Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1899-10-26
THURSDAY, OCTOBER %, 1899.
THE SOUTH AWAKENING.

mocratic leadership has retarded the pro-
gress Of the South The masses of the
people have followed blindly the teachings
of these leaders and given their support
to policies that have been ruionous to our
section. This began when the Southern
States, under the inspiration of Demo-
cratic leaders, disrupted the Union by
passing ordinances of secession. We do
not mean to say that the States did not
have the constitutional right to Withdraw
from the Union; but we do mean to say,
that it is now the opinion of every I'M
baised mind that secession was supreme
folly, for which no necessity EXISTED; and
that the success of the movement would
not only have been productive of damage
to this entire country and the civilized
world, but ruinous to the welfare of the
South.
At the close of the Civil War, when Sc
cession had failed, it is strange that the
masses Of the people did not realize that the
Democratic leaders of the South had been
unwise and selfish, and those of the North
treacherous and deceitful, in advocating
and encouraging secession. But
the people of the South continued
to blindly follow the same unwise and
selfish leadership that had brought devas
tation and sorrow to our section. How
much wiser would it have been to have
hardened to the far reaching expression:
"Let us have peace! as uttered by Gen
eral Grant. Those words were notintend-
ed, as great many thought, to refer to
stopping a conflict of arms, but were in
tended to have much broader meaning,
that there should be complete reconcila.
ton between the late warning sections,
that a union of sentiment should prevail,
and unity of interests be established.
The wise thing for the people Of the South
to have done would have been to have
united with General Grant and the party
ganization With which he identified HIM
self, and carried into full operation The
suggestion: "Let us have peace!" There
We're very few political Or military leaders
at the South who were liberal and wise
enough to respond to the generous invita-
ton Of General Grant. Among the latter,
we can recall none but Longstrcet and
Mosby; and they were for long time
scorned by their fellow-citlzens of this
section.
At the conclusion of the Civil War the
South placed itself under control of the
same impractical leaders Of this section
and of the men at the North and West
who encouraged secession and deserted
the South after thereckless step was taken
such men as Seymour, Bayard and Foor-
hees. This leadership impressed the be.
lief upon our people that duty and interest
demanded that the South be solid against
anything and everything the Republican
party was for. SO, the South again became
solid for free trade and other doctrines
that were antagonistic to its true intererests;
and for number of years opposed an
industrial policy that is now, even against
its will, as expressed at the ballot box,
developing Its resources to marvellous
extent, and that is destined, if not dis
continued, to make our section the richest.
in the Union. Protection, as principle,
was made distasteful to our people by the
teachings of incapable leaders, who held
that the principle was essentially wrong,
because the Republican party was its
originator and advocate.
Then came the dangerous doctrine of the
free and unlimited coinage of silver and
the debasement of the national currency.
This unsounG doctrine, which became
popular by the efforts of Populists and
Western demagogues, was seized upon and
appropriated by the Southern Democracy,
because it was not endorsed by the Re-
publican party.
Recently Southern Democratic leaders
have been trying to indoctrinate the peo-
pie with the new Bryanism-anti-im-
perialism or antiexpansion--as they
choose to term it. This position has been
taken by Mr.. Bryan solely for the purpose
of raising a new issue with the Republican
party; and a great part of the Democratic
leadership of the South, in keeping witt
its past record, has pronounced against
expansion. This is because the Republi-
can party is believed to be for expansion.
The disposition among the Southern
people to oppose anything the Republi-
cans may be for, no matter how good it
may be; and to advocate anything the
Democratic party may be for, no matter
how Indifferent or dangerous it NAV be,
is, we believe, rapidly declining. When