Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1882-03-08
Who are the BOurbOns ?

bourbon" Geslgnales class Ol WIle
men composed chiefly Of the leading
citizens of tie Southern States. The
Bourbons are the principal business
men, lawyers, physicians. teachers,
Clergy men, merchants and farmers VI
the South. They are everywhere the
leaders OF society in the best sense OF
The word. They sustain The churches,
and give such efficiency 10 the moral
activities and discipline o. tie loyal
communities as they have thus far at
tanned. Taken broadly or ger orally,
the class includes the best people OF ;he
South, or most Of them. They arc
BourbOns because in politics they are
Democrats and ACT in opposition to the
principles, policy or method, OF ths
Republican party, which has sdmIuis
tered the national Government since
the time Of our civil war.
In the Southern States the term BOUT
bon has no distinct significance. 1t is
applied Unfortunately, by all classes
of politicians. to anybody who differs
With them. 1t is there IA convenient
though empty epithet or uame OF re-
proach. Every politicion insists that
his party is the party oi progress, OF
Improvement. the reprcsen alive and
embodiment of the oaly ideas by
Nhil h society can exist o. civilization be
maintained and he j., Of course, en-
titled 10 siigm tie his opponents as
Bourbons. The word IS a sham or
bur.e,q que weapon in the South, and is
used tncre bJ everybody in political
wrauelng for 'all it 10 worth"
As to the Southern men who com
pose the class to which this name is
unusually applied in the North, | am
compelled to say that, aside from pOliti-
cal matters, they are much like other
people, or like the best people in our
Northern communities. They do not
love what - wrong for its own sake,
prefer ialschood, basercss, cruelty or
Injustice to the virtues and good quail
ties which are elsewhere reYered by
good men. They are amlable, truthful
conscientious. kind. public spirited and
religions, resembling very closely Tue
foremost men in our NeY England
towns in all the important elements OF
nersonal character; differing only, in
general. in beiog more communicative
aud having less reserve than IS usual
among New Englanders. As to their
political action, it seems to me TO have
been for some years largely inevitable;
the necessary product and result Of TIE
pecullar conditions of life and society in
the South since the civil war. 1t does
not appear 10 have been owing to sheer
depraviiy on their part, nor TO any
choice or agency OF theirs, that there
was for some years a disturbed and
unsettled state of things in the Southern
States. Collisions between different
classes followed unayoidably upon the
elevation of emancipated slaves luto
political superiority over the dIsiran-
cb,sed white citizens OF the country.
There has never been any such COM
pleteness of organization among the
people OF the South since the war, as
many persons believe to have existed
there. That part Of our country Is
distinguished by much greater feeble
ness of community and less organic
life than belongs to northern society;
and the B1rrbOns are not responsible
for everything that las been done south
of Mason and DiXon's line. l shall
have more to say hereafter OF southern
politics. Here wish only 10 place
the so.calcd Bourbon type IA p'ainly
as possible before my readers. The
men thus designated are, as a class
emiuentiy social, hospitable' honest
and upright men. ThcJ have, IN a
large measure, built up aud maintained
such moral social, indusiili and reli-
gious organization and activity as The
South now possesses; aud much OF
what is bcsi and most encouraging III
the present state Of things in the prin-
cipal Southern States is due TO them
and 10 their efforts for practical rccogni-
lion in time Of extreme difficulty and
sncertainty, when their resources were
so dscOuragingly slender, and when
tley had no rrecedenls TO guide them
except such as were furnished by the
experience Of mankind III the long con-
test between civilization aud barbarism
II The past. | think they haye made
mistakes and have done wrong things
since the wa. am not certain that
we or ANYBODY else would have done
better than they.-February atlantic.