National Republican., 1883-04-25
THE WINGS OF THE SOUTH.
A Correspondent Who Takes Issue with
"L. p. h." and "The Republican"

10 Uc butuOTs
WASHINGTON, d. G., April 19.-I read with
great interest the letter of"L. p. b." and your
editorial in reply to It in Tue REPUBLICAN,
of this morning, and ask space to reply to
both, as both 81. p. b." and THE REPUBLIcAN
are mistaken in some particulars.
Your correspondent says all men who were
opposed to secession before the war are now
ostracised by the democrats, with the excep-
ton of Casey Young. This is mistake num-
Der one. A. H. Garland, of Arkansas, was a
whig and union man. Throckmorton, of
Texas, was union man. So was Hancock, of
Texas, and you mention several Others. A
great many more could be named.
Mistake number two of al. p. b." Is the
statement that you are mistaken in calling
the late war d" q slaveholders' rebellion" Ii
was nothing else. While 1t 10 true that many
shareholders were wings, it is mistake TO
say that the majority of Shareholders were
80. The large majority of the country people
of the south, shareholders and non-siaVe,
holders, were democrats The strength OF
the wings lay in the towns, villages, and
cities of the south.
The men who caused the civil war-you
may call IL rebellion If you choose-were
the largest shareholders of the country. The
rice planters of South Carolina, the Sea Island
cotton growers of the Georgia and South Caro-
lima coast, the sugar planters of Louisiana,
and the great cotton planters Of the bottom
lands" of the Mississippi, Red, 0uachita,
Arkansas, Alabama, Black Warrior, and other
rivers.
1t was these men, or their representatives
in politics. who caused secession, and they
did 1t because they wanted TO establish a
slaveholding oligarchy. They were nearly
all democrats. Through the potency of the
democratic name they induced the non-slave'
holders aud the small upland farmers to unite
with them.
THE REPUBLICAN is mistaken in saying
that Toombs and Aleck Stephens were wings
They had been, but both had formally sew
cred their connection with that party long
before secession came, and they had turned
Georgia from whig into democratic state
When Stephen A. Douglas canvassed Hi
nois as democrat against Abraham Lincoln
for the United States senate, "Aleck" Ste
phens, as democrat, was one of the great
aids of Douglas, and Toombs was in the
United States senate as a democrat when Sc
cession came. Judah p. Benjamin renounced
his allegiance to the whig party at the same
time Toombs and Stephens did Ben Hill
never had any politics that lasted long. HI
was whig, know nothing, or democrat, uniol
man or secessionist, as it suited his convent
ence.
The democrats Of tho south take any on,
who will bow down before their false gods
Garland and Walker, the senators from Ar
kansas, were both wings before the war, ant
Walker beat the acknowledged leader Of thu
old democracy" Bob" Johnson-fqy his seat
and yet Arkansas was always democratic.
Vance was whig and union man in 1869
| he ran and was elected as the union candidate
for governor of North Carolina. Shortly
after his election his head was turned a
Richmond, and he made speeches to the army
in which ho told them they should "fill hel
so full of yankees that their feet would sticl
out of the windows" Ransom was elected
attorney general of North Carolina four year
after he left college, but went over bag ant
baggage to the democracy.
agree with you that there should be M
card over the republican door denying ad
mission to any one. There has been on
there too long already.
could say more, but refrain in mercy t,
your readers and your space.
T. NJ TT