Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-25
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 il
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
a 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.
If these same men, who are as loyal to the
Union to-day as they were disloyal to 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
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 a 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
their reputation and scaling theories,
are fit and proper men to be re-
stored to their rights rs citizens
OF the country, because they accept
the creed OF the Republican party.
Such creed is fit for such men. If q
negro at the South does not train in the
Republican ranks, he is deprived OF his
rights, if we may believe the Sherman
school of politicians. The South is thor.
oughly Democratic, and the negroes of
the South will all adhere to that party
when they emancipate themselves from
the control of Republican carpet-baggers
at the South. Since the present Admin
istration came into office the negroes have
learned how ill-founded were their fears
OF what the Democratic party would do ii
put into office, and how false were the
charges OF the Republicans upon which
such fears were based. The South of
to-day is new South, and she is
making noble struggle to better
her condition in every way, and her
efforts should be seconded by all. Ii the
South erred, how terribly has she expi-
ated that error! The North and the
South are mingling together, and neither
can be imposed upon by demagogues as
to what the other is doing as they could
be ten years ago. The attempts OF such
men as Senator Sherman, Congressman
Boutelle and all who wave the bloody
shirt will not succeed in making Il live
issue out Of the dead past, and they long
since sickened the better class of their
party by their low and demagogic arts.
But such attempts show how desperate
is the cause of the Republican party, and
ii the Democrats will but stand by the
President and his policy, the Republican
party will be buried at depth from
which there is no resurrection.