The National tribune., 1909-07-15
THE SOUTHERN DOG "NoBLE."

Henry Ward Beecher used to tell the
story of his dog Noble" Once "Noble"
had found a rabbit in big hole under
an apple tree in the orchard, and every
day wears afterward he would go out
Ito the same hole and bark at it indus
|trfously for quite awhile in the expecta-
ton that another rabbit would pop out,
which it never did.
The Southern politicians only differ
from the dog Noble" in having Two
holes at which to bark persistently, and
they have kept this up now for over
century One OF these holes Is the cry
of Oppression by the North" and par
|ticularIy by New England, and the other
is "Nigger supremacy" Both of these
have as little foundation as "Nobies'
belief that that hole under the apple
tree was constantly occupied by rab-
bit All the same, they have been sin
guIarly effective in securing offices for
the industrious barkers. At the same
time the clamor has been of colossal
injury to the country. More than any
other one thing it precipitated the war
of the rebellion. The Southern aoliti-
clans dinned necessarily into the ears
of their people that those of the North
had inflicted mountainous injuries upon
them and were meditating still more.
They exaggerated beyond the widest
bounds of fancy the number of slaves
which the Northern Abolitionists had
spirited away from their owners AS a
matter of cold history and despite all
the present-day talk about the under
ground railroad and the activity of the
tAbolitionists, the Southerners did not
lose as large proportion of slaves an
nualiy as the farmers are having stolen
from them every year Of cattle. horses
and sheep. The panegyrists Of the un-
iefgrouf1d railway to-day DO not claim
that more than 500 negros were run
| off in any one year. and even this is
probably a great exaggeration. With
population of 100000 slaves it would
be expected that much more than than
cape every year.
The vociferous ululatfon over the op-
position to taking their slaves into free
territory was still more baseless. Not
over one man in 40 in the South owned
slave, and probably not one in 100 Of
these had any intention of taking his
slave into the Territories beyond the
Mississippi. Still, they kept up the howl
all the time, and SO maddened them
selves by it as to precipitate their coun-
| try into rebellion against the solemn
assurances of Lincoln and the Repub-
lican Party that their interests should
be carefully protected.
Having found this barking at the old
hole SO effective in keeping themselves
in office, the Southerners have natural
ly kept ii up. and they are now making
most of the din against the present tar
iff bill. In the schedule so far agreed
upon there has been the most careful
consideration of every Southern inter-
est Protection has been accredited to
which IL has been asked. Not one that
we can recall has been refused, except
Senator Tillman's demand for protec-
ton upon the tea Of South Carolina
In fact, the Finance Committee of the
Senate has gone out of its way to gath
er in the Southern Senators and consult
with them as to the wants of their
section. This Is not preventing them
from barking at-the old hole, and they
| are raising a clamor as IL by the new
schedules New England was dragging
the entrails out of their bodies. For
example, there is alleged a protection
Of 140 per cent on some fine kinds OF
| lace, and the Southern newspapers and
the Southern orators are beginning to
talk about this as il every household in
the South would be oppressed because
of the "extortion" on this lace matter.
The truth is. all of that particular lace
| that win be sold in the South could be
carried in a mans pocket-possibly all
that will be sold in the whole country.
The duty is put on to encourage our
own Jacemakers. If anybody in the
South wants to make that particular
kind of lace they can get the whole
benefit of the protection.
This is only sample of the dema-
| gogic clamor which is being raised
against the tariff bill. The politicians
must have a burning issue" of some
kind. and in default of anything better
they viii take up the fancied "extor-
tions" and mythical expressions of the
times.
A Hot eat s,1of