The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-28
sECTIoNALIsM NORTH AND SOUTH.

Anenthusiastic Republican contemporary
thinks that new era is just dawning on
the United States, the real commencement
of which is the recent admission of the new
northwestern states. 1t fancies that in
this fact exists the disruption of Mason
and Dixons line; that the sectional divi-
sion of the country politically, by means of
which we have northern and southern
states, cannot continue many years longer,
unless the south is willing to consider it
self permanently outside the ranks of the
majority in the national government. That
division has existed ever since the govern
ment was formed, but it was, the
authority quoted says, in the nature of
things impossible that affairs should be
otherwise before the war of the rebellion
broke out. Two civilizations existed in
the country, diverse in aim if not in in
terest The one in the north was in
harmony with Republican institutions"
and moved onward with the march of
civilization" If our contemporary had
referred to republicanism in its party
sense, no fault could have been found with
that particular declaration, but the fact
remains that it is wide of the mark when
ever it attempts to show that the north. as
dominated by the Republican party, was or
i5essentially republican in its national sense
for the tendency of that party at all times
was and is from popular government to
the accumulation and Capitalization of
power at the headquarters of the govern
ment.
The paper comedies that both sections
bred able statesmen, but for years and
years those of the South were more aggres-
sive ana influential, This is accounted for
in the fact of the want of Enterprise in
mateTial affairs and their love of politics
and political influence. The claim is made
that the North rallied at last and success
fully resisted the encroachments of the
South, because Of tho ''RtrQpg moral senti-
menth that had hold upon the people Of the
former and because the South in its
anxiety for the sacred institution Of
slavery became arrogant and claimed
for it the service and obedience Of the
whole country; and lastly, because
the south was mad enough to com
nit suicide by Rrraying itself in arms
against the government" 1t is considered
that the close of the war, the abolition of
slavery, and triumph of the north so
effective as to exclude the southern states
from representation until it was granted by
the victors, would seem to have ended
p this northern and southern question" On
the contrary, it was only fairly the com
mencement of it, since prior to that time
the people of the two sections did not know
how different in all ordinary respects they
were from each other.
The paper then goes on to state that, con-
trary to expectation, the division alluded to
has continued to exist for quarter of a
century in the history Of the government,
and thinks that the strangest thing about it
was that when the south was restored IL
was restored with more representation in
the government, absolutelyEand relatively,
than it ever had. This fact and the efforts OF
politicians to continue the old strife which
had divided the sections have made a north
and a south still in the government
when all other logical reasons for it had
ceased. But the new power given to the
south in representation was really neces-
sary for the purpose of unfolding it. THAT
power, however, is soon to be parted with.
The census and the new arrangement of
states are to do the work AS section
she will soon be enormously overborne by
the north and the west. In the United
States Senate she viii be very early placed
in hopeless minority, and in any event
the north is destined to have the advantage
in the upper house of Congress-"
1t is commended, however, that the north
has not exhausted her resources in the new
states, that she still has Idaho, Wyoming
and Arizona, all of which are TO be admitted
some time, to rely upon, and that to offset
all these the south can only rely upon New
Mexico. Just why Arizona. which goes
Democratic with tolerable uniformity,
should be classed as it is, does not appear;
and until Idaho and Wyoming double their
present population, all hopes regarding
them as props for the Republican fabric
would seem to be more visionary than sub
stantial. reference is also made to Texas,
which by virtue of a clause in the contract
of her admission into the Union, has the
right of division into four states at any
time the people may elect, and which action
would add six electors and as many Sena- |
tors to the Democratic position.
Our contemporary concludes its article |
as follows:
We are precious near the end Of the northern |
and southern sectional division If We have not |
already reached it. 1t is no longer the interest |
of either party TO keep II up. The Democrats /
must have more northern states If they are TO
carry another presidential election The Re
publicans will certainly remove the barrier to |
their carving the southern ones. With this it |
is to be remembered that the south has least of |
all, an interest in remaining in that isolation
that is implied in the term being solid" in her
by remaining solid, but everything to gain by |
not being SO. If she is wise, she viii heed the
signs OF the times.
It ought to be, but is not apparently re-