Hayes seemed
unaware that men could be educated, civilized, and claim to be
Christians while at the same time behaving as bigots and racists.
To satisfy the industrialists in the North and the white
conservatives in the South, Hayes buried the last remains of
Reconstruction. However, he made a one-sided compromise. While he
committed himself to immediate action, the South was only bound
by vague promises to be fulfilled at some indefinite date. At the
end of his term white supremacy in the South was more firmly
rooted than it had been when he took office
The New Racism
For several years the fate of the Southern Negro hung in the
balance. With home rule restored, the South, so it seemed, had
achieved its goals. Bourbon whites, the remnant of the plantation
aristocracy, dominated the Southern Democratic party and
through it controlled state and local governments. There was a
growing discontent among small farmers who wanted the state
governments to alter the tax burden and interest rates in their
favor. Largely spearheaded by the Populist movement, Negro and
white farmers came to see that their interests were identical.
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