Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-03-31
THE GROWTH OF GOOD FEELING
BETWEEN the NORTH AND.
THE SOUTH

In a speech in Norfolk recently JUS
tice Lurton, of the Supreme Court of
the United States, said that slavery
having disappeared, with it has van
ished every special reason for Southern
jealousy of the powers of the Union
and its courts. This is measurably
true. In the old times the Northern
people, having sold their slaves to
good advantage and having abolished
slavery in their states, turned their at
tention to its abolition in the Southern
states without any regard to the Con-
stitution. This attempt at abolition
was accompanied by constant decla-
nation against the South and the
Southern people, which kept the fires
Of sectional hate burning fiercely. All
this found its logical conclusion and
elimination in the war between the
States. after the war the South was
treated for term of years with cruelty
and harshness. The people of that
section had become accustomed to look
upon the Government at Washington
as that of a foreign and hostile power.
Ten years after the close of the war,
however, the Democratic party, COM
posed of Representatives from the
South and those from the North who
sympathized with them, came into
control of the House of Representa-
tives and retained its control, with the
exception of two Congresses, for a
period of twenty years. In that time
there were two terms of Democratic
President who brought Southern
statesmen into the highest places in
the Government. In the years since
1897 the Democratic party has been
until now helpless minority. But
the silver question, which caused the
undoing of the party, was in no wise a
sectional issue. That issue has disap-
peared, and the Democratic party is
again in control of the House, with the
prospect of long and enlarged tenure
of power.
The present outlook for good feeling
between the North and South is better
than in many years. President Taft
has contributed largely toward it. He
has gone among the Southern people
and, while making no political head
way there, has made himself personal
ly popular. His appointr ents in the
South have given more satisfaction
and caused less friction than those of
any other Republican President, and
he has repeatedly urged the Southern
people to come forward and take their
proper place in the Government. The
President has just returned from an
other brief sojourn in the South. He
was received there with the utmost
cordially and as far as he is person.
ally concerned he could not be more
acceptable to the Southern people if he
were Southerner and a Democrat.
There is strong sentim emit among
substantial PEOPLE in the North against
meddling with affairs that concern the
South exclusively. Those who have
their money invested in the South have
no desire to have their property under
governments controlled by an ignorant
electorate. That, indeed, seems to be
one of the few remaining sources of
jealousy of the increasing power of the
Federal Government-thef fear that it
may for partisan reasons interfere with
the election laws of the States. That
fear is gradually vanishing.
So far as the Supreme Court Of the
United States is concerned, there has
been little cause of apprehension that
1t would undertake by construction to
unduly enlarge Federal power. In the
many years since the war it has been
largely engaged in restraining Federal
power and protecting the states in
their reserved rights.--Baltimore Sun.