The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-05-30


| equipment for life was never thought or
as n burden Contrast these domestic
| conditions with the abnormal state OF
things IN one OF the oldest Common
| wcalths Of the Republic. where there are
| hundreds OF homes without a child ana
over hundred thousand families with
/ but one child each. An Agricultural
| rather than a mercantile or manufactur-
! ing people. the typical Southern home
| was a country mansion. The club was
/ almost unknown. nor was even the hotel
/ very common. Neither was needed for
/ pleasure or for hospitality, because both
were ahundanty provided In the home.
| Before the state or the city or county,
as receiving the first loyalty and love and
/ as fundamental TO the beautiful social
! fabric Of those sweet, idyllic days. was
/ that uncomfortable institution 10 the
/ Southern home. imploring that purest Of
! al governments. the old-time Southern
! family.
Honorable citizenship also marked the
/ politics Of the "Oid South" We were
| almost overwhelmingly homogeneous
t people Of the same speech. race, creed,
and customs What contrast 10 the
rnixod population OF modern America.
DO you know that to-day I'm the United
! States there are. including their offspring,
| 80 @000 foreigners from nnmberless
countries2 Professor Boyesen, himself
Norwegian. says: "Once our immigration
came chiefly from the best parts Of Italy,
Lomhardy and the Piedmont region; to-
day II IS from Sicily Naples and the low
est strata Of Italian society" Asia
threatens MS with on invasion on the
East Of her pagan myrmdons Immi-
grants we all were once. 20 be sure: i'm
migrants and foreigners were our Anglo
Saxon ancestors who took these shores
from the Indian. the only native Ameri-
can Of that period Immigrants and for
cigncrs so fer from being disiikcd VIII
be ever welcome. provided they came 20
be American citizens in fun sympathy
with free American institutions. But
when we remember that we have no in
tolligent naturalization laws, when we
recall the fact that to-day every alien
/ NAV get ont fun naturalization papers
! after only five years residence I'm Amer
! lea, and IN some States. as I'm Colorado.
! be entitled 10 vote for President of the
! United states after n residence Of only
/ four months. we may well inquire Il
| American codes and customs can stand
| the strain. Each and every American,
/ with personal and hereditary interest in
our land. must wait twcuty-one years
before De casts his ballot. while the for
cigncr always ignorant and often antago-
nistic 10 the genius Of the Government.
inquire II IL is not time we were excluding
from our shores what Charncey Depew
calls the drink and scum element which
are making our land the degraded dump
ing-ground Of European and Asiatic peo-
pies"
What remedy for America but a return
10 the conditions Of citizenship in the
cold South? There the individual citi-
zen Of homogeneous society valued the
right Of franchise as 81 sacred thing.
The office sought the man and not the
man the office Even officers who lapsed
I'm private morality were seldom wanting
I'm public virtue. Nominations TO office
were not secured by packed conventions
nor by hired henchmen, but by an intelh-
| gent majority Of free Anglo-Saxon cit-
Gems Public Office was regarded. as Pres
dent Cleveland is trying 10 make IT to-
day, public trust. His Georgian Secre-
tary is true 20 Southern traditions when
| he tells our cOuntrymen that public
Offices should be used for the exclusive
/ benefit of those who do not hold them"
NepOtism was unknown 70 Southern
| statesmanship gift-taking by a public
officer was scorned as a genteel form Of
bribery; paternalism I'm Government was
repudlated on the ground that "the leased
governed people is the best governed
| people" Individualism was fOstered on
the principle that the State pauperizes
| and degrades the citizen when II seeks
10 do for him what he is able 10 do for
himself Strict construction of the Con-
sutuuOn was demanded even when lax
views OF that noble instrument would
have enriched tho South by enormous ex-
penditures on rivers. harbors, public
buildings and coast defences and the like.
All these Just and righteous principles
found their incarnation I'm jefferson Davis.
Davis, returning from Mexico with the
laurcls of victory on his brow. declined
as unconstitutional a commission 10 q
brigadicr-general rank offered by the
President of the United States. Davis
during the civil war. when the enemy
threatened his private property on the
Mississippi. spurned the suggestion that
he should seek 10 save il by Confederate
troops maintaining that private interests
should be subordinate TO the public good.
Davis. again, when liberal citizens Of this
city purchased and presented TO him a
house refused 10 accept It on the ground
that the President Of a great republic
should not be dependent on private kind
ness. Davis was ihe unanimous choice
Of the South to the Presidency. SO far
from seeking the highest civil station the
preference OF Davis was for military
leadership. and the former was actually
thrust upon him by his enthusiastic coun-
trymen.
Davis. besides all this. would speak TO |
us OF the South words Of broad. ma |
tional patriotism. Stigmatzed ass a trail |
tor ne may be by partisan hate and |
sectional detractiOn, but patriot he was !
after as well as before and during the |
war, always and everywhere a patriot |
The object Of his allegiance changes pro- |
perry enough but his loyalty never. That |
he sued for no pardon from the red |
eral Government does not disprOve his |
patriotism: that he declined TO serve as /
senator from Mississippi does not show
reluctance to work for the upbuilding Of |
the reunited country How could he OBJ
tain pardon without loss of self-respect; |
how could he accept citizenship without
pardon; how could he hold Office under
the dominant party at the South, but
the minority party in the Republic, |
without intensifying rather than allay-
ing. sectional bitterness and so delaying
and cooperation? Silence and
seclusiOn were the only resources left to
the "uncrowned king of a fallen nation"
Speech and publicity would have been un-
because liable TO stir up the
Incorporate love Of friends and infame |
the INSCRIPTIONS vindictiyeness Of foes.
Fortunately for history Mr.. Davis once
or twice broke his dignlhed reserve 10
express his sentiments on the duty Of the
new South TO the Republic. What were
those sentmcnts2 What American. North |
OF South. would wish TO conceal them?
Hear them. i pray YOU. I'm a speech at
banquet given 10y the Army OF Northern
Virginia I'm New orleans December G.
1878, Mr.. Davis says: I'VE arc now at