Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-10-09
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE
SOUTH.

SOUTH.
We print to-day another series of
opinions of Southern newspapers touching
the APPEALS suggestion that Southern
statesman should be nominated for the
Nice-Presidency in 1884. Some of these
indorse the suggestion and some oppose
it, but not one OF them, nor Of all the other
newspapers that have commented upon it
have said that it would not be just, that it
would not be fair, or that it would not be a
reasonable recognition of the fact that the
civil war and its anger and prejudice has
passed away, that reconstruction and its
robberies and wrongs has been put away
for ever, and that in fact, as in theory,
there is no sectional line, no sec
tional animOsites, no sectional bitter
ness existing TO prevent the National
Democratic party from acting in q perfect
ly national and rational way by the selec-
ton OF its candidates for the Presidency
and Nice-Presidency without regard to
Mason and Dixon's line, and Just as if
nothing had ever interviewed to divide and
for four years TO separate the people of the
North from those of the South. Demo
cratic leaders who are blinded by mere ex-
pediency which makes towards of us
all, may oppose Indeed, they have OPP
posed and they will oppose it, but we have
faith that the rank and file OF the party
will teach them better before the meeting
OF the National Convention next year
They will demand that Southern states.
man shall be placed upon the Democratic
ticket not because they care for the
Nice-Presidency or Presidency, or that
they wish to see this man or that elevated
to either Of those positions, but because
they wish to test the sense of the whole
country upon question vital to its peace
and especially vital TO the perfect freedom
OF every citizen rs it is to be certified al
the ballot-bJX in 1854. No man can b,
said to be free or claim 20 be free who
admits that nc is afraid to vote for d
Southern man for Nice-President OF
President either. No man can claim
that he il the equal in the Democratic
party OF any other man so long
as he admits that he dare not pre-.
sent candidate from Southern State
The subordination of these States can.
not be- justified by any party principle. II
is only hedged about by doubt. But when
since the division OF the party in 1889, and
its overwhelming defeat in 1860, has the
nomination of a Democratic ticket beer
free from doubtP The remarkable sue
ccsses, since that day, of the Republican
party have put the Democrats upon the
defensive, and, accepting that position, al
most every ticket put forth since Gov
Seymour was nominated in 1868 has beer
defeated-not upon principles affecting
the welfare Of the party and the country
but upon the cNpediency OF a nomination
unassailable by the Republican party
Timidity and cowardice have been the
natural products Of this policy, anC
men with convictions of principl,
who are struggling to keep the party up t.
its historic pledges us to a tariff for rev
enue and hard money, are abused and de
nounccd Us frcbrands without Il redeem
ing trait. Tho Democracy thus unmoored
anu A'-'lslN 'AilAllllE sDOul, lbSStt
10y every wind OF doctrine,i is spectacle fo
gods and men. Personal pique and per
sonal ambition and makers of tickets W,
have plenty OF, bu, leaders with the cOur
age to lead the party out of this confusion
are not heard of, because the statesmen o
the South occupy but an advisory position
in the Democratic party and are only per
mitted 10y the bugaboo of sec
tionalism TO pledge the votes of tn
South TO any ticket the Northern
Democrats may nominate. They can
not propose national nominee be
cause for the South to select ticket woul'
he to invite campaign upon the assertion
that it was to be manipulated by tn,
South, and that is as bad in the ewes O
the Republicans as to present Southern
men for the Presidency or Nice-Presider
cy. The South is thus silenced, is thus de
MED its equal participation in the legisla
ton of the Democratic party; it is politi
cally paralyzed. This policy of cowardic
has been pursued ever since, in 1865, tina
staunch, brave, cultivated gentleman, Gov
Seymour, was nominated. Has it won
No. Ii paralyzcd Tildcn in 1876, and pr,
vented him from the assertion of his ele,
ton, and it drove the South into acqu
escence in the most disgraceful fraud tha
the history OF the English-speaking peo
pie has any record of. In the fac
OF that shameless fraud and other
nearly as bad, Garfield was electe,
because his party was aggressive an
bold, aud instead of answering the que.
tions of the Democracy as to the theft
and rohbcrics and other crimes that hid
even the scmbancc OF its original princi
pies, its leaders insisted upon keeping th
Democrats busy answering questions an
denying their responsibility for the war @
their disloyalty to the government. Distra
ton, discenSion, and division compose tn
trinity that to-day obscures the Democra
ic vision. With some, Randall, who is
tariff man, is the embodiment of Demo-
racy, and from many who support him fC
the Speakcrship there comes the, Hush
it is the cat, as the sound of the Reput
licau whip in the hands of monopolist
swishes in the air. Thus, it is not "Wh:
is Democra,c-what are Democratic prir
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