The sun., 1907-08-04

What animated the poor whites was pride
in their race as such. and a dread, partly
instructive. partly rational. lest their in
stitutions traditions and ideals were to be
appropriated or submerged.
We pass over the commercial and in
dustriai decentralization in the North from
1859 to 1873. and come to the movement
toward white supremacy in the South
CS74-77). There is no doubt that the
result Of the elections held in 1874 through
out the covntry was full of promise for
the afflicted white people OF the South.
The return of 4 De mocratic House of Repre-
sentstives TO the next Congress was natu-
rally the salient feature OF the new situation;
but scarcely less satisfactory was the evil
denoe OF the growing volume Of sympathy
on tho part Of the most thoughtful classes
in the North for the corresponding classes
in the South. Liberal Republcanism,
though il proved a dismal failure in the
Presidential election Of 1872. was seen TO be.
neverthe less, an enduring influence for the
intellectual and spiritual reunion Of the
sections. The campaign OF 1874 went
against the Republicans in the Southern
States as we'll as in the North. OF the
States hitherto radical, Alabama and Arkan-
sas were carried by the conserva tives;
Louisiana and Florida were very close; and
although radical Governor was chosen in
South Carolina he was pledged to reform.
President Grants annual message in De-
cember, 1874. gave perceptible indications
of wavering and uncertainty in his South
ern policy. The returns from the elections
and the undisguised hostility OF the reform
ing Republicans had evidently produced
some effect He still. indeed. defended his
course in sustaining Kellogg in Louisiana.
and in using United States troops under the
enforcement acts. but he now conceded that
there was a class Of conservative people in
the South who were law abiding and who
were suffering much from bad government;
he conceded also that possibly the outrages
alleged TO bs perpetrated on the negroes
were exaggerated in the North. He ex-
pressed. finally, a consciousness that his in
reference by force in the affairs OF Southern
States was repugnant to public opinion
though he still declared that without such
interference the whole scheme Of colored
enfranchisement would be -worse than a
mockery. and little better than a crime"
Prof Dunning's comment on Grants mes
sage Of December. 1874, is that he would not
see. or was not permitted to see, that the
whole system Of Federal interference with
the Southern States under the enforcement
acts had become both a mockery and a
crime. The scandalous prostitution of the
Federal army to merely partisan uses in the
South had been, and continued TO be, one
OF the most powerful influences in discredit-
ing Grants Administration. That Admins
tration reached what our author calls the
nadir Of national disgrace in tho whiskey
scandals Of ls75-Te.
Thus il came to pass that the advantage
at the beginning of the Presidential cam
paign OF 1879 was distinctly with the Demo-
Gratis. The disrepute which In 1874 had
brought down the wrath Of the voters
on the Republicans was progressing stead
lily to climax. No mortal ingenuity could
extract credit from the record Of Grants
second Administration. There was now
no reassuring popular response TO sombre
tales OF Southern outrages: the stanchest
Radical communities at the North mani
tested stolid indifference to the alleged
woes of the negroes in Mississippi, 20 long
as the Whiskey Ring and Grants private
secretary. Baboock. were on trial at st.
Louis It seemed az II the Republicans,
in the absence OF any ground for sggres-
sive appeal for popular support, would be
reduced in the approaching campaign
10 a dull and hopeless defensive.
To q certain extent the tactics devised
by eI-Speaker Blaine rescued the Rspub-
licans temporarily from their predicament
Cleverly avoiding the worn out and inefYec-
tive negro phase Of the Southern question.
Blaine's procedure revived the fiery war
time passions Of the Western and Northern
white man. Nevertheless. after the nomi-
nations for the Presidency had been made,
the Democrats concentrated their fire on
the weak spots In the Republican admins
trative record. and bad little dihaculty
in keeping the adversary In general on the
defensive. In tho South the campaign Of
,s'a wss We .dstsrminad N .its main features