Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-01-19

4
being made to disintegrate It. Concerning
the political phases of the subject. in tie
light Of which men determine their party
affiliations, 1 have nothing to say; but
about the general subject have some re-
/ Elections to offer.
! And first of all would like to inquire
why so much objection is urged to
j "sold South" while nothing is said of
"solid New England"2 The sohdity of
the latter is as obdurate and persistent as
| the solidity of the former, and FOR much
the same reasons, doubtless. There is
no solid West q. g. North and Central
West) because the west has been settled
by great variety of people and its popu
lation is too heterogeneous to be solid.
But from the days of the Colonies until
now there have been distinct types of
people in both New England and the
South and for the most natural reasons,
therefore, they have been solid.
For one / believe that II is best they
should be solid BY their solidity they
work out for themselves the best results,
and at the same time they thereby make
/ the best contribution to the well-being OF
the entire country. In land which is
filing up with multitudes of miscellane-
Gus people from every part Of the globe
IL is vastly important that in one or two
| sections at least there should be some
Il
The South especially possesses certain
characteristics which should be perpetual
| ed at all cost. They are OF the utmost
value to the Republic, and they must not
be minimized or modified.
! In the South is found the purest type
of what may be called original American
ism. Among its people are more men and
women who trace their descent directly
to Colonial sires than in any other sec
| of faI md
domestic life, as well as it's architecture.
tend naturally TO the Colonial type. and
they should not be exchanged for any
other.
Its religious life is orthodox In creed
and evangelical in spirit. The variegated
and eccentric ecclesiastical bodies which
| abound in New England have but small
and negligible following in the Soutl
Southern Christianity has not been wea <
ened by sending forth from its roots all
sorts OF isms, which like suckers weaken
the main stem without producing any
good fruit themselves. We have had few
heresy trials, for we have had few here
tics. Our people have accepted the Bible
as the word of God, and have relied for
salvation upon the atonement of Jesus
Christ the Lord. BY consequence the
Southern Churches have more nearly sue
eeeded in winning the whole population
4
have the churches of the other sections
OF the country succeeded with the people
TO whom they make their appeals. There
are more Church members in the South
In proportion to population than can be
found in any other part Of the United
States.
4 In the South we have also the best
observance of the Sabbath. and in so far
as we have anywiss fallen from grace In
41A4 e
traced to influences which have come in
upon us from without If we had remain
ed more ''solid" with respect to the OBJ
servance OF the Sabbath we would have
done far better than we have by follow
ing, even for a little way, modish vice
and foreign airs. 3fe
The South is the, soberest part OF the
United states. There are fewer bar
rooms among US and fewer people who
want bar-rooms bhSn are found in New
England or tke West. Prohibition counts
\ for more IN the septh, than IL does in any
other sections OF the Union
There are also fewer grafters and less
Igraft In the South than any other sec
lions. Pennsylvania, the land Of William
Penn and great solidity, has shown more
corruption in the building of her capitol
and the government of the one city OF
Pittsburgh than has been known In all
the OOulH uuflnB u ndlI-CentuTy. Ine
Southern people have not been without
4 their FAULTS but they have been remark
ably free from the cowardly. sneakish
vice of stealing. Public officials In the
i South have not been given to pilfering
l.publie funds ts
Many other Characteristic excellencies
/. Of the Southern people might be enum-
/, Grated, but let these suffice for the pres
ent Is II proposed that we shall change
iOta rAr4wR tt,In xnNNk. 81.
any other matters? If so. why? Have
our principles been demonstrated to be
i unsound2 If so, in what particular II
we are to renounce our principles what
set of principles shall we put I'm their
place? Has New England anything bet
ter to teach us? Is the land Of the Pill
grim Fathers to maintain an unyieldlng'
soildity while the South is to break up
into classes of convenient size for in
structIon by New England? Let New
4 England show more Christianity, more
children, a better observance of Sunday
less drunkenness, and less graft before
we sit humbly at her feet for instruction
We might have learned much from the
New England of the Pilgrim Fathers. but
we can learn little of value from the New
England of their back-sldden children.
But is may be said that we must
change our view of the relative powers
of the State and Federal Governments
This is not the time for that. 1t is true
our picturesque President has assured the
lcountry that I'VE need through executive
action. through legislative action. and
through judicial Interpretation and con-
struction of law, to increase the power
of the Federal Government: but at the
risk of initiation into the "Ananias
Club. or classification with the "unde-
sirable; citizens we are bound toe tell
him such talk is peridy to his official
oath He swore to support the Constitu-
ton. not to stretch it; and secession
against the Constitution is worse than
secession against the Union: for the
Union draws draws its life from the Con-
stitutlon The Union without the Con-
Estitution is not the Federal Union, but
Ethe organized tyranny of an unscrupu-
llous majority doing as they list with the
rights Of the minority. II the Federal
Government requires more power to full
fill its mission under the conditions of
the present day, there are easy and con-
stitutional ways of giving to it such
power; but it does, not belong to the
Executive, Legislatke. or Judicial
branches of the Government to flch
power from the States or from the people
even though they purloin IL i'm order to
Hay It in the lap of the Federal Govern
ment. rt. f.....
p,,t dOas the FederaI Government need