The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1898-12-24
DECEMBER "a, 1898
sEcrYoNALIsM GIVING WAY.

All the speeches at the Atlanta
peace jubilee express a national senti-
ment and feeling of fraternity re-
gardless of sta tie lines such as the
country never witnessed before on
the same scale. The memory of few
living persons reaches back to a time
when sectional influences in the
country were not at work. More
than forty years ago the spirit of
division became acute and one OF the
most desperate and destructive wars
of history followed. For time after
that tre emendous conflict the South
took but limited interest IN public
affairs. When its political activities
revived, the old sectional lines were
distinctly drawn, and south and north
still confronted each other in con-
gress and in general elections. But
time has gradually softened old
causes Of unpleasantness. Many in
truth were superficial. Nothing more
was needed to clear them away than
some event calculated to arouse
American patriotism wherever it
existed: A foreign war brought from
every state in the union the same re-
sponse of courage and devotion.
More than they realized the people of
all the states had drawn nearer each
other in the sense of nationality. The
Atlanta love feast is but one of
several demonstrations of the fact.
There is no reason why the old
lines of past differences and dissen-
sions should be perpetuated in our
politics. They serve no good pur-
pose and do not fit existing condi-
tiOns. The country would be bene-
fited by larger share in public af-
fairs of the strong men of the south.
On leading questions they are by no
means all of one opinion. Yet the
bonds of sectIonalism hitherto have
proved stronger than others. One
evil entalled by clinging to past ideas
is the marked decline in the south of
active participation in politics. The
whole vote in Mississippi, Loulsana
or Arkansas in the November cleo
tiOn was smaller than in a single con-
gresslonal district in st. Louis. A
governor was elected in South Caro-
lima by an aggregate vote smaller than
was cast in third of the st. Louis
wards. Again the south is threatened
with abstention in politics, and this is
not good for itself. A Democratic
paper In Richmond remarks: 1--WE
believe that one of the greatest needs
in the south today is strong minor
. ity party, and there would be such a
party but for the peculiar conditions. -
What these are should awaken south
ern inquiry.
Gen. Wheeler, in a speech at
Atlanta, mentioned fact that Is often
overlooked. He said the records of
the civil war show that "the people
of the slaveholding states were al
most equally divided, those who
fought under the stars and stripes of
the union being fully equal in num-
Der to those who arrayed themselves
under the stars and bars of the con-
federacy." This helps to explain
the small vote in the south. An
enor nous number of southern citi-
zens are evidently dissatisfied with
the present political action based
upon sectional traditions. In a
national matter, like the war with
Spain, the south stands ready to per-
form its full duty and easily supplies
men of brains and character to as
sumo due place in the leadership.
But, politically, it has not been living
In the present, not sustaining the part
for which it is qualified by ability and
strong American qualities. 1t Ger.