Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-17
TUESDAY. .............JULY IL, 1883.
Smashing" the Sohd South.

The Cincinnati Commercial Gazette Is never
happy unless II ia at fever heat and has a re-
frain. Not many years ago its refrain was
"a Jail full OF murderers," and II kept that
up until the result proved very disastrous 10
Cincinnati. Now its refrain is "smash the
solid South "a thing easier said than done.
These words have been appearing in Its
columns with monotonous regularity recent-
", and in a late issue It devotes nearly
two columns OF space TO labored effort
10 tell the public how it would proceed to
carly out It's smashing" programme. The
article referred 10 is o remarkable one In
many respects. II presents queer mixture
Of references TO the Constitution OF the
United States, unwarranted assumptions,
and bloody-shirtism. 1t starts out by quoting
the fourteenth aud fifteenth amendments,
but what these have 10 do with its
programme IS more than the average
reader will be able TO take In, seeing
that in the article under review the Com
mercial- Gazette makes the same admissions
1t did about two weeks ago-yiz., that the
Dispdtch's Interpretation OF the fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments was the true one.
and that the ratification Of the fifteenth
amendment bad virtually stricken from the
Constitution the second section OF the four
teenth amendment. Our contemporary then
prints In parallel columns first the maiorities
Of negroes HUiRq in certain congressional
districts in certain OF the southern States
ha nnmnpTaiip
majorities given in the same districts in
1886, and adds that the first column "shows
what the c0lored maiorties would be accord
ing TO the Census" In other words, the Gin
cinnati Commercial Gazette claims that the
southern negro has no right to vote the
Democratic ticket or TO refuse to vote at all,
for says that paper, with the exception land
we quote It's exact words, Of "sOme cranks,
some fools, some sneaks, some brutes, and
Iascals among Them" the negroes OF the
South are Republican. Our contemporary
forgot 10 add that according TO Republican
theory and practice that applies TO the negroes
Of the north also. For proof we refer the
Commercial. Gazette TO the treatment negro
Democrats are receivingin Ohio, Illinois, and
Nebraska. But the COmmercidL-Gazette'S
references 10 the census and the American
Almanac seem to have no more direct bears
ing upon It's programme than its references
10 the Constitution. 1t was simply trying
TO get a running start, and the ques-
ton arises, How after all does 1t
propose TO "smash the solid South"
Having made several more admissions
that are very damaging to its cause 1t
finally says 1t would extend the wholesome
influences OF legislation TO the Nirginias,
North Carolina, and Tennessee until they
became Republican, and that against the
solid South 10 would have the North united.
As to the first part OF this proposition our
contemporary will have TO be more explicit.
As TO opposing a solid North to a solid South
that suggestion involves an unqualified con-
fessiOn that the Republican party is the Sec
tiona party, and therefore affords the best
OF reasons why the South should remain
solid. The South Is solid for the protection
and preservation OF her civilization. A"solid
Northv means crusade against that civili-
cation IN which the malignants would
seek to reestablish the condition OF
affairs that existed in reconstruction days.
The malignants through their Cincinnati
organ plead guilty to the most serious
charges that have been brought against
them. A solid South stands for progress
aud fraternity. The solid North, advocated
by HALsTEAD, stands for retrogression and
hatred. On the whole the Commercial Ga
seite seems TO have gotten itself into ter
rible tangle. There is only one thread in
the mixed skein that can well be followed,
and that thread represents desire to keep
alive passion and prejudice. We could have
saved 1t great waste OF time aud space by
telling It that the only way to smash the solid
South Is to smash the malignants.