The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-09-07
A Few Word. About The south.

We do not plead that no blood shall
flow. That is small matter. We
waive tho discussion of that. We do
not go bohinl the Presidents procla.
nation. What we plead for Is, that
the war being over--the Southern
people having submitted to the Ma
tional Governmer t-having in' good
faith taken the oaths of allegiance
having in good faith abandoned scces-
sion-having in good faith accepted
tho instantaneous emancipation of their
slaves-being really disposed to be-
come law. abiding citizens of the Uni
ted States-baving surrendered their
own views of the nature of tho Fed.
eral Constitution, and accepted the
Northern Interpretation, as decided by
the war-haviDg turned their backs
on all their most cherished ideas and
opinions, and honestly fallen in with
the inexorable logic Of evcnts-pre-
pared for new ideas, new social ad.
jnstments, new habits OF thou ght, now
ways, now laws7-thdt there as regards
the main body JMs people the quarrel
ought TO stop, and the Northern people
ought to help them, aud not pursue
them.
II they deserve punishment--if all
OF them deserve punishment have
they, has any individual OF them, gone
unpublished? Where arc tho young
men OF the South? The flower of that
chivalry is dead. Thousands are
MANNED and mutilated for life. -
Where arc their aged parents ard
helpless sisters? Tho whole land
draped in mourning, they have not
the environments Of luxury to tom
mcr thoir grieis. Bcroaved, they are
also impoverished. The bulk of the
population have absolutely no proper
~ ataIl Great numbers need tho
plainest food, The entire social or.
gani2ation Of tho South, at one blow
il violently destroyed, We live ia the
midst OF four mil lions of free negroes
yesterday slaves. More than all,
our pride is broken, That which u
man values moro than lifo--that with
out which he almost loses his identity
his habits Of thongbt--the convic-
tions and tcings which have taken
firm and enduring possession of The
mind--this is violently annihilated. -
Accustomed to the widest liberty and
authority, the $ utherner il now re.
strained, and has bit in his mouth.
lie belongs 10 Il conquered race he
feels that that race has lost its indi.
viduality and dstinctvencss--and
will DO assimilatod to the eonquoror
and merged in the conquercr as Italy
yielded TO the Lombards and Ostro
goths. The historic South is dcad -
The sentiment ofliie is cankercd.
The emancipation of the slaves wa
4 penalty inflicted directly, aud wen
homo to every family in tho South
What scvcrcr punishment than thi
coald have been devised? Wha
were hundred gibbis and the con
iisca'ion Of millions of property t,
this? This was an earthquake: il up
turned the whole social fabric.
Wc have not space to speak of th
hamiLtd'ioa attendant upon oaths an
applications for pardon, upon secin
our towns garrisonod and Justice nd
ministered amongst us by strange &C
diers.
We ask, then, has not the South bee
punished? Con alone, who seos th
iron enter the soul, knows whethe
the South has been punished.
Punished; Virginia by New York
North Carolina by Massachusetts. -
The descendants of Washington an
Jefferson by those Of Hamilton nm,
Franklin: punished because they diff
iered intheir view oftho Government
after that difference had been asserte,
for fouryenrs in n war which engage,
two millions Of soldiers. A caus
rased to the highest dignity ACCORDING
tothe laws Of nations by the gigantic
earnest and well-sustained struggle q
six millions Of people occupying
region OF country within whose limit
there was no diversity Of opinion.
civil war, in which the division wa
not adiyision in tho midst OF aociet
--eaeh party having adherents In u
parts Of the country; but civil wa
:hichswas o sectional Gar, and whicl