St. Mary's gazette., 1865-07-20
From the Philadelphia Age.
RECONSTRUCTION.

The gifted, bu. erra:ic, Dr. o. A.
Brownson has published paper in the
New York Tribune upon ReconsIruc-
.ion," in which some points are put with
great force and clearness. The doctor
ccm,neuccs by assuming as a fact that
1.-THE construction Of civil government CAN
not be done under the war power. but
must be done under the peace powers OF
the Constitution. if done at ali. because it
il essentially a work Of peace" He then
denies the right Of the President to reor-
ca, ize the States in the manner proposed
in his North Carolina proclanation. agrees
with him as to the right Of each State to
designate the repositories Of its own polit-
ical power, but mot for the reasons as
signed BY the Presidens,' and ends as fol-
lows:
complain Of the exccntions from am
nesty and pardon made by the President
in his proclamation Of the 18th of May. |
know not whence he derived the power to
issue any proclamation Of the sort, and re-
gard both his pArlons and his exceptions
as illegal. He could ouly let the law take
i;s course But question the right of
the Government to trent any of the late
scctdcrs as traitors. The rebellion was a
territorial rebellion. and the whole terrific
rial people were implicated it, it, and you
car no, arrest and trv for II ason a whole
territorial people Of eleven or at least sew
on millions I be rebellion assumed the
Dimensions Of territorial civil war, as
the Supreme Court decided and the p,o-
PIE engaged in it, when they have sub
mittcd and returned to their allegiance,
are NOT liable to arrest and punishment as
traitors. Public policy and political econ
omy OPP Sc it. The nation cannot afford
to lose 80 lsrge portion of its territorial
people, and when millions are equally gull
ty, the Governmen, mns. hang al! or
none.
The Persons excepted that is, proscr'b-
cd-ahor' two millions. are precisely that
portion Of Southern society which eau
least be spared. They ure needed to en-
able the late rrbellious States to sustain
themselves in the Union as self-govern-
ing communities To harg, exile, or
disfranchise them, is to throw The State
government into the hands Of the least
Efficient. the |, s.t Intelligent. the most
ignorant, ana the most prvjudiced clas-
seq Of Southern society, and precisely
those VIII have the greatest horror OF
negro eqiaIify. The opposition to ne
gro equality. you are aware, increases i'll
proportion AS you descend ia the social
scale The wcalthier and more in,elli,
gent c!a>ses p the South prescribed by
President J,huson are the best friends
the ncg:o has, not the poor, degraded non
slavehoditg whites.
Beside, the Southern people hold, AID
sincerely hold, the dnc'rine of State SOW.
ereiglty. did before the war the ma.
jrrity Of the American people. On ,ha,
doctrine none Of the Southern pecp't
have been Rebels or traitors, for they
seeded before levying war against tn,
United States I agree with you tha,
doctrine is q political hcresy. but I have
never seen a solid refuta,ioD Of it, OF
an attempted refutation. not based upor
he1esy, of an opposite character equally
great. The Sou'hcrn people did no, be
lieve it q heresy, any were not, 10 ,hril
own judgment. either rebels or traitors
but patriots. fighting for tho freedom
aud independence of their country.