
liberation of the Infamous crimes which
Democracy has been pleased to style
extreme measures Of srlf-dcfcncc' The
last decent excuse vanished when President
HAYES removed the troops, and left the B0ur
bons To seize every Southern state Govern
mcnt. Yet, with or without eHcuse, the resort
to fraud and force continues. Cheap men and
cheap newspapers lie about ii ~ long a. they
can. rs is natural. In the end Southern
leaders ace that il is OF no use, and then, like
Wade Hampton, they admit that frauds ard
crimes were pcrpctrtcd, Int soemuly promise
that the like shall bc perPctated no more. Yet
the crimes do not stop.
Talk with reasonable men from the South,
and particularly with business men or property
owncrs, and they appeal to the deepest sym
pathes by their wisiful, longing, pitliul prayer
for immigration, influx Of capital, enlistment Of
enterprise for tho development of resources.
! Yet these same gentlemen repeat 10 each other
| and to the world the most wantOn aud base
| less falschoOds about any Northern man who.
having taken his energy and capital Ia the
South. is not willing to leave his minhood
behind. # hc darcs to have al opinion that Is
not dictated to him 10y the coarSc and GREEDY ty-
rants who rule public opinion, instantly persons
who wish to be Thought honorable and truthful
will begin to repeat the basISt untruths about
him II he dares to back mp speech 10y action.
and tries to win votes to his opinion, lhs life
and property are no longer safe; they are at
the mercy Of any drunken loafcr who MAY
please ~ fire his buildings or to pick q quar-
rel with him. Descent and sclf-nspcctiug
workingmcn are treated beings Of a lower
class by creatures whose highest occupation il
To get drunk and break the laws. This sort
of treatment is neither stopped nor punished.
nor is the slightest effort made To punish it.
The reason is that the rowdics and the lolfcrs
and the law breakers control the elections,
and officials do not dare to restrain them.
Until the South is willing to have honest
elections and perfect freedom. and officials
chosen thereby, barbarian will still prevail,
laws will not lie enforced. life and property
will not Ike secure, and the South will not be-
a good place for anybody to 20 to who is not
willing TO leave his manhood behind Yet the
very people at the South who are most anx-
ious for the upbuildng and regeneration Of
that country, when they hear plain truths like
these, fly into n rage, aud tell the world that
such "abuser will make the South solid
for years to come. They passionatcly
threaten TO damage themselves infinitely
more than they can harm anybody else,
because the simple truth is spoken about
the state of society which they have most
foolishly tolerated. 1t is the business Of the
substantial, property owning, business men Of
the South to put an end TO that state Of 30
ciety TO restore order, law, freedom aud
honesty of elections. Until they do, they have
no business to find fault because they are held
responsible for crimes which they have the
power to prevent The longer they keep
the South in a state Of barbarism, the longer
they will look in vain for the fruits of freedom
and civilization.