Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-17
The News and the Norwood Move
ment.


One or two Of our State exchanges
have seen ct to take exception at para
graph in an article which appeared in
these columns a few days ago, in which
we stated that if the Norwood move.
ment of year ago could not succeed,
there was little hope for malcon,ent
movement this year, when the DemOcra-
cy of the State is united, and will pre-
sent q solid front to an independent
foe 1t is claimed by these super SEN
sitive journals that, in making this
statement, we insinusted that the friends
of Mr.. Norwood had countenanced an
Independent move similar to that of
Malone in Virginia, and that this was
unjust, inasmuch as Mr. Norwood was
supported by many of the stauuch-
est Democrats. in the State. and that
to allude to them as Independents
only has tendency to reopen old sores
which had better be permitted to heal.
We cannot see how, by any contortion
Of ideas, such a construction could pos
sibly beplaced upon the paragraph allud-
ed to. In that paragraph we distinctly
spoke of Mr.. Norwood as Democrat, an
ex-DemOcratic United States Senator, and
a gentleman whose ability could not be
questioned We alsO stated explicitly that
he was supported by sore Of the
master minds of the State, and the only
idea we intended to convey-and are IN
der the impression we very plainly did
cOnvey-was that if a movement of such
responsibility could not gain the ap-
prevail of the people of Georgia, no such
mongrel movement as is at present
contemplated would stand the least
chance of success.
But the great point of offense to our
sensitive contemporaries is that they do
not like the idea of Mr.. Norwood's cam
paign beng alluded to even in the most
distant terms as Independent" We
know full well that, lnasmuch as no regu-
lar Democratic nomination was literally
made at that time, such a term cannot
altogether be properly applied. Still
it must be admitted that, under the
circumstances-when it was shown
so overwhelmingly that it was the will
of nearly the whole Democracy of GeOr-
gia that Governor Colquitt should be
nominated, and that he only required
about half dozen votes to secure two
thirds Of the entire nominating conven-
tiOn-such a designation of the Norwood
movement is not altogether inappropri-
ate. 1t would have been different had
Mr.. Norwood and his party divided the
convention into anything like equal
parts, and certain it is that the move
ment was regarded by the Democracy
outside the State, without exception, as,
at least, factious opposition to the will
Of the Democratic party of Georgia.
Nothing, however, can be further
from our mind than the desire to reopen
old sores. We regretted at the time
what we regarded as a most unfortunate
and deplorable division in Democratic
ranks, and hope never again to witness
a similar condition of affairs. The party
is now reunited, and we hope it may ever
continue to remain solid" So united,
it viii prove invincible against
any mongrel Republican coalition which
can be formed against it. Divided,
however, not only will its individual
interests be jeopardized, but the State
will be exposed 10 the grave danger Of
being once more subjected to the horrors
and. cOrruptions of Radical rule.