Year: 1876

The Richmond IVhig contains an excel
lent article. which We print this morning
on the recent trouble in South Carolina
The IVhig is Jealous supporter of Tilden
and Hendricks and treats the question from
a democratic point Of view. ''This Ham,
burg trouble" says the Whig. land many
other things of recent occurrence at different
points of the South admonish us that if we
would not suffer n fatal loss of votes at the
North we must by some means silence or
unload the men who are committing these
acts and making this bad record for which
the conservative party of the South is held
responsible" The |Vhg points out that
while the people Of the South are peaceful
kind and disposed to be friendly with the
negro, there are bad men, Ignorant
and wicked, generally desperate in fortune
and wholly worthless in character" who
commit these outrages, ''and the misfortune
is that public opinion is not outspoken
enough to discourage these bad men from
such acts This is the proper temper in
which to treat questions of this ma
ture, and coming from a journal like
the Wing contrasts strongly with some OF
our cowardly doughfaced Northern journals,
which insist that nothing is true from the
South but the stories of negro outrages.
1t is the position of Southern states
men like Lamar as will be seen in
the debate in the House yesterday. If
the advice of the Wing were taken by the
Southern people it would be better for the





country, and for the Southern communities,
white and black. Every riot like that in
Hamburg is an argument in favor of Hayes
and Wheeler. We have never ceased to
point out this to our friends in the South
and to lament it, We are glad to welcome
the alliance of journal as judicious and able
as the Wing and of statesman as bold and
wise as Lamar. If it's advice is taken the
Southern question will pass out Of our poll
tics, and we shall have no more Of sectional
ism.


This whole Southern question, SO far as it
relates to national politics, is in an unfor-
tnnate position. The calculations of the
democratic leaders are that the Southern
States will vote as n unit for Tilden. They,
therefore, throw the South to the one side,
make no canvass there and give themselves
to New York, New Jersey and Indiana. Yet
when we come to analyze the reasons upon
which this expectation rests we discover
their fallacy. The Southern white leaders
say 1--WE support Tilden because his sue
cess means our success. Democratic tri-
umph means a restoration of our rights, the
expulsion of the carpet-bagger, the overthrow
ofthe scalawag. the subjugation of the negro"
This is the popular cry throughout the
South and yet in what respect does the rec
ord of Governor Tlden, or the declarations
of the st. Louis platform, justify any such
hope? Governor Tilden's friends in the
North are making his canvass upon the
ground that he was good Union man dur
ing the war; that he believes in the Union
now; that he would see that justice was as
sured Ito all classes in the South, white or
black, Union Confederate This is the
platform of Tilden, and, more than all, it is
the platform Of Hayes. On the Southern
question both candidates are agreed. Why,
then, should it be an issue in the canvass?
Or, if it is an issue, what are the old Confed.
crates to gain by supporting Mr.. Tilden?
We ask this question without any feeling of
partisanship, or because we care feather
about one candidate or the other, but to
destroy one of the fallacies of the canvass
We look upon it as grave misfortune--as a
n calamity, in fact-that States like Texas,
Kentucky, Georgia and other great Southern
Commonwealths, should have taken this atti-
e :t.1I
the republican party, There never was
case of such total political blindess. If there
is anything in the republican platform, any
thing in the words of Governor Hayes, the
Confederates of the South have as much to
expect from Hayes as from Tilden.


But it will be said if Tilden is elected
great things will be done for the South
Carpes-baggers will be put out of office, scala
wags will be punished, and so on, and so on.
How are all these things to be done? Pres
ident Tilden could not lay his finger upon
single carpet-bagger so long as he respected
the laws, and he would probably say to the
South, ''Instead of asking me to expel q few
carpet-baggers advertise for million more
to come in and help to beautify and enrich
your lands. Send for them to the North,
the West, to Europe" As to turning ont
all the office-holders and appointing new
ones, that is question that will have to be
passed upon by the Senate. which is republi-
can now, and will probably remain so. even
if Tildcn should be chosen President. Conse-
quently the Southern people, so far as the
enjoyment of power is concerned, will stand
toward Tilden very much rs they stood
toward Johnson. They will be asking bread
from one who can only give them stones.
The expectations aroused by the election of
a democratic President would only excite
that element which the Wing calls Ignorant