National Republican., 1883-01-22
A CHANGE OF FRONT.
Views Of Thoughtful Democrat on the Future
of the South.
An Extension OF National Authority the
Only Cure for Existing Evils.

Mr.. O. G. Bonnoy, distinguished demo-
aratic lawyer of Chicago, who has been in the
city in attendance upon the supreme court
for several days, is satisfied he has hit upon
tho only practicable plan tor humanizing and
oiyilizing the SOUTH He is not ordinarily of
n sangune temperament, but he secs or thinks
he sees light in the east. Meeting him just
prior to his departure for home, a NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN man asked him what he thought
of the condition and future of the South.
"Undorncath the desolatc winter of the
old SOUTH" he replied "a now aud more pros
porous south is slowly growing. Tho spring
Of the new south is about to como. The do.
structiou of slavery by the war still left the
old ideas in the minds of the southern peo-
pie A great change in the habits Of thought
Of q people cannot como without the inter-
vcntion, which to human thought and expe-
rienco Is what the long, dreary winter is to
other seasons. The period since the war is
that winter"
"What evidences do you see that such a
change is actually taking place?"
:" sec many indications Among them
will mention what | saw and heard at Sara
toga last summer in the debates Of the Ameri-
can Bar association and in the papers read
before the American Bankers association, in
which southern men advanced ideas which
showed unmistakably TO my mind that the
old habits Of thought are passing away and
new ones taking their place. think any one
who will take the trouble TO converse at this
day with the leaders of southern business and
professional life-l am not so sure about the
politicions-may satisfy himself that the
southern people are not merely beginning to
see, but that TO large extent they perceive
the proper cure for the ills they have suffered
from since the close of the war;"
"What do you think that cure is2"
"NATIoNALIsM
of tho most advanced and decided character.
The south is by nature one of tho richest
countries in the world. With great influx
of northern capital and northern energy, rs l
heard II southern man argue Mt Saratoga, it
would speedily advance to the foremost rank
in every dcpartmcnt of prosperity, But the
people Of the country, north and south, east
and west, are no longer willing to trust their
personal or property rights to the protection
merely of state authority. They demand
that the power of the nation shall abide with
them where they dwell, and go with them
on all their journeys to afford them ade-
quate protection. The day of dependence
on state rights is forever past. When
southern men travel through other states
they feel and desire the protection of ma
states when they travel through the south
! OF all men of the United States those of the
south should be the most pronounced advo'
Gates of national authority, union, and fra.
ternity. Nothing but poverty and sorrow
and all the attendant train of evils can be eX-
pected from a longer adherence TO what has
come to be known us state rights while the
way of national authority leads to peace and
prosperity in all departments of life"
| But how far would you carry centraliza.
tion or concentration of governmental au'
| thOmtyp
"What ] speak Of is not Capitalization al
all in the offensive sense of that word. 1t Is
| rather an extension and diffusion of the just
and proper national authority throughout the
entire country for its legitimate purposes
But you will ask what are
IT'S LEGITIMATE PURPOSES,
and I answer that there is q conviction grow.
ing every day in extent and strength, that
while all merely local matters should be
wholly left to the local governments of the
several states and their municipalities al
matters which concern the people of more
than n single state, and especially those which
do or may concern in general way all
people of all states, should bo under one
law and one system of administration.
For instance, all great business interests
of the country depend on u supply of capital
and credit to carry them on, and ON trans
pOrtution agencies for the distribution of pro
ducts to all points of demand. Generally
speaking, that capital. credit and Transports
tiOn are now subject to and governed by stat,
control, and arc threatened with u vast an
nual aggregate Of peril and pccuniary loss
All classes demand n remedy, the farmer who
raises corn as well as the capitalists who fur
nish money. Tho country Is approaching q
time when these veXations, perils and
losses complained of will no longer bl
endured. Tho only remedy is an
extension of national authority over all those
and similar interests and relations. Thirty.
eight masters arc quite too many for any
| business interests, especially when not one O
| the thirty-eight can afford adequate protec
| tion to the interests. The nation alone car
afford such protection, and it alone should
govern and regulate all such matters"
"Would you have the government own and
operate the lines of transportation and fur
nish other facilities?"
Most cmphatically not. The business o
the government is to provide proper laws ant
enforce thom. just what wo need at this
time Is the proper act of congress to carry into
| effect
THE CENTRAL POWER OF THE GENERAL
GOVERNMENT
to regulate commerce among the severa
states, and to afford adequate protection to any
state of all the interests which citizens o.
!
| United States, in interpreting and applying
what are known ms the war amendments, ha'
| been doing grand work in the direction
! have indicated, toward educating the people
| IL only remains for congress to discharge the
/ duty resting upon it in that behalf, and the
new order of things will soon be established
But how about the bugbear of patcrnalisn
| inpoliticsY
"'rhat word is II msnomer, for what tho
whole body of the people of the United States
! want, thoy do through their representative
assembled in the national capital and as e
| politics, IL is written in the book of fate tha
! no political party will ever capture Washing
| ton which does not bear on its banner Ma
! tionality, union, and the equal protection o
the laws in every part of the republic"
You mean, then, that
A NEW DEMOCRACY
is essential Go democratic succcss?"
" mean that exactly, and the new democ
racy is coming. The politicians are behint
the people in all these things If you ash
what evidence thcre is of u coming politica
change, ] answer, the universal dominance o
business ideas, Tho old theory was that poll
ties should be master and the business inter
ests serve it's ends. Tho new theory Is tha
the people are supreme and politics merely
means of serving and protecting them. Tn,
Nero politician belongs to past generation.
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