The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1894-05-10
ARTIFICIAL PROSPERITY.
THE SOUTH HAS HAD. HER SHARE
OF 1T.
The Courier>Journafs Exposure of
Southern manufactured by Ger
tam NEWSPAPERS and PGliticians

Southern manufactured by Ger
tam Newspapers and Politicians.
From the Louisville Courier-Journall
The Courier-Journal has received a
request to 'expoSe the danger the
South is in from the prospective with
drawal of Eastern capital on account
of the insane course of certain South
ern newspapers and politicians"
The Jourier-Journal gladly COM
plies.
There is a great deal Of insanity all
over the country just now, Of which
the South has it's share in common
with all other sections.
There is the insanity of PopuliSm,
with it's demands for fiat money and
Government railroads.
There is the insanity of Protection,
with it's demand for special privileges
and special taxes for the support Of
favored Industries.
There is the insanity of Coxeyism,
the offshoot of both these forms OF
pauperiZing paternalism, with it's de-
mand for Government support, with
little or no work to do and plenty of
pay for it.
There is the insanity of silver fanat-
icism, with it's ceaSeleSS demand that
the Government shall ''dO something
for silver" even to the extent OF
pawnbroking the output of the West
ern mines.
There is the insanity of gold-bug
ism, with it's constant Mysteries in the
presence of the silver bogie.
OF all these forms of alteration,
save, perhaps, the last, the South has
it's share. The triumph of any one OF
them, without restraint from sOunder
sense and broader principle, would
threaten danger, not to the South
alone, but to the entire country. But
there is an insanity peculiar to GER
tain Southern newspapers and pOliti-
clans which is as dangerous as any Of
these, though it does not threaten the
withdrawal of Eastern capital from
the South. This is the insanity Of
those newspapers and politicians who,
the country after more than a fair
trial of protection, the paralysis Of
trade through over protection, the
idlenesS of thousands of skilled work
men in protected industries, the weak
ness and uncertainty of commercial
fabric built too rapidly and to too
great height for its foundation, yet
have the folly to insist that the
South, which is just fairly beginning
to build on the same sandy fOunda-
tion which the storm of panic has
swept from under so many enterprises.
The Courier-JOurnal knows of no in
sanity to equal this.
A fig for the threats of the with
drawal of Eastern capital from the
South because of Southern insistence
upon Democratic fidelity to the
promise of tariff reform, or because Of
Southern support of an income tax.
This is of piece with the usual poll
cy of protection, which has not
scrupled to press into it's service every
evil means and motive, corrupting,
cajoling and threatening as best suited
it's necessities. That for which the
Courier-Journal feels regret and
shame is not that so many men in the
South still invite the wrath Of the
Protectionist ogre by remaining true
to their principles, but that SO many
have weakly surrendered to the enemy
at the first show of force, or have
suffered themselves to be driven by
threats or decoyed by promises into
the opposite camp.
The South has had enough of artifi-
cial prosperity. The Southern pro-
tectionists today were Southern
boomers few years ago. The panic
was the bursting not only of the local
bubble, but of a universal imitation In
business. The South has borne its
share of the storm. 1t has even come
out of it stronger. If it is wise it will
now insist upon being left free to
build up its industries on solid,
| natural foundation, so that it may
have the markets of the world for a
| free exchange for it's products, cOlnpet-
| ing fairly with all and asking bounty
of none. The threat of withdrawal
of capital is puerile Capital will &c
| where it can earn most. 1t has been
| going to the South because of certain
| natural advantages that so far from
| being destroyed would become more
valuable under free trade. 1t will not
sulk because the Federal Government
| taxes incomes, or because a large part
| of the South believes in silver money
or because the section insists upOr
| stopping the unconstitutional bOunt
les to favored Industries. Capita
never bothers itself about revenge
| All it's wants is interest and dividend!
| and the security of its contracts, an(
theses are ip no wise threatened b.
| the Southern Democracy.
The Ceurier-Journal trusts that thi
expose of the Southern insanity ma,
be satisfactory to the New York pro
tectionist who called for it.