The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-16
THE SOUTHERN "BOURB0Is
As DESCRIBED By A NORTH
EKN VISITOR.
Leaders of Society and the Re
People of the south.

People of the south.
The following is an extract from
an article in the atlantic MORti!r
written by an independe aut
thoughtful gentleman, whose lie
tiers to the New York T. bUae 10
year attracted so much attention
As used in the north, this wora
Bourbon" designates class OF
white men, composed CHIEF
of the leading citizens of tie
southern states. the BOurbOns az
the principal business men, lawyer
physicians, teachers, clergymeU
merchants and farmers OF the sOutG.
They are everywhere the leaders O.
society, in the best sense ofthe WORD.
They sustain the churches, and give
such efficiency to the moral activIIics
and discipline of the local CON
munities as they have thus far a
tanned. Taken broadly or general
the class includes the best people OF
the south, or most of them. The
are Bourborns because in politics
they are Democrats, and act in or
position to the principles, policy er
methods of the Republican party,
which has administered the nalIOnTi
government since the time of our
civil war. In the southern states
the term Bourbon has no distinct
significance. 1t is applied indls-
criminately by all classes of poli'i-
clans to anybody who differs with
them. IL is there convenieu,
though empty epithet or name Of &C.
proach. Every politician insists THAI
his party is the party of progress.
improvement the representaiiVC
and embodiment of the only ideas
by which society can exist, or civ T.
cation be maintained; and he is. oil
course, entitled to stigmatize his cp
ponents as Bourbons. The word Is q
sham or burlesque weapon in TO-
south, and is used there ID,
everybody in political wrangllng
''for all it is worth" AS to the south
ern men who compose the class K
which this name is usually apple
in the north, am compelled 10 81
that, aside from political matte
they are much like our people, Q
like the best people in our NORTH Err
communities. They do not apo
to love what Is wrong for its o.,
sake, nor to prefer falsehOOd, ba sc
ness, cruelty, or injustice TO the W
tues and good qualities which a.
elsewhere revered by good me-
They are amiable, truthful, con
scientious, kind, public spirited anl
religious, resembling very close
the foremost men in our New Elg
land towns in all the important ele
ments of personal character, differ
ing only in general, in being NOR
communicative and having less re
serve than is usual among Ne0
Englanders. AS to their polite
action, it seems to me to have bee
for some years Largely inevitabic
the necessary product and resu.
of the peculiar conditions of lii
and society in the south since H.
civil war. 1t does not slpear q
have been owing to sheer depravIi
on their part, nor to any choice
agency of theirs, that there was
some years a disturbed and unset
tied state of things in the sOuthei
states. Collisions between difiere q
classes followed unavOidably npJ.
the elevation Of the emancipate
slaves into political superiority owe
the DISTINGUISHED white citizens G
the country. There has never bee
any such completeness of organiz5
ton among the people of the soul
since the war, as many persons be
lieve TO have existed there. The
part of our country is distinguish
by much greater feebleness of con
munity and less organic life tina
belongs to northern society; and IL
Bourbons are not really response
for everything that has been dor
south of Mason and DixOn's lin
shall have more to say hereaite
of southern politics. Here l wis
only to place the sO-calle
Bourbon type. as plainly
possible before my readers. IL
men thus designated are, as elias
eminent'y social, hospital, hone,
and upright men, if we leave lhei
politics out of view. They have. ]
large measure, built up and MAJ
tanned such moral, social, industrj5
and religious organization and 81
tivity as the south now possesse'
and much of what is best and ID o.
encouraging in the present state c
things in the principal souther'
states is due to them, and to lbe
efforts for practical reconstruct
in time of extreme difficulty gu.
uncertainty, when their resource
were most discouragingly slen q
and when they had no preceden
to guide them except such as wer
furnished by the experience of Ma =
kind in the long contest betwee.
civilization aud barbarianism in ia
past. L think they have made mis-
takes and have done wrong thing
since the war. L am not certain ths
we, or anybody else, would hay
done better than they.
In conversation with these gel g
men, L everywhere expressed m.
conviction that illegal interfereuc
with negro suffrage could no. l.
continued without the most serioU
injury to all southern interest
and that it would be bette
that southern men-Democra
should make the ballot Ell
tirely free to all who are legally Ell
titled to its possession, and then en-
dure whatever ills might resal
They always replied that disturb
ance, violence and fraud were eac
year diminishing. and the negr
political supremacy would be utter
" ruinous for the state and for Sc
ciety, and insisted that, if the lie
publican party in the south pos
sessed the character and employee
the methods of the same party in ID
north, they would gladly co-operat
with it; that they were ready (
discard and abandon their presen
political organization whenever ~
other party would take up the res
problems of the south and serious
address itself to their solution.
In studying the Bourbons l hay
been forced to conclude that noiI
ing has yet been attained anywher
much better than the domestic If
of this class of the southern people
in its intelligence, refinement. beav
ty, and general elevation and whole
someness.
In London no less than 700 femai
clerks are employed at the centre