Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-28
Politics and the south.

III Is one OF lQe uOst ldNOIdDlC elgno VI
the times that the Southern people are
devoting themselves with assiduity to
the cultivation of their farms, aud to the
advancement of their material interests,
to the neglect of politics. This is in the |
highest degree sensible. Experience has
time and again shown that. the people OF |
the North care nothing about the South |
except so far as she can be used towards
keeping in power one or the other of the
great political parties Of the country.
The Republicans openly confess this,
and prove it daily by their falsehOOds
about this section, and their cool in
difference to our welfare The Democ-
racy profess friendship for US, and we
are bound TO admit do show desire, as
a general rule, to guard and protect our
interests IN common with the interests of
every other section of the Union, and
this is the reason in main why the South
is Democratic. Still at the last Presi
Dental election it was due solely to the
course of sO-called Democrats of New
Yolk-Boss Kelly, of New York city,
and Boss Mclaughlin, OF Brooklyn
that the country was again turned over
for another four years to the tender mer-
cies of Radicalism, regardless of the
well known fact that our section is the
special object of the hate and malignity
of the Radical party. Most emphatically
m that occasion was the South sOrely
wounded in the house of her friends.
1t is evident, therefore, that while the
! South remains in poverty as compared
with the North-to which the war was
blessing as great as it was most serious
disaster TO the South-she can hope for
nothing IN the political world beyond
beng a newer of wood or drawer of
water. In cases where her interest hap
pens to be identical with those of the
North, such as the improvement of the
Mississippi river, for instance. she will
receive some consideration. Whenever,
tuOuRus TIC NOIJu Cdn NCAANC LII OChCAb
from any measure in which the South is
interested, it may be accepted as Ger
tlinty that such measure will be treated
with no respect. But let the South once
accumulate wealth, let her people once
more become prosperous, and all this
will be changed. Then, as in the days
before the war, will our section COM
mand the homage of the wealth wOr-
Shipping country; rand then, and then
only, will she become truly Independent,
aud her ancient political prestige be re-
stored.
We therefore heartily reiterate the ad-
vice we have already more than once
given to the Southern people. Let them
pay sufficient attention to national poll
tics to enable them to understand the
political status of affairs, for this is
necessary for self-protection. Let them
also keep up a lively interest in domestic
| political affairs, so as to secure at all
times good home rule, and the best men
for the various offices of the State. But
when this is done, all that is necessary is
done, and politics should thereafter be
emphatically be relegated to the back
ground. An acre of land well titled will
be found of more real, practical and sub
stantial benefit to the South than all the
politics in the country can confer.
If the Southern people will heed our
advice, and devote their time and atten-
| ton to the advancement of their material
welfare at the expense of politics, they
will never regret it. That the South pos
sesses within herself pre- eminently all the
elements of wealth and prosperity, has
been abundantly proven. Never in the
history OF the world has any section or
any people recuperated so rapidly. De
| vastated by war, her social condition all
| changed, her labor system thrown into
chaos and confusion, having been, after
the conflict, despoiled and robbed by pO-
litical vampires, who ardently desired to
suck what little of life-blood was left
her, and besides all this, having 1or
years been subjected to fragrant injus-
tice, grinding tyranny, base falsehOod
and cruel oppression, she has, neverthe-
less, within less than two decades,
not only survived, but is now once
more on the high road to wealth and
happiness No other section in the
country could have recuperated or over
come such apparently insurmountable
obstacles with anything like such
rapidity. Let her people then
make the future prosperity of their
section the prime object of their
thoughts and labors, and true independ-
ence, universal respect, political power
and infuence-in word, all things de-
sirable for her future glory-will be