The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-10
HlRPER'S TOUR SOUTH.
no NOTE THE EXTENT OF THE
PROGRESS
ofthe People Of the Once Confederate
States Since the Days Of
Reconstruction.
=, The Editors of the Appeal {:

'lrecons ructea" until / read your edi-
torial upon the pro posed trip south
ward OF some OF the members Of the \
xrea. publishing house OF Harper q
Byothers, OF New York. The name OF
that book house set me TO thinking,
and the longer l thought the more
satisfied l became that l needed a
Tood deal Of charity; indeed, that |
had not yet forgotten, even i l had
forgiven, the malice which that firm
eonsta ntly displayed towards the
eouthern people from 1850 until with
In q few years past. Sou hern men
can overlook and pardon much in
Northern politicians. For instance,
have always had kindly feeling
towards Blaine because Of the bold
and manly stand he took on the side
Of tie South when Luke Poland and
Durbin Ward made their report TO
Congress touching their visit to Little
leck to inquire into the troubles in
Arkansas Arising out OF the celebrated
Brooks Baxter struggle for supremacy
in that State. Garland aud Rose, OF
Little Rock, had 80 cornered Grant,
who was then President, as TO get
him TO order old Joe Brooks to vacate
the Statehouse, where he had in
krenched himself with HIS negro
troops. Grant afterwards tried to get
Brooks re-iDsla,ed; but the Poland
Teeort was too strong even Tor GranFs
opposition, aud my recollection 10 that
Blaine. who was then Speaker, came
down on the floor OF the House and
advocated the sdoption Of that report
and OF the bill based upon IL. Where
yes Harper's Weekly then2 Let its
pages answer From the beginning
Of the war no other paper or journal
manifested half the indifferent, higoted
hatred against the South which Harp.
~, Weekh constantly displayed. No
ether paper reached 30 many tiresides;
published such atrocious FALSE
hoods about the Southern people;
ialsshoodo generally illustrated by
striking pictures,
TAKEN DIT OUR ARTISTS ON THR SPOT.
Again and pgaln were these mali
cious ISLANDERS repeated in a language
which all nations, cIeeds and colorp,
educated aud illiterate, could readily
comprehend; for it was the language
Of pictures, which 80 promptly aud
powerfully appeals to all the passions
the eye can arouse, and which negroes,
Indians, Italisns, Russians, Danes,
Germans, Gre ks and Turks under
stood at glaaoe and without an in
terpreter. Hdrper's Weekly constantly
shronicled supposed barbaritiea com
milted by Southern people upon me-
Rroes and captive Northern soldiers,
until the stories OF Andersonville went
around the world, and the South was
looked upon as a land Of demons.
and what the motiveP Was II
political ambition? Was it q desire
Tor Officer No, none OF these. 1t was
simply the greed for the gold which
such Caumnies would gather into
their already oveThowing Golfers. IL
sprang from the debasiDg desire to
coin wealth by a systematic, persist
,lt plan Of traducing and slandering
One's neghbois,
And now, at this late day, when
our people do not need the sympathy
OF Hvpa's Weekly and can defy its
FLANDERS, the Harpers deem u pru-
dent speculation to eend "commis.
SION down South, net to right past
Wrongs and I'M ustice, but to see II our
people are as thoroughly recon
struc ed" as the North supposes them
10 be. More than twehty years have
passed away since Lees surrender
and the South has been steadily I'D
vancing in everything, marking
the wonderful resources Of a
strong, selfIelisnt people. She can
stand alone now; and hundreds Of
n r,hem men are coming South and
casting their lots with ours. The
Harpers are coming, too, and they
will send back glowing accounts Of
this famous Southland land Of
the orange, the magnolia and the jes
samine; and their picture Language
will, as In war times, be both graphic
and beautiful. They will hope, too
to gather thousands Of dollars as the
fruits of their present kind and chart
table visit South.
NV, contrast all this ostentstiouI
p.r.de with the conduct of Horace
Greeley In 1867. He had been the
eading and ablest editor in all the
North, opposing ec,ssiou aud tho de
mands of the South. But, when thI
war ended, he knew that the recon
struution acts OF Congress would sent
among US Thousands Of worthless ad
ventures who would mount to place
and power through the votes OF thei
negro dupe3 aud allies, and VIII
would get rich by pil,aging a peopl
already impoverished by the war.
few brief years tutliced to confirm
Greeley's iorebodings; for ever.
Southern paper told the indignitie
and crue't.es and expressions in
Hioled by these Northern bird
OF prey. Greeley did no
wait for palace cars to take his re
porters down to the South. Hi
kind heart caused him 10 come an
see for himself the sad conditions {
oar people, aud what he saw h
frankly wrote back to New York IT.
bIne, his great paper. His letters ha
no picture illustrations, but they wer
Tepublished in hundreds OF Mother
papers and read by millions OF Nortl
ern people, who had never beiol
seen or heard the truth about I'll
South, but who knew that Creole
would tell the truth. The result vi
most wonderful change OF feelin
towards the South upon the part {
many Northern papers and politician
but no change IL ohrontcled on Il
part Of tho Harpers. 80 grea, was Il
popular change, that when Grant W
nom mated for the Presidency in 1877
Northern NTH nominated Creole
Ss his opponent, for thu
had begun to tire of Grant
military rule. A result still mo
wonderful was that, with all his mi
lAry reputation, and all the patronaj
At bis disposal, Grant got at least l7C
600 fewer t0hite votes in 1872 thu
Greeley d d. The negroes, not Il
whites, elected Grant.
HoHce Gfeelcy's visit TO the Sou
had made this change. He was
the South when she needed poweri
friends. She was then struck dow
and Greeley was worth to her lC
such men as the Harpers He wal
friend indeed, because a fdond
need, aud the South never forgot
jay Gould was another such irie
-. l. q .a..t EIn nOn - MauaNb; T.,