In a daily review of the mission statement of the League, part of our goal is to “preserve the political heritage of the Southron peoples”.  I pondered what does that mean? Students of political science learn early on that each political party works toward implementing their policies. They often do so by creating agencies and bureaucracies.  That being said, what are  “Southern ” policies? I listed some of the policies considered Southern.

1. The respect for law. This has been fundamental from the early days of the American republic. Although Confederates are often branded as “rebels”, the leaders of our nation actually wanted a respect for law. The Confederate government wanted a peaceful separation (e.g. an amenable divorce). The Northern States would not allow it, even though Massachusetts had threatened to secede several times before, and even introduced the legislation in its State House. The Confederate nation respected the law and falsely assumed that the Northern States would abide by its written laws set forth in the Constitution as well. The Confederacy learned, like many other nations that the United States does not play fair or gentlemanly in the area of diplomacy and the use of force to implement its policies.

2. High regard for family. Families were instituted by God. They are the cornerstone of a society and nation. That foundational structure is to be regarded, respected and protected.

3. High regard for Biblical values. It is not by mistake that the South is known as the “Bible belt”. The values contained in it are the basis for social relations in the South. The South also maintained a high respect for its Jewish communities. The common values of the Bible provided the structure for a civil society. This high regard means that public displays of scripture are condoned and approved. Society needs a solid moral base. The only Jewish military cemetery located outside of Israel is located in the Confederacy.

4. The preservation of basic rights to private property, the right to bear arms, freedom of speech and the other rights identified in the Bill of Rights. The majority of the Founding Fathers who insisted on these were of Southern extraction. These were included to counter the centralists who were not  in favor of them.

5. Respect for authority. Southern society has long respected ‘legitimate’ authorities. Whether they were elders in the church or a local judge, they were respected. What Southerners do not respect are authorities who abuse their power. When power was abused, there was often reactions to those abuses. It is no wonder that a majority of the famous ‘outlaws’ (James Brothers, Younger Brothers, and the Dalton’s came from the south). In some ways such reactions occurred when the authorities abused their power.

6. “A man’s home is his castle” . Southerners have always cherished private property rights. By extension, this included the desire for a secure border. Southerners want to be secure in their homes.

7. “It’s none of your business” The South cherishes limits on the power of government. They like their privacy. It is not by mistake that the statesmen of Texas limited the number of days the legislature was in session, in order to keep them out of mischief. This is also part of the reason why there are limits on the power of Governor in the State of Texas. With the desire for boundaries and limits on government, there are some issues that are considered none of the government’s business.

8. Women should be treated like ladies. In traditional Southern society, women are treated like ladies. Granted some men in the south have not behaved themselves as gentlemen and shown respectable behaviors. Even though some have not abode by this value, it still remains a value in the South.

9. Southerners have traditionally favored free trade and low tariffs. This would also include reducing government restrictions on those involved in international trade.

10.  Southerners seek to preserve the past. They respect history and historical things.

11. Rather than depend on the centralized government to make things happen in a community, Southrons placed an emphasis on self-reliance. They wanted to handle things on a local level rather than policies implemented from some capitol that was many miles away. They traditionally believed local government always does a better job than the central one.

12. Southrons valued education. In many communities throughout the South, colleges existed until many were lost in the war. Education would also be based on ability and the decision of the local college rather than some meddling national policy.

13. Southrons respected other nations and did not stick their nose where it did not belong. When the northern Mexican States offered to secede from Mexico and join the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis declined the offer, whereas the Yankee States often stirred up trouble and interfered in other nations business, like they did in France, Mexico, England and Japan during the war. A Southern nation would not be threatening Venezuela, Israel or Iran simply due to how it is none of their business.

14. Southron policies traditionally favored the entrepreneur and small business man. The development of small business was encouraged.

15. The use of a gold or gold/silver standard for monetary policy.

16. Southrons dislike income tax. The income tax is another one of those things that Americans can thank the tyrant Lincoln for. Every April 15, Americans might consider remembering who they have to thank for the idea of the income tax and its implementation.

These are just some of the policies that have traditionally been valued by Southron culture.

Free Texas!

J Murrah

Abraham Lincoln, Bible belt, Culture, dalton gang, England, France, income tax, James brothers, Japan, Jefferson Davis, Mexico, Political Well Being, property rights, United States, Venezuela, Younger brothers

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