Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-12-22
WHAT THE SOUTH HAS DONE AND
LEFT UNDONE.

The Nashville Union reviews and depre-
Gates the mistakes of the South in not EN-
braclng more quickly the generous terms Of
the Executive 1t says:
We will begin with Tennessee, the Pres
ldent' S own State. Has she come up to
this standard? She has repudiated the
rebel debt, declared secession null and void,
abolished slavery, ratiied the CONSTITUTIONS
al Amendment, and elected representatives
to Congress who can t.lke the oath OF Office.
80 far all we'll But upon the important
question Of protesting by law the rights oi
the freedmen, making them equals before
f(he Jaw With the whites what has she done!
just nOtIIlffg.~ 1K hill 49, ",
the question Of testifying IN the courts has
passed the Senate, but hangs fire IN the
House Of Representatives; and, we are told,
will fail. Can Tennessee appear at Wash
ington, and as a supporter of the President s
pohcy-who has complied with all its de-
mands-ask admission for her Senators and
Representatives in Congress? Surely not.
She can claim the favor of neither the Pres
ident's adherents in that body, nor of the
radicals.
Mississippi started well. She accepted
abolition Of slavery, and altered her Consti-
tuition to conform to the change in her do
mestic Institutions and declared her ordi-
nance of secession null and void But she
has gone no further She withholds her
assent to the ratification of the Constitution
al Amendment, has refused the freedmen
the right to testify in the State courts, and
appears determined to deny them the rights
and privileges which the President demands
for them, and without which freedom is a
name.
Alabama, following next after Mississip-
pi, with her constitutional convention, did
better. She added to what her predecessor
did, the reputation of the rebel debt. Her
legislature meets tomorrow. We shall not
anticipate its action We hope its first act
will be to ratify the constitutional amend
ment; and that she will follow it up by do
ing full and ample justice to her freedmen.
North Carolina stands upon the same plat
form as Alabama. Her action las been the
same; and she has still to meet the question
of ratification of the Constitutional Amend
ment, and providing for the proper protec-
tion of her freedmen She has elected to
Congress a delegation not one of whom can
take the oath, and perhaps bearen the Uni
on candidate for Governor, thus showing her
deep seated hostility to the federal govern
ment, and her intention to do nothing she
can avoid, to return to her place in the ma
tional councils
South Carolina has taken step in ad-
vance of Mississippi, Alabama, and North
Carolina, and ratified the Constitutional A
mendment. But she simply repealed her
secession ordinances thus adhering to the
doctrine of secession, has not repudiated the
rebel debt, and seems inclined to keen her
free colored population in a state but little
better than abiect slayarv. Georgia, taking
the cue from South Carolina, repealed her
secession ordinance, accepted the abolition
Of slavery, but with an eye TO future com
pensation, and not until she found it could
not be avoided, repudiated the rebel debt.
She has yet to act upon the ratification ques-
ton, and to pass laws for the protection of
the freedmen.
Florida hassimply annulled her seces-
sion ordinance, and whilst recognizing the
abolition of slavery and adapting her organ
ic law to the change, has refused to repudi-
ate the rebel debt, submitting the matter to
vote of the people. This is as far as she
has gone The other questions will come
before the legislature. Texas has, as yet,
done nothing. Her provisional governor is
making haste slowly. Louisiana is more
advanced than Tennessee, inasmucha as freed
men in that State are admitted as witnesses
in the courts. But she is still below the
mark in giving her colored population their
rights
Arkansas is in about the same condition
as Tennessee