Year: 1874

We print this morning the first days pro-
ceedings of the carpet-bag Convention OF
Southern republicans which assembled yester-
terday at Chattanooga This assemblage is of
little Importance or significance except as a
symptom Of the lamentable condition of the
South. 1t is meant as an appeal to Northern
public opinion but the more industriously
it portrays the discomfort and disorder which
prevail in the Southern States the stronger Is
the argument it furnishes against the practical
working of the reconstruction measures under
which the Southern whites manifest so much
discomfort. A universal sense of grievance
is the surest proof of bad government II the
Southern people complain they do not com
plain without just cause. A convention
called to arraign them for their mutinous dis
content ought to incite the country to inquire
whether their complaints and dissatisfaction
are well founded.


This carpet bag gathering at Chattanooga IL
one OF the most noteworthy symptoms OF the
decline of the republican party IN the South
ern States. It's purpose Is to act on Northern
opinion by exposing the wrongs and outrages
perpetrated on the negroes by the Southern
whites, with a view to influence the Northern
elections But its success in this object
would only advertise the egregious failure of
the republican policy. II there exists in the
South a reign of social disorder and bloody
anarchy in the ninth year after the close of
the war it is conspicuous proof that the
promises of the republican party have been
forfeited and the expectations of the country
disappointed. The republican party under
took to settle and pacity the country after
great civil war; it undertook to restore the
Union, maintain civil order, revive the shat
tered industries of the South and restore
fr.sternal feeling by the reconstruction
policy it adopted after the close of
the war 1t is too evident that its
instead of peace, order, tranquility, good
government and the recementing of ancient
bonds, the practical effect of the republican
policy has been to introduce confusion worse
confounded." 1t has not tranquillized the
country. 1t has not obliterated the old mis-
chievous distinction between Northern and
Southern politics. 1t keeps alive the jealous,
hostile feeling toward the South which pre-
vailed during the war, and which dictated the
reconstruction measures. The Chattanooga
Convention is an electoneering movement
intended to strengthen the federal govern
ment in its measures of subjugation. But
such tactics at this late day are q conclusive
was mistake


1t is undeniabie that the South is full Of dis
affection and is on the point of mutiny. But
it cannot be said now, as was justly said at
the outbreak of the great rebellion of 1861,
that the Southern opposition is causeless and
unjustifable. Instead of rebelling against
the mildest and most equitable government
that ever existed, as the South did in 1861, the
Southern malcontents have real grievances.
The State governments which have been fas-
tened upon them are systems Of organized
robbery. Instead of rebelling against the best
Of governments, as they did in 1861, they are
protesting against legalized rapacity. The
grievances of the South are too real. If
Southern dissatisfaction expresses itself in
irregular ways it is no more than should have
been expected from suffering, helpless people
against whom regular methods of redress are
closed.


The republican party in the South has been
steadily losing ground for the last six months.
The Civil Rights bill, which passed the SEN
ate, but did not get through the House, aroused
vigorous opposition, and was as unpopular
with sagacious Southern republicans as with
Southern democrats Senator Brownlow and
Southern republicans of his stamp opposed it
as vehemently as the extreme conservatives.
1t was felt by all rational republicans that the
party would be ruined in the South by con-
ferring further advantages on the negro pop
ulation. The reaction against the republican
party in the Southern States has gone on since
that note of alarm until all moderate, reason
able men who have heretofore acted with that
party leel that they cannot stand against local
opinion. In States like Kentucky, Tennessee,
North Carolina, in all the Southern
States in fact, in which the ne
groes have not a clear majority, the repub-
licans are discouraged and disheartened and
feel that the party has no future unless negro
arrogance is abated. The Louisiana troubles
publican party throughout the South, which
has never been SO feeble and depressed as it is
to-day.


The elective franchise was given to the
Southern negroes, not because it was supposed
they would exercise it with wisdom, but be-
cause it was expected that the freedmen could
be relied on as counterpoise to the demo-
cratic party. Good government in the South
was the last thing that was thought of. Uni
versal negro suffrage was adopted as barrier
against the old supremacy of the democratic
party in the South. The motive which dicta-
| ted it meets 0 suitable reward Il has hronoht