Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-12-26
From the New Orleans Delta,
s.THE MODEL, COyTyfONyEAT.TTF >,

/ Not a great while since Senator Sum-
ner delivered a speech at a meeting of
/ Radical Republicans, ia Massachusetts,,
| in which he urged upon his hearers the
/ adoption of resolutions in favor of dis
| franchising the white and enfranehising
/ the black Inhabitants of the Southern
/ States, said he desired that the South
should be reduced 20 "the model of a
Christian commonwealth, meaning the
"Old Bay State. y Of course.
Referring to this speech, the Richmond
! Wing of the second has some sarcastic,
/ interesting, historical remarks. To prove
that the ancient love of Massachusetts
was at least equal to the affection practi-
cally manifested by the present genera
I ton, the Wing quotes from an old law,
passed on the twenty-sixth of March,
seventeen hundred and eighty-eight, in
which the following humane, generous
| and benevolent provisions are embraced;
mo persOn being an African or negro,
other than a subject of the Emperor of
Morocco, or a citizen of some one of the
United States, Ito be evidenced by a GER
tifiCate from the Secretary of the State
of which heshail be citizen, shall tar7y
lrithiR this Commonwealth for q IQRger
time than ttCO 9lpHthg; ana upon COM
plainI being made to any justice Of the
peace within this Commonwealth thar
any such person has been within the
same moro than two mn"..ins. the said
justice shall order tie said person to de-
naFt out of the Commonwealth within
ten days"
And, if the g man and brother" of
negro descent, did not leave the State as
above ordered, the law further provided
that he should be scourged with stripes
from period to period, and from day to
day, until he did depart, and that en-
lightened old Commonwealth was freed
Of his obnoxious presence :
In view of the excellent effect OF
this benign and Christian legislation
upon the material interests of
Massachusetts, of the heavy re-
quirements WI ich circumstances now
press upon the South, and in order
to harmoaize TO the utmost possible ex-
tent, our Richmond contemporary pro-
poses as follows: "That Southern States
have only to combine a re-enactment Of
the Massachusetts law concerning 'Afri-
cans and negroes, with the ere-enactment
of another Massachusetts law concerning
the suppression and furnishing of rogues,
vagabonds, common beggars and other
idle, disOrderly and lewd persons to
put themselves fairly in the way OF
getting out of all their social troubles as
conveniently, properly, eXpediently and
eXpeditiOusly as did the Saints This
latter law provides that, any justice OF
the peace, as well as any court of ses-
sions, may send and commit into the
house of correction TO be subjected to the
tread mill and stocks whipping), all idle
persons going about in any town or place
in the country, all pipeFs and tiddlers, all
runaways, stubborn servants or children,
and all such as neglect their
callings or employments, misspend what
they earn, and do not provide for
themselves or for the support of their
families IT is hardly possible to con-
ceive of laws, continues our Richmond
contemporary, (which go so precisely tC
the cure of the infrmities aud natural
weaknesses Of the freedmen as do these
Massachusetts, statutes. Their most no
toriOus and sad defects of nature and Of
character, their idleness and love of va
grancy, their passion for pipes and iddles
, and the banjo all their strong anima
> propensities and instincts, together with
: their Intellectual deficiencies, are ex.
haustvely provided for and against BY
them, and we are clearly in favor of the
p proposition of Mr.. Charles Sumner, thai
the Southern States shall thus be reduced
'to the model of the Christian Common
wealth. y
The plan would be good one, but fol
an important defect What is sauce
for the goose in Massachusetts, is no
sauce for the gander" in Louisiana
The vagrant laws of Massachusetts are
, declared TO be gnild and mereiful in theiI
operation there; but should we attempt
to enforce precisely the same statutes
here, We would be denounced as tyrant
and oppressors, deserving the scoFn anC
, indignation of Christendom So th,
{ world goes,