The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-04-21
RECONSTRUCTION.
The Great work vvhich5 now lies
80 az Two before uss aHy 58oaI EFT

The New York Times of the 18th has an
excellent article on the next step to b
taken towards peace, which is to relieve
the Southern people from their allegiance
to the rebel cause. The Times sayss
We should now;welcome a Proclamation
from the President to. the Southern people
as earnestly as we should have deprecated
it q month ago. If issued then itsc0uld
only have reached the Southern lsadars;
now it can reach every. town and every
neighborhoodi In the Southern States. We
do not think the time has yet come, nor
are we certain that it will come hersaftst,
when complete amnesty, including 70.
storation to al the rights Of citizenship,
may wisely be promised to the leaders Of
the rebellion. But to the great mass Of
the Southern people, 70 the rank and flle
of the rebel army, toan except pthese who
have made themselvesdi directly and person
ally responsible for the gigantic crimes and
sufferings of this war, no ASSURANCES Of
pardon and Of protection can bentoo earn.
EFT or too broad. What we want 0f the
Southern, people Is not simply obedience,
acquiesence, submission to the power of
our national government; we want their
conf dence in its Justice, their pridea It's
flag, their faith and devotion 10 the Re-
publican principles on which It rests. I'VE
have convinced them of its strengths we
want now to convince them Of its benefi.
cence. We have proved that 1t is useless
for them to resist its authoritya-WeMant
now to chow them that il is for their best
and highest interests to stand by and sus-
tain Il TO the end Of their days. The only
way TO bring this about Is to relieve their
hearts from the feelings of fear and appre-
hension which the penalties they have
incurred may well engender, and then to
open promptly and broadly for their use
the channels Of trade and industry BY which
their old prosperity may be restored. -
81 For after all it is by deeds rather than
words. that we are to do the needfnl work
of reconstruction in the Southern States,
and the sooner we can lift the heavy. hand
of military power from Southern towns
and Southern trade, the better for all con.
cerned. The government especially should
lose no time ia waving all those rigid reg
ulations which fall with crushing weight
on the helpless families of those hitherto
engaged in the rebel service, while they
fail to touch the offenders themselves 1t
is unwise as well as inhuman to wage war
upon women and children, whom the ar
mics have left behind, after these armies
have been routed and destroyed. Magma
nimity is always the best policy for ma
tions and great communities, even more
than for individuals. Nothing SO degrades
the character and dims the glory of any
government as needless crueltles Inflicted
|, upon the helpless and unresistfng. And
while even now nothing should / be done
by our government inconsistent with it's
dignity and permanent security, the time
has certainly come when it can consult.
other necessities than those which are:
purely military, and aim at fothsr objects.
than those which war alone can aceom-si
plisk. " ahIssssi bni aeVisED9 gnema