Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-12-04
Why They Wave the Bloody Shirt.


actuating motive with the Northern Re-
publican politicians is unquestionably the
desire and the calculation of destroying or
impairing the influence of the Southern
States in the councils and the elections Of
the nation. There is somewhat of method
in such desire and design, however
vicious the traits of human nature to
which it addresses its appeal. But with
respect to large portion of the people
who, with most zeal and energy, wave the
bloody shirt, we are disposed to believe
that their impulse is simply the disposition
born of ignorance and fostered by fanati-
cism, which leads them to think that they
understand our matters far better than we
are capable of understanding them our
selves.
There is great and cruel injustice in
this practice of SO many of the Northern
people. If we thought the sole spring of
it were the calculation of political advan-
tage, we should deem it worse than use
less to argue or protest against it. But as
against the mere thoughtless indulgence OF
the meddling spirit which sins through fail
ure to take account of another mans diff
culties and embarrassments, it can never
be idle to demonstrate, when the offender is
well-meaning, but only misled and intem-
perate. Now, we ask in all fairness, what
kind of conception can the people in remote
corners of the Northern States have of the
situation of affairs and the relations of the
races in the Southern States ! The posi-
ton which the white people of the South
ern States occupy is altogether anomalous
in all the history of mankind We believe
there is not one case to be found in the
worlds records, of race once and recently
servile, suddenly welding the political des-
TIMES of the class by which they had been
held in absolute bondage. We believe
there is nothing that approaches parallel
of the admission of millions of slaves
without advantages Of preliminary training
or education-to the vast responsibilities
involved in the possession of the ballot.
There are other particulars that need not
be enumerated. The facts on the surface
sufficiently show that the South, whatever
may have been it's sins in the hour of its
prosperity aad power, has been made to
suffer for them by the imposition of enor-
nous difficulties and perplexities more
grievous and critical than ever before con-
fronted the civilization Of modern State.
That the Southern people did not sue
cumb to these difficulties and perils; that
they at once went honestly to work and
made sustained and grand effort to solve
the problem of the anomalous position, un-
assisted by any Of the lights Of historical
precedent, and opposed at every hand by
the hostile and critical spirit and the med
ding legislation of the rest of the country:
| that the South in fifteen years so far con-
quered its envious environment as to have a
more prosperous and peaceful condition
than had ever before blessed her children
and rewarded the tolls of the faithful
workers. Let these facts, craven in the
bas relief of indisputable, official and sta
tistical history, not only prove final an
swer to the ISLANDERS that are still thrust
against her, but constitute claim on the
good will of all good men, and the extern
sion of fresh confidence at the hands of all
those who can admit some motive of judg-
ment and action more honest than the greed
of party triumph and official spoils
That mistakes have been made; that oc-
| casional crimes have been committed; that
an ugly spirit has sometimes been exhibit
ed that oceans of foolish talk has been
gabbled by the politicians, there is no de-
nying aud no disposition to deny. But only
consider the credit the South deserves for
not allowing its territory to relapse into a
desert and it's society into chaos, at the
close of the war and under the pressure of
carpet-bag reconstruction; and for the
merest sake of the merest justice, stop
waving your bloody shirt