Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-23
GENERAL JOHNsON's SPEECH.

GENERAL JOHNSON'S SPEECH.
While the truculent Northern Demo-
cracy and the solid South in the Demo
cratic Convention at St. Louis, aided by
thirty-eight votes secured to it by the
grace of enfranchisement conferred upon
human beings whom the South refuses
to permit the exercise of the right, was
nominating Mr.. Cleveland-on the same
day, General Bradley T. johnson, at
Baltimore, over the graves of Confederate
dead, uttered these words;
The South is progressing. She is not dead
These old Confederate soldiers and their de-
scendants elect ninety out of every 100 Con-
gressmen, thirty-four OF the United States Sen
ators, and the President of the United States.
The Government of the United States is con-
trolled by Confederate soldiers. These old Con-
federate soldiers are not idle. Their work for
twenty-siX years in Government in railroads.
and in industrial enterprises Of all sorts is MAX
ing itself felt all over the land. In 1899 Texas
will send twenty-five men to Congress The
anxiety will then be not who can carry New
York in the election, but who can carry Texas.
Every Confederate soldier carries with him
chained to his heart a casket of his dead hope
and aspirations which he will carry with him
tlIDuSH llie rs Dt)uSldS uIu TUE HtdII Ol
to the Holy Land to show his devotion to the
cause for which he fought If the time should
ever come, and II were necessary, there are
10 600 in Maryland who would stand for their
cause as Douglas did for Bruce. ! cannot forget
Jefferson Davis. He is patient statesman and
hero. He is renowned for his patriotism.
hope he will go down to his grave with the dis
franchisement his enemies have put upon him,
for l am sure he would never accept the right
of suffrage except by unanimous consent, of
which there is not the remotest hope.
And yet, if a Republican paper ven
lures to suggest that the gain in four
years of $1,000 votes in Louisiana to the
Democratic party was Democratic fraud,
it is told that it is "waving the bloody
shirt" If it dares to assert the unde-
niable truth that the South has gained
certain block of votes in Congress upon
given basis of representation. 'vhie in
fact and practice there is denied 10 tie
constituents of that basis voice in choos-
ing the Representatives it is told it is
waving the bloody shirt. What was it
General johnson waved, forsooth, when he
spoke so indiscreetJy but told so much
truth? 1t was strange duo of events
tn at characterized that day; at st. Louis
the red bandana waving in honor of the
delivery Of the few votes the solid South
needs to dominate the laws and industries
of the country; at Baltimore an Exon
iederate General proclaiming loudly
that the Government of the United
States is controlled by Confederate SOL
diers." Thereby he expressly admitted,
and meant to be understood as admitting,
that the freemen of the South are ex-
cluded from free voting participation in
elections.
This same General Bradley T. johnson,
OF Virginia, ON this same memorial occa-
sion also said:
| expect to live TO see the time when the
cause ofthe COnfederates will be looked upon
as that of true constitutional liberty the world
over. l did not believe the United
States had right o cOercc the Southern people.
said would fight if they tried to do it. and l
did fight. ! would do the same thing to-mor-
row, as God is my witness.
How many of our sensitive Democratic
friends who object to criticism of the cleo
ton outrages in the South will find time
to protest also against this new exposure of
the Confederate flag by ex-rebels? We
certainly have no desire to stir anew the
animosities of the war; the past should be
forgiven; it never can be forgotten; but in
the name of the Union dead, who laid
down their lives to sanctify principle
that cements the States of the Republic,
let men of the order of General johnson
cease to air sentiments such as he ex-
pressed. 1t is not possible for these utter
ances to be made public by chosen South
ern orators and expect those who stood
for the indissoluble union of States to re-
main unmoved.
Despite General Johnson's regrets and
longings for the cruel slavery days, he
declared, however:
Never was the South making greater strides
in material progress than now. She is acquir-
ing wealth and power swiftly and surely. Ma
terial prosperity is something great and worthy
of admiration, but there are aspirations higher
than mere accumulation OF wealth-a feeling
nobler than the desire to get rich.
He could not admit, it appears, that in
the blaze of this age OF freedom the South,
which was Il sluggard and refrigerated I'M
der the slavery system, is developing in
industry, selfhelpfulness, honest labor, the
opening up of natural resources and by the
incoming of new blood, in marvellous
manner, without coupling with the admis-
sion the regret for the old times" What
ever he may have meant by that nobler
feeling he added in the same breath
these words:
viii your new South produce such men as the
history OF the Commonwealth of the past can
point to? show me Commonwealth that
made such a record as Virginia from I776 to
lSl5-irom the day of Washington to that of
Robert E. Lee-tor genius, for patriotism. brains.
craftsmanship, ideas which characterized the
great men who came from the old South.
Ii the orator, who, We are told, was often
and warmly applauded, really expects an
answer, we would venture in the light OF
the worlds history to reply that the new
South, or any other group of States, or any
civilization viii develop the men for its
needs and its times. While nations revere