Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-05
The South and Politics.

The Boston Advertiser does US the
honor to commend our advice to the
Southern farmer to make the cultivation
of his crops and the advancement of his
material interests the first object of his
solicitude, and give topolltics the second
place In his consideration. 1t does. how
ever, not agree with the reasons which
we urge for this advice, viz: because
the North is in sentiment hostile to the
South, and will never regard her with
any other feeling than as a section emit
tied to ne rights IN the Union until she
has, by availing herself of her immense
natural advantages, accumulated wealth,
and so be in position to command re-
spect. 1t thinks that if Southern
Democrats would give themselves up to
politics little less than they do they
would find that their power to accom-
plish objects of real importance would
be thereby increased" but that ''in truth
there is no hate by either section towards
the other"
Perhaps our Boston contemporary is
right Assuredly we hope so, for sec
tional luminosity is most grievously to be
deplored, and can be productive OF
nothing but evil. To a certain extent,
all sections of this great country are
mutually dependent, and what affects
one iniuriouslY must more or less also
be felt to the disadvantage of the rest.
Still actions speak louder than words,
and we must judge of Northern senti-
ment towards us by what we see done by
Northern representatives in Congress.
In that body the. favorite pastime of the
Republican politician is to misrepresent,
maign and legislate, as far as he
can, against US The world is told
from the halls of the Federal Legislature
that we are semi-barbarous people,
having no regard for life, liberty or the
rights of property, and that in this
section the main object in life is to
Cypress and defraud the colored race of
its political privileges. Nor are these
misrepresentation confined to Congress
alone. On the stump and through the
press they are reiterated year by year,
for the sole purpose of exciting against
us the people of the North, so that they
may vote against the ''solid Democratic
South" while immigrants are deliDer-
ately, and with malice aforethought,
warned against taking up their abode in
our midst, lest we should become so
strong numerically as to be able to con-
troll the political destinies of the country.
We think that our Boston contemporary
cannot, and will not, deny these facts,
and this is why we advise the Southern
people to devote just sufficient attention
to politics to insure their protection,
and bend their energies mainly to &C
cumulating wealth. While the South
is comparatively poor, this spirit of an
tagonism will continue to manifest itself,
and she will always be placed in the
background. In the enjoyment of the
wealth which is hers by nature though,
she will undoubtedly command power
and respect, and then only will her ancient
prestige be established. AS the Ad0er-
tiser truly says, such a condition of
things would bring the most intelligent
and influential people of the South and
North nearer together than they are
now, to the manifest advantage of both.
We therefore repeat our advice to the
Southern people to eschew politics as
much as may be, and work for the ma
terial development of the interests of
their section and themselves.