The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-04-21
RECONSTRUCTION.
The Great Work which now lies
SIX 80 aE1 before ne. 3 a5-as ST.

The New York Times of the 7th has an
excellent article on the next step to be
taken towards peace, which is to relieve
the Southern people from their allegiance
to the rebel cause. The Times says.
We should now welcome Proclamation
from the President to the Southern people
as earnestly as we should have deprecated
it month ago. If issued then it could
only have reached the Southern leaders
now it can reach every town and every
neighborhood in the Southern States. We
do not think the time has yet come, nor
are we certain that it will come hereafter,
when complete amnesty, including re.
storation to all the rights of citizenship,
may wisely be promised to the leaders Of
the rebellion. But to the great mass of
the Southern people, TO the rank and file
of the rebel army, to all except those who
have made themselves directly and person.
ally responsible for the gigantic crimes and
sufferings of this war, no assurances of
pardon and Of protection can be too earn.
est or too broad. What we want Of the
Southern people is not simply obedience,
acquiesence, submission to the power Of
our national government; we want their
confidence in its Justice, their pride In its
flag, their faith and devotion to the Re-
publican principles on which it rests. Y We
have convinced them of its strength; we
want now to convince them of its bene6-
cence. We have proved that it is useless
for them to resist its auth0rity--we want
now to show them that it is for their best
and highest interests to stand by and sus-
tain Fl 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.
For after all it is by deeds rather than
words that we are to do the needful 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 in 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. Il
is unwise as well as inhuman to wage wa
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
tons 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 unresisting. And
while even now nothing should be done
by our government inconsistent with its
dignity and permanent security, the time
has certainly come when it can consult
other necessities than those which are
purely military, and aim at other OBJECTS
than those which war alone can accom-
plish. iin q i.AsJi bna a9yisggyo unega