The white population of the South were themselves reduced almost to poverty by the long struggle; and even if they had been able they were in no mood to extend relief to negroes who, as they believed, had been wrongfully released from slavery.
James Blaine: “The white population of the South were themselves reduced almost to poverty by the long struggle; and even if they had…”
Editor's note · Context
Blaine notes the poverty of the white population in the South and their reluctance to help freedmen after the war.
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Without the exercise of those functions which belong exclusively to the civil service, the laws cannot be executed in any event, no matter what may be the physical strength which the Government has at its command.
Is any portion of the people bound to contribute their money or their blood to carry on a contest like that?
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