Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-05
Bad ADVICE.

South with good counsel would quit
wasting their time and their advice II they
could realize the light in which their homi-
lies cause them 70 appear TO the southern
people. The old rule that a witness Is TO
be credited il he il both an expert and
truthful implies that q witness Is not to be
credited il he undertakes TO testify az 10
matters Of which he has no knowledge.
All northern people labor under this disa-
bility. There are features of the southern
social system which no man understands
and no man can understand who has not
resided in the midst of a large negro popu-
lation. And the residence must have been
q long one. A visit will not answer the
purpose. In fact the only man who tho
roughly comprehends the negro character
and the relations between the negro and
The white man is one who was born and
reared in community where there were a
large number of negroes.
just now the Democrats of the South, or.
in other words. the white men OF the
South. are apprehensive of legislation by
Congress which will reduce the southern
States to condition in some respects like
that Of Ireland, and provide for governing
those States from Washington. How IS
this legislation to be accomplished? If ac-
complished by the Republicans at oil it will
be effected by first altering the rules OF the
House of Representatives to suit them
selves aud then turning out Democrats
enough and seating in their places Repuo-
Iicans enough to give TO the Republicans
the control of the House. The New York
Herald seriously advises the Democrats not
20 fllbuster against this irremedia0ie
wrong--to hold illwhilst the Republicans
handcuf the South and trust to the future
20 set "all things even"
"There Is no doubt that the rules need
to be changed" So says the Herald This
surrenders the whole question. IL the
rules need to be changed, the majority
sbould change them; and they will be sure
70 change them in their own interest. MIR.
REED will be more than Lord Chancellor
i'm the House OF Lords. He will defeat all
bills TO which he is opposed, and cause to
be considered all of which he is in favor.
He will inspect the House of Repre-
sentatives. and by inspection decide
for himself and for 800 other members
when there is q quorum present. OF course
he will always decide that there Is
quorum present when the Republicans are
nearly all in their seats, and that there Is
not quorum present when nearly ali the
Republicans are not in their seats.
Here is the sage conclusion of the
whole matter" as ii appears to our New
York contemporary:
-"They ought at the same time to so
frame the new rules that neither the
<bpeaker nor any other member shall have
' power 10 prevent the consideration OF any
measure which the majority OF members
declare they wish to consider II IL DO
urged that thereupon dlsagreeaOie Inea-
sures or jobs contrary to the pubic interest
will have chance to be passed; the an
those who vote for such measures. and tho
second house has for the reason OF ITS ex-
istence the fact that il must review and re-
wise the action of the first"
That means that the South should again
consent TO undergo the evils and wrongs
of reconstruction days rather than that
her representatives in Congress should fill
buster against the passage of national
election-law. The new reconstruction
would ruin the South. She was almost
pauperized before she got out Of the hands
of the negroes and carpet-baggers and
scalawags who ran riot in her limits from
1866 to 1876. She could not undergo another
such experience without ceasing to exist.
She has not vitality enough to enable her
to outlive another such drain upon her
moral and physical resources.
Think of telling gang of negroes. car
pet-baggers. and scalawags that tho re-
sponsibilty" rests upon them! They
would gladly accept the responsibility and
proceed every two years to count In p"
every Republican candidate in every
southern congressional district. They
would thus perpetuate Republican ma
FORTY in the House of Representatives for
an indefinite period, and the silly Demo-
Gratis who followed the Heraid's advice
would grow gray waiting for the good
results of the policy of throwing the Ie-
sponsibihty" upon a set of upprincipled
partisans.
In word, the Herald and all other north
ern papers that give the same counsel
which il gives advise the South to allow
her throat TO be cut and trust to Jack the
Giant-Killer TO resurrect her by blast
from his horn.