The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1865-06-22

arr their allegiance, tn,
ing from the war
wi IL at the North
and ID subsection in
the So in the NORTH
goverr m n the ballot box
and people in buth ruled over by
satraps, procoosuls. military governors
and provost marshals-would be politi
cal monster, as unknown to any system o
free institutions in the world as to oul
own forms of constitu ional freedom.
This plan of governing the South would
throw into the hands of the President
the largest power and patronage ever in.
trusted to man. The liberties, lives and
property of the people would be with
him. The agents to be appointed by him
would be innumerable. These agents, by
whatever title designated, would have
under their appointment countless other
agents. while swarms of aspirants, syco-
plants, e&pectants. kangers-on of every
4 quality, would throDg the courts of these
satraps, and choke up every avenue OF
justice. No official, no personal respoh-
sibility conld belong to such system of
administration, but disregard of the laws,
duplicity, fraud, extortion, rapine, i'm
prisonments without cause, confscations
and seizures from unworthy motives, and
every form of oppression would be insep-
arabic from it.
He who cannot comprehend this is e.
norant of the fact that unlimited power
is sure to be abused, aid that the in
stincts of ambition, avarice, lust and re-
venge yet reign in human hearts. How
long would it take the virus of such a
| fU If
the national body to poison the whole
body? Once established in its place, in
what manner could it be removed? The
tendency of all such evils is to grow to
magnify their pretensions and increase
their power. Mr.. Burke declared that
the corruptiCns of the British colonial
! system in India reached back to Eng
lard, impressed itself on parliament, and
| threatened the liberties of the nation.
| The same great statesman, on another
occasion, averred that when three mil
lions of people in a state should be per-
fectly subjected to the power of arbitrary
rules they would be fit TO make slaves"
of all the rest.
eff" says the immortal Montesquieu,
| the profoundest writer on the science of
government who has yet appeared, "a
democratic republic subdues a nation in
order to govern them as subjects, it ex-
poses It's own liberty, because it intrusts
too great power to those who are to
govern the conquered provinces.
In order to justify this policy of whole
sale reLel distranchisement, its advocates
never cease TO dilate upon the crime Of
the rebellion. They insist that the rebels
of all sinners are the greatest. They
pour forth just praises upon the govern
meut of the United States, recount all its
merits, remind US of the prosperity Of
the country, the happiness of the whole
country, North and South, just prior to
the outbreak of April, 1861, and do not
fail to array before us, in all their sombre
colors, the national and individual misery
attributable wholly to these rebels. All
this is true. There are no greater crimii-
mails, they are traitors and for this guilt,
awfuland merited punishment is death.
Besides, the guilt of tbs whole black cat
alogue of consequential crimes connected
| with treason and war wickedly waged is
on their heads. But what then Shall
free government be abandoned, and lib
erty become a myth, for this ? God for
bid. No crime that any people can com
NIT is sufficient to deprive them OF the
rights of men Why did we emancipate
our slaves Their ancestors, in Africa,
/ were robbers and murderers, who cap
tured, bought, sold, killed and ate one
another. Pro-slavery writers have al
ways commended that such crimes justified
| the enslavement of the race. But we
have rejec led this doctrine. The Repub-
| lican party maintaiH that slavery is wrong,
| that there Is no cause sufficient TO war
rant it, no justification for it.
| If the crimes of men are q sufficient
warrant for despotism, no Republican
government would ever have eX sted.-
Liberty would have fled from the earth
when the first man insulted with base in
| gratitude the Renifcent Being who crea-
ted and blessed HIM, and rejected, in a
moment Of guilt and passion, the Joys of
Paradise. but his Divine Master did not,
in consideration OF this monstrous of
Tense, close the door upon him. On the
contrary, he left open the door, and invi-
ted the return of the culprit the moment
when his reason and his conscience should
lead him back to the path of duty.
! We hear great deal now from our
able statesmen, not only OF the magni-
tude of the crime of the rebellion, which,
1t seems, is much worse than any that man
could possible commit against his Maker
but also of the perverse obstinacy with
| WHICH tue TGOGlS MAINTAIN Gnelr nOSIlllly
to government. We are told that per-
| sons who, for no sufficient cause. have
evinced such enmity towards government
can never be trusted. Aud the authors of
this argument think they PROFOUND it in
a most pungent form when they declare
that their experience has taught that
"once a rebel, always rebel" is the only
safe rule. The fact is, however, that the
supposed rule is no rule at all, and the
| foundation on which it rests is entirely
| false.
The nature of man, the history of his
race, individually and collectively, pro-
claim its folly. Oar daily experience
shows it to be false.
Men 90 into rebellion, as they go into
any other adventure, for certain opinions
they entertain, or certain feelings which
they acknowledge. They hope to accom-
plish purpose. They fail. They aban-
don their opinions. Their feelings
change. Whenever this occurs, they
cease = lis. Men are governed by
mo- as in other matters. If
| the oFerpowered and beaten
| in al ones a matter with them,
| if you IA sue for peace. 1t is their
| interest law down their arms and re
new their allegiance. and the masses OF