Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-08
Blaine's SANDER of the south.

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the negroes after the war. He says:
'With all the advantages of old associ-
alton and in numberless instances OF
kindly relation with the cOiOred race. the
former masters showed themselves singu-
larry deficient in the tact and manage
ment necessary 10 win the negroes ana
bind them closely to their interest, in the
new conditions which emancipation mad
created. OF the evil results that flowed
from the contest row about TO ensue-a
contest that had many elements OF provo
catlcn and OF wrong on both sides-one OF
the most remarkable features was the
complete control with which the white
meE from the North, entire strangers TO
me negro, TO his habits aud to his preJu-
/ dices, so readily obtained over him. The
late slave masters did not adapt them
/ selves to the new situation. They gave
way to replning and regretting, 10 sulkmg
! ana TO anger, TO resentment and revenge,
! ana thereby lost a great opportunity Tor
! bind ing together the two races in thns- ties
/ OF sy mpathy and confidence which must be
! maintained as an Indispensable condition
/ OF prosperity, or even Of domestic order
aud the reign Of law, in the Southern
! states. The lack ofmoral courage among
the physically brave men Of the South has
! already been indicated and illustrated. II
| was something of this same defect that
| held back the slave-masteTs from the con-
/ descension, as they esteemed 1t, of estaO-
| fishing any relation whatever with the
/ negro in his new condition of freedom.
such action was frOwned upon by the
/ public opinion Of this class throughout
! the South, aud for lack Of bold leadership
At the critical period, for lack of that con-
sideratiOn which in many subsequent in
stances has been lavished upon the col
ored man, the current OF fatal prejudice
was set strongly against the old master
IN the mind OF his former slave. Events,
as they developed in the stirring and sor-
rowful years that followed, were but a
continual proof Of that form OF original
blunder on the part of the Southern whites
which in affairs OF civil administration is
worse than a crime.
1t Will be seen that Mr.. Blaine misrep-
resents the kindly personal relations of
the races In the South, and purposely
suppresses facts that show cOnclusively
why it was impossible for the Southern
whites to exercise any considerable
political influence with the negroes for
several years after the war. 1t will be
remembered that just after the war the
great majority of the whites were prac-
tlcally DISTINGUISHED in most of the
Southern States. Ne efforts were spared
by the agents OF the Republican party
who came South in the rear of the Federal
armies, to enlist the negroes in their
ranks while their old masters were ut
terly helpless politically and ruined
financially, being compelled TO struggle
for very existence.
1t is well remembered how the agents
Of the Freedmen's Bureau and the ennis
saries OF the Union Leagues organized
the negroes under such rallying cries as
The Bottom RaiPs on Top" Forty
Acres and a Mule" etc.-hOw the negroes
we're taught to believe that the property
Of the whites would be divided among
them, that they would not only be the
political and social equal, but the
superiors of their late masters. They
we're told that the Southern whites would
put them back into slavery in case the
Democrats gained the ascendency. Every
thing that was possible was done by Re-
publican emissarles to make the ne
grOes miscOnstrue the motives of
and hate the whites, and it was
only by the great moral courage and
fOrbearance Of the latter that a war Of
to be wondered at that there were local
collisions in some Of the Southern States.
1t is only matter OF wonder that such
collisions were not much more numerous
and serious than they were.
No proper and honorable effort to infiu.
ence the negro vote was frOwned on in
the South. Only those efforts were
frowned on which were calculated to de-
ceIve aud mislead the negro, and which
tended to degrade and inJure both races.
1t is well known that there was no
great prejudice against the negro in the
South. AS soon as the Southern whites
we're able to exercise their political rights
and powers they guaranteed to the ne
groes every privilege which they were
entitled to enjoy. Notwithstanding the
hurtful political influences that obtained
among the negroes, the personally friend
ly relations Of the races was never
generally disturbed. When a negro
wanted help, or a favor, he almost invari-
ably went to his old master or some other
Southern white friend. He rarely obtained
assistance from memb ers of his own race,
or from his white political leaders. 1t is
consequently comparatively easy, now
that the Republicans are out of power, for
the Southern whites TO exercise great pO-
litical influence over colored voters.
1t was not to be expected but that
Blaine would take occasion to misrepre-
sent and Islander the Southern people, and
hence the extract quoted occasions no
surprise in the South.
The enemies of the administration have