The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-01-05

is removed. What better occasion
could be found than the year OF jubilee
to cancel old debts, as did the Jews OF
old? What date more convenient to
close the old account and begin a new
one: Thirty-five years the disability
has lasted-ampie time for any reason
able purpose. When the wound is
healed. the lgatures become nuisance
and a source Of danger. We are tod
that the Spanish war has wiped out the
last remnant Of il!-ieeiiu.. Let Us
prove this by the most questionable
evidence and thus make sure that the
thirtv-ivc years coHvalescence Of the
body polite has been terminated BY
its restoration to perfect health.
This, then, i, the visionary ougges-
ton:
In 1900 let us elect as President Of
the United Suites an er-Co4federate
officer.
No vivid Imagination j. needed to
picture the effect OF such a step. \
great shout Of JOY vii! rug through
Dixie. The days Of nomination, cleo
ton. aud inauguration viii be such
fea~t- a. have not been Witnessed III
the memory IF man F'airer forms
tha.I thO-e OF The r3natf"nl.a will
grace the joyous pagcautry. HecatOmbs
Of beeves viii he sacrificed III iuuuner-
able barbccues. For the first time III 80
years Southern men viii feel that their
| land is entirely theirs, that they are
full citizens. They will rejoice at
their own defeat which earned for
! them the rapture of such a reconcilja-
| ton. The South Will become more
| patriotic than the North. An EZRA of
! good feeling; throughout the country
will mark the dawn Of the new century.
Is the nation ready for such step:
Being creatures of habit. we are always
loath to take new departure. even
though circums tances have changed
Matthew Arnold considers America
one of the strOngholds of Philistnism,
Outranked only by England and espec-
ilIly by Germany. Philistines hate
sentiment as the Prince of Darkness
hates holy water. What have the
| # no 10, 10 l,Il
and cents2
More tangible difficulties arise from
the fact that the plan will have to be
carried out by existing political machin-
cry and in the presence of existing
a vision. fancy may at pleasure demol-
ish the obstacles.
For a moment it might seem i'm
material whether the candidate be
nominated by Democrats or Republi-
cans. The next moment, however.
this supposition is seen to be incom-
patible with the purpose of the pro-
posal. \ jubilee Gift is to be offered
to the South that, in her JOY over it..
she may forget her lingering grief land
the giver his own grudge-a consum-
nation not less devoutly to be wished)
To this end we must omit nothing that
may make the gift more grateful. The
bouquet must be made of the finest
flowers, not OF wayside pickings; the
testal viands should be the most
savory to be found in the market, not
the lean ribs of starvelings To vote
fer a Republican the South would have
to be suddenly converted from its deep
rooted habit of Democratic solidity:
and habits are like teeth. painful to
part with. The reluctance would
balance the pleasure and thus defeat
the very object sought. Hence, the
candidate must be Democrat, nomi-
mated by Democrats. He should be
an eX-Centederate. for nothing else
will give such emphatic assurance to
the South that the last trace of ami
mostly has vanished. To this end
also, the delegate nominating him
should bea Northern ex-Union soldier,
The candidate must be free-silver
man, for, rightly or wrongly, the South
is nearly as solid for silver as for
Democracy. In brief. the civer must
consult not his own taste but that Of
the recipient. The finer the Gift. the
more offensive are ungracIOus con-
! dltions. We must pick out the man
the South likes best. which can readil,
: be done by allowing the South toselect
!, him; and we must elect him in the
!. way the South likes best. There is
no danger that they will select ar
, unsafe or radical man to disgrace
} the occasion; the South is at least as
conservative and dignitied as the North
Let no one imagine that this is {
scheme to lure the country away from
tIlC -otu lON Iutuliaiit tlrl
J the present purpoSe). the Senate i
: safely on the side of sound money
for at least six years. II. however, tn,
candidate were TO enter the campaigr
with an aggressive silver plank. many
Northern Democrats, rather than lenl
an appareut-even though not i'm
mediately etiectiye-approval 10 ;
cause they condemn. would torego the
pleasure of aiding the Great Reconcil
iation by their votes.
Hence. assurance must be given tc
) Northern Democrats that their vote:
} will not be counted as ,ree-silver votes
and Will in no way imperil the existin.
: !