North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-05-10
Editor of ". B. Democrat
RECONSTRUCTION.

WINE vast MAJOR iLy OI the men compost ng
the party In power aresclamoring, under the
plea of justice, for a vindictive and bloody
policy towards the leading hscsssionists, there
is one consideration that we are bound by
the most sacred obligation to keep in view
and yet, one that as yet we have scarcely
seen noticed. In all controversies there are
:wo sides and Justice considers both, with
q strict and equal impartality. When the
victor in such q struggle. as this through
which the country has just passed, assumes
to administer justice upon his defeated an
tagonist, he needs to be very sure of his Ca
pacity to consider well and fairly, not merely
the offence, but the provccation and circum-
be told that it is "dsloyal' to assume that
there was any;provocation that led to seces-
sion. This is an old dodge. Our reply i,
that it is never disloyal to be just. Of
no man, at least, no northern man claims
that there was such provocation as justified
secession, but all sane men of all parties
ought to know that impartial history will
find much to mi tigate and paliate the enor
nifty of the great wrong to the country that
was attempted by the'pcople Of the So called
seeded states. In dealing with this ques.
tion we are bound to consider. l, The Of
fence 2, The provocation and c,rcumstan-
ces that led to its preparation.
The offense 10y whatsoever name We may
choose to characterize it) was nothing more
nor less tban.an attempted division of the
Union into two separate and independent
governments. Interested parties may at
tempt to g,oss it over upon the one hand, o r
distort it upon the other, but it comes to
this at last and IN this light is justice bound
to view it.
All Northern men, except certain of the
radical leaders in th G North agree that for
such an attempt there is no warrant IN the
constitution, and that it was therefore a very
great political offence. The Southern people
sought to accomplish this offence peacefully,
but with consciousness that war and all
its attendant horrors might ensue. Such
| was their offence.
z We come now to the question 1rhy the
people of the South desired and attempted d
this division of the Union.
A few plain historical facts will answer
this question,
1st. A fee ling of strong and bitter section
al hostility had been growing up between the
two sections of the union ever since the anti
slavery agitation at the north first drew this
question into the Federal politics The d.,
rect issue thus raised between the two peo
Piles was whether, under our system of gov
ernment, this was legitimately Of state, or of
national politics. The south claimed that it
was purely question of LEGAL, or state poll
right. But the agitation still continued at
the National capitol, and throughout the
| North, where the institution that formed it's
subject had no existence. Now, what North
ern man can feel sure that the aggressive at
titude of the North, with reference to this
subject would not have been exceedingly Of
| fensive to himself had his lot been cast in
the South2 That it was 90 to the southern
people 10 fact that should not now be for
| gotten-ofensive not only to those who had
o special interest in the institution assailed,
ba: especially so to those who, having no
such interest, recognized in this northern ut
titude denial of their right to control their
own domestic Institutions. NJ REASONABLE
man will hesitate to reflect as to what would
be his own feelings under just these circum-
stances. The Fathers of the Republic did so
reflect, and pointed out with strong empha-
SIS the consequences that would inevitably
follow q wanton disregard of them.
End. When the leading secessronists were
preparing to take their fatal leap they knew
that the leading organ Of the party then in
power, the NeU York Tribune, seconded by
some less influential papers in the North,
was then advocating with earnest zeal and
dangerous sophistry, the right of secession.
They knew that the then recently elected
President had himself, years before. upon the
floor of ofCongress, given emphatic expression
knew that Senators Hale, Seward and Chase
leading and controlling spirits in the same
party-had presented and seconded peti,
tion to Congress praying for dissolution Of
the Union. They knew that the leading
northern agitators, of the Wendell Phillips,
Theodore Parker, Gerritt Smith, Horace
Greeley and Fl. W. Beecher school were
strongly in favor of a peaceful division of
the Union between the two sections. They
knew that the party Of which these organs
and these men were the leaders was then
about to come into the control of the govern
ment. Knowing all this, and thus justified
in advance by leading and controlling opin-
ions Of that party, who can say that, for four
years, as least, they had no reason to hope
aud expect peaceful acquiescence on part of