Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-17
Nnt TRY.

There seems to be a persistent eHort
among certain writers to create general
impression that the Southern people are
wanting in that spirit Of enterprise Nhlch
characteristics the people Of the No.th.
This is entered a. complaint asa.iis'
,ber, and leaves the inference that they
are inferior to then Northern brethren IN
matters Of thrift and progress, and there
for. ..,unberers Of the SOIL hindering
thai enterprise and development Of which
their land Is 80 capable. II this were true
II would be a serious charge in the light
Of our present civilization. which meas
ures all merit by the amount Of cash that
can be scraped together. But IL Il not
true. a. will be found by any fair thinker
who will take the trouble TO draw Just
COMPARISON. Very brave and formidable
armies have found it impracticaole
u move without reorganization. equip
ment and time for recuperation after
severe campaign. II it i urged that the
southern people have had all the
time necessary for these advantages, we
NAV point without detail 10 the wonder
full recuperatiye powers she has 80 uni
versaIlv impressed upon the minds oil re-
Elective men. and then venture few
points Of comparison between the condi-
tion and prospects OF the two sections at
the beginning Of the new era. The North
went into the war with three times the
population Of the south. a very small ele-
ment Of which was disloyal. while fully
one-haIf Of the population Of the south
remained disloyal and troublesome
throughout the struggle. At its close the
North. triumphant. was united and filled
a. no nation had been since the
Romans. with the spOils Of war;
while the south was disrupted by
act Of the National Legislature. 100000
Of slaves released as a burden upon her
energies. her leaders all imprisoned, in
exile. OF DISTINGUISHED at home; the slaves
enfranchised and for ten years supported
a. masters Of the situation by the Federal
army, and all the public offices Of the
conquered country put in possession, not
Of the nobler order Of her cOnquerOEs, but
in the hands Of army bummers and car
Det-baggers, who quickly stripped her Of
the little left by destroying armies, and, as
they observed her powers Of recuperatiOn,
went further and bonded her for genera
tions to come, that they might fill their
Golfers before the land spewed them out
Of her mouth. How well they succeeded.
the mighty accumulation Of wealth at the
North will answer. The bonds then is
sued are to this day held almost entirely
in the North, or been sold by them to Eu-
ropean holders, and all that have been
paid were paid to men Of the North. Mil
! lions worth of Southern property was
thus transferred 10 the North. and
millions in interest are still going up
from Southern industries upon those
bonds. and will continue TO 20 for years
10 come. Added 10 this, the tariff laws
| adopted by Congress 10 pay the monster
war debt bore with great severity upon
! attempts at enterprise in the South, by
the powerful protection given to such en-
| terpriscs already established beyond CON-
petition in the North. How could a peO-
pie situated as here described enter upon
public enterprises: But this was not all.
From that day to this, 60 be an honorable,
true Southern man was TO be excluded
from public trust-frOm holding Offices Of
profit under the government. Some will
saw this is not true-that there are honor
able and true Southern men holding offices
under the government. and we admit
few as the exception 10 the rule. but the
statement is supported by the facts. In
the matter Of distribution Of the
appropriations by Congress for public i'm
provements, until very recently,it was ex-
tremely difficult 10 obtain any apprOpria-
Ill
that which was hers by right, pittance
was eked out to her, her people could not
be trusted with the money, nor her arti-
sans and masters Of industry be allowed
10 profit bv the contracts. All these were
awarded 10 Northern men, and the profits
carried back to the North; or if invested
in the south. because it was seen that, in
spite Of the burdens under which she la
bored. her energy and civilization rem
dered it safe and profitable.
Her losses in slaves and other property
BY the war have not been badly estimated
at $1,000, 100000, sum quite incOnceiv-
able. and which rendered her the happiest
and most Independent country on the
globe until embrOiled in the questions
which brought on the civil war.
But these things having all passed away
the south started out anew, even in that
pitiable condition, to rebuild her waste
places. Thousands Of her best citizens
dead. immigrated, or scattered to the four
winds, the remainder slowly reOrganized,
gradually renewed their courage and lost
hope Of the country, and grew under their
own industries to be once more independ-
ent. Northern capital has not done it,
for Northern capital, derived mostly from
the wealth of the South, stood alOOf until
il saw that the South was growing great
on its own resOurces-then, and only
then. did it flow in to share the profits.