Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-25
THE CONDITION OF THE SOUTH

THE CONDITION OF THE SOUTH
A Tribune special says that there was
a heated debate in the House on Friday
concerning the condition of the South
The debate was brought about by the
introduction of a resolution by Congress
man Boutelle, of Maine, to inquire into
the alleged erasure of memorial inscrip.
tions and the dismissal of Union soldiers
from the Norfolk Navy Yard. The
resolution is only an attempt to revive
those memories of the war that are best
forgotten 1t is possible that some memo
rial inscriptions to Union soldiers may
have been erased at the South. but If
such thing has been done, we do not
believe there is an officer of the law
in any Southern State that would not
do all in his power to apprehend and
convict the miscreant who would do such
thing; and the whole South will back
the officers of the law in their attempt to
punish such miscreants. The telegram
SAYS that Mr.. Boutelle referred to the at
tempts in the South keep alive the
Confederate victories during the late war
and to glorify the memories of the Con-
federate soldiers. Mr.. Boutelle is en-
tirely too partial in this matter. He has
the ingratitude to let the Augusta speech
of Mr.. Blaine to pass unnoticed. He
makes no mention of John Sherman's
bloody shirt speeches. These, and their
like, are the men who seek to keep the
issues of the war alive, and to keep them
alive that they may make po-
litical capital out of display
of dead mems bones. Such men as
Blaine and Sherman think there are no
Americans but Republicans. The men
of the South fought for what they believed
were their rights, but the appeal to arms
was decided against them, and they, as
brave men who fought heroically, ac-
cepted the result of that appeal and have
accommodated themselves to the con-
ditions which that decision imposed.
Ii these same men, who are as loyal to the
Union to-day as they were disloyal t. it
twenty-five years ago, speak in terms of
respect of their dead brothers and COM
rades, and over their graves strew flow
ers, some bigoted Republican from the
the North wants to fly to arms again, not
for the purpose of crushing rebellion,
but for the purpose of insulting
a gallant foe, who frankly ac-
knowledges that he was beaten. 1t
would suit the bloody shirt Republicans
to have the men of the South show their
loyalty to the Government by base and
abject servility and revilement of their
fallen friends. The South will never do
it, and it should be the pride of all Amer
leans that the South will not do it. |
Why should a man who fought in the /
Confederate ranks be any better for vot-
ing in the Republican ranks after the |
war? Yet this is made the test of 10y
atty by the Republican party. Malone
and Riddleberger, Notwithstanding all
heir Reputation and scaling theories,
are fit and proper men to be re-
stored to their rights as citizens
Of the country, because they accept
the creed of the Republican party.
such creed is fit for such men. If a
negro at the South does not train in the
Republican ranks, he is deprived of his
lights, if we may believe the Sherman
school of politicians. The South is thor
'ughly Democratic, and the negroes of
he South will all adhere to that party
Vhen they emancipate themselves from
he control of Republican carpet-baggers
t the South. Since the present Admin
stration came into Office the negroes have
earned how ill-founded were their fears
what the Democratic party would do if
ut into Office, and how false were the
harges of the Republicans upon which
UGH fears were based. The South of
o-day is a new South, and she is
,aking a noble struggle to better :
er condition in every way, and her
forts should be seconded by all. If the
outh erred, how terribly has she expi-
ted that error! The North and the
outh are mingling together, and neither :
an be imposed upon by demagogues as
J what the other is doing as they could
e ten years ago. The attempts of such I
len as Senator Sherman, Congressman
outelle and all who wave the bloody :
,irt will not succeed in making a live
sue out of the dead past, and they long
nee sickened the better class of their
arty by their low and demagogic arts.
ut such attempts show how desperate .
the cause of the Republican party, and
the Democrats will but stand by the
resident and his policy, the Republican IL
arty will be buried at a depth from
hich there is no resurrection. - -