Year: 1878

astounded the vanquishet but sur
prised the victors, demonstrates that the
Democrats have suffered tremendously
from too much solid South. The worst
thing that has happened to them since
the Shareholders Rebellion was their
capture of the House Of Representatives.
They had been so long out of power
that they made an, UNIV ise use OF it
when they gained it, and instead OF in
trenching themselves by wise and IN
partisan legislation they have wasted
aud frittered away that which they had
gained by yielding to the dictati"r Of
the Southern ex-rebels Tht latter
went into Congress offering the party
Solid South for use in any and every
emergency and the Democrats were SO
blind as not to see that sectional
political organization on one side of the
line would eventually lead to an op-
posing one upon the other side. A Solid
South has compelled Solid North,
and this solidifying process was partic-
ularly noticeable in the revolutions in
New Jersey and Connecticut. Ii New
York, outside the city vote which was
influenced by local causes, the same
thing was scarcely less noticeable, and
the largely increased majorities in the
strong Republican states were signif
cant of the determination of the North
not to permit the Commonwealths OF the
Shareholders Confederacy to regain in
Congress what they had lost on the
field.


1t was the South that commenced
making the ISSUE of purely sectional
party and it is not fair for the partisan
Democratic press to tell the Republicans
that they do wrong by trying to create
Solid North, in order to checkmate
Solid South. The North had Democrat
ic victories as well as Republican victor
les up to the late election when the
latter carried every northern and west
ern State that held an election, and the
Democrats carried every southern State.
When the Democrats secured the lower
house of Congress, even by solid
south, if they had fairly suse1 their
Advantages instead of abusing them they
would not to day be in the humiliating
position they are and threatened rout
staring tl-m in the face for 1880. A
little examination of the records Of the
last session of Congress, shows that all
the legislation was generally colored
and shaped 10y the solid south. Let us
in proof Of opr assertion note a faw of
the bills introduced. The Wood
tariff bill was direct blow atNorthern
industry, and emanating from dough-
faced Congressman from the great man
nfacturng and importing city of New
York, it had the united support of the
solid South. The proposed act to re-
duce the tax on tobacco and whiskey,
which are meat and drink to the south
ern bulliozers, and the attempt to
make up the loss by laying an addi


tionaI tax on coffee and tee, was purely
the device of the solid South. The at
tempted revival of the obnoxious in
come tax was similarly piece of south
ern legislation, because the tax pro-
posed would come from the people of
the North. The introduction of the
southern war claims, amounting to
over $500, ,oOO, 900, was also effected by
the solid SOUTH through its united
Representatives upon the floor of the
House. That the solid South would,
II reasonable opportunity occurred,
indemnify itself for its losses in the
war, was to be expected, for revenge is
sweet, and it is only natural to try to
. get even with those who We fancy
have wronged or hurt us. If the South
could make herself whole in her losses.
she was not to be blamed for trying.
but she was entirely powerless without
the assistance of northern allies, and
these she found among the Democratic
Representatives, enough, at least, to
make that party responsible. So fla
grantly discriminating and dangerous
WIS the whole course of legislation that
it put the North on the defensive, solid
tying it, and driving, pack into the Re-
publican ranks all those conservative.
members 'f it who had left because of
its alleged corruption and mismanage-
meat. The late elections showed that
the Republican deserters had not only
returned, but that they were doing
good service in the old cause, and they
would not have done this had there
not been just reason for it. As the
Democratic party wickedly arrayed
itself on the southern side of the rebel
lion, so did it in Congress last session,
and they have met with the same re-
sults-disaster and defeat. But it was
not only in Congress, hut in many of
the southern States, that the Democratic
party showed too much solidity in the
late campaign. 1t used its power to
prevent any expression Of Republican