Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-19
The south and the Radical Party.

The south and the Radical Party.
senator Jones, Of Florida, few nights 4
ago addressed the General COMMITTEES oi 4
Irving Hall. New York. upon 1.-THE Poilu- /
cal condition Of the SOUTH" and ne Is re- /
rorted 10 have said that all the south Z
wanted was 1.-The simple justice oi pom /
interference in local affairs and that
..nndar Democratic rule the negro was
better urotected in his personal property,
and the community more prosperous and
coutaured. than under a rule enforced
BY Federal bayOnets.'' and that he BE
Iieved in a solid south. for il was in favor
Of the hest principles OF Democracy" He
also described the South as growing IN
prosperity. and was sanguine that II
would have bright future.
Our valued contemporary, the New York 4
ErsHfRJ Post. takes exception 10 the 4
views Of senator Jones. 1t remarks; 4
senator Jones must he aware-0T. II ne I
IS not. his observations among the North /
ern people viii soon convince hin-that T.
there Is scarcely any person Of respect /
able standing in these parts who Is in the 4
least inclined 10 deny 10 the South the I
simple justice Of nOn-interferenee IN I
local affairs The people Of the North 1
have become 50 thoroughly Disguised l
with the spectacle in the South Of what I
Mr.. Jones calls \ rule enforced bv Fed /
eral bay0nets' that nobody feels the least !
inclination 20 repeat that experiment in
any shape. There are Federal cleo
ton laws 10 protect the rights Of
voters. which apply 10 the North as well
a TO the south. and which, on a candid
consideration OF the matter, can be called Z
an interference in local affairs inst IS
little As our penal law against man
slaughter or burglary can be called in
reference with personal liberty. On the
whole. no candid observer viii deny that
the people Of the North are quite anxious
% let the people OF the South alone, and
they are exceedingly glad 70 see that this
uninterrupted home management Of their
own affairs results in growing pros
perity and good social order among
the Southern people. The further cOnclu-
sion 70 which Senator Jones ought TO open
his mind Is. that there is no need for the
special protection Of self-gOvernment in
the South by a special political party. and
that the altogether unnecessary effort TO
organize the solid South as a pOliti-
cal partisan power is. perhaps, the only
thing calculated To keep alive lingering
distrust in the North as TO the use the
power Of the government might be put to
if party ruled BY the solid South should
get possession Of it,
While we are prepared TO admit that
I 4.
free the South from the curse Of carpet
bagism. are not disposed 10 deny TO the
south the " simple justice Of nOn-interfer-
euce in local affairs" we are quite salts
fed that the Republican party regrets that
the opportunity for such interference has
passed That = there are Federal election
laws 10 protect the rights Of voters which
apply 10 the North as we'll as the South =
we believe 10 be q correct statement. -theO-
retically speaking, but that they are APP
piled with sufficient frequency north Of
Mason and DixOn's line TO beget belief
in the universally Of their practical OPP
Grafton, we are prone TO doubt. The de-
sire Of the North to let the South alone
proceeds. in our judgment. from helpless
ness 10 disturb this section. The South Of
I 1876 and the South Of ISS3 are as distinct
as the United states Of 1916 and the Uni
/ ted states Of to-day. We confess the OBJ
legations Of the South 70 the men who ex-
hihited the manliness Of Mr.. SchurZ, but
the south owes the Republican party
nothing. and the best service it can rem
der the country is To strive for the eXtinc-
ton of that party, which had nothing to
warrant its existence and is less worthy
To live now than it ever was.
To pOpularize Republicanism here is an
utter impOssibility. The very negroes,
when they are made 10 comprehend the
character and real purposes Of Repub-
Iicanism. repudiate 1t. However, a new
party. combining in lis creed the best fea-
lures of Whiggery or whatever is COM
meHdable in Republicanism, might he
viewed at the South, the "grand old
party can never command respect here.
It is associated with tyranny, spOliation.
persecution and shameless rascality. and
can never be made respectable. 1t lives
nj the North only by means Of its allies,
whose money sustains il. Let Radicalism
die and the South may divide, but the
Republican party can never command
support in this section. When sumner.
Trumbull. Fessenden and the real great
men Of Radicalism could not command
sympathy. Keifer. Robson. Reed, KassOn.
Kellogg and their ilk may readily despairof
il. We are not a nation with big ~, - save
fOrpUrpOses Of the common defense. the af- /
fair NJ AppOmattOX 10 the contrary
Notwithstanding, and the Supreme
Court on a square issue will so decide,
packed as it is with Republican
judges. The negro, if let alone, will work
cut his destiny. He is relatively better
Of Al the South than is the poor white
man in New England. He has recovered
from the craze that came upon him under
the teachings of the Republican evan
eelists, and is acquiring fund of common
sense.
Men like Mr.. Schurz might afford to dis /
pense with cant and come down to plain
facts. Democracy may err, its leaders /
may be towards, but until a purer and /
more promising political creed is framed /
the people of this section will be welded /
To ii. In their devotion TO it lies their /
safety. Radicalism in its best days has |
been a curse TO them, and now that it has /
degenerated into simple thievery, excites /
only their profound contempt. The South I
does not propose TO divide until presented /
with material FOR a choice.