Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-11-18
RECONSTRUCTION.
Possible Change of Policy. and why.

a Possible Change Of Policy. and " by.
The Southern papers, with great una
! uimitY, express their confidence in Presi-
dent johnson. They tell Us that he
stands between the people of the South
I and the radicals of the North he il is
[ who viii prevent the eXactiOn Of humili-
I atng conditions. Very good But what
is the plain duty Of the people Of the
. South who have this potential friend at
court He tells them that there are cer-
/ tain things that they must do, and GER
| tain things that they ought TO do, if they
I expect him To successfully resist the de-
mands Of the Radicals. They must re-
peal their ordinances Of secession; they
must declare slavery abolished forever; T;
I they must repudiate their war debt.
I These conditions, they are told are inn
perative, and must be complied with.
] They ought TO rutify the Constitutional
Amendment; they ought to abolish class
/ legislation, protect the negroes in their
civil rights, qualify them as witnesses,
4 elect conservative men to office, and in
all things compOrt themselves A. men
| earnestly resolved not only to restore the
States to the Union, but the hearts Of the
! people.
Now what, in fact, are the psople Of
.
baliot-boxes, and legislatures, doing:
Lip-service is cheap; what is the purpOrt
Of their acts? The President viii deter
mine whether these people are to be
trusted, not by what they say, but by
what they DO They have repealed or
annullei the ordinances Of secession,
they have declared slavery abolished by
the Federal Government, and i'm their or
gaHic laws have recognized the fact. They
have, ia Mississippi and Alabama,
promptly, and i'm Georgia and North
Carolina reluctantly, repudiated, or set
aside the war debt. Beyond this, the
wishes of the President have not been
regarded, Nniia bis expectations have
been Disappointed. such Of the legi>-
latures as are in session, have MAIN
tanned an omin0gs silence on the question
Of ratifying the Constitutional Amend
meut: they have refused OF neglected to
abolish class legislation; they have rather
sought % uvTpeiuate it under the plea Of
necessity, as though any necessity ever
existed flT the pGrpet1atiOl ~ rrOng
they have la some STATES elected tQ The
Office of Governor men who were orig
i1sI Sace~SiOnisfs, bitter enemies Of the
Eoverument during all its struggle for
existence, and for aught they have said
or done since its bitter eGemies at heart,
over men who We're, at the beginning,
opposed 10 secession, who re1ralueu as
much as possible from encouraging its
preteu~i0us TO independence, aIid Who
were the hrst 70 step forward, after the
war. 10 assist the Administration in the
work at reconstruction. They have eiec-
ted 10 Congress, Ia many districts, men
who cannot take the Congressional
test oath, knowing their inabll-
ity TO DO -, apl with the express
purpose. ID is belieyed, or gElyiGg 2 law
designed to keep out of the National As
semJly That class Of politicians. The
Government la good faith, established
Fraedmen's Bureau, to ASSIST iH the work
of adjusting the rEl2tiCus between the
whites and the freedmen, securing TO the
latter fair dealing, and 20 the former the
labor they need in cultivating their neg
lected plantations, Every step in the
pE0gress Cf this work has been tahlu Ia
The face Of opposition, and the agents Of
tie BUEgaG. with very few exceptions,
have been treated as ihGGgh they were
enemies. In parts of Louisiana, We are
rrediblv informed, meetings have been
hald sud resolutions adopted re-estab-
( fishing slaveav. apd where the effort has
/ been made to establish Golarri Schools,
educate the colored children, and qualify
them % bs. useful and industrious MEM
( hers of society, a foolish prejudice and
l prosecuting maiisQ.tg have been COM
bined 10 defeat the enterprise.
We should prefer to report different
state of things igt the facts are, for the
present, against US. If, tueu, thg 4iIesi-
dent does not manifest particular eager
uess on the subject of restoration; IL he
.s,egraphs to Iha Provisional Governors
Of the Carolinas 70 hold on tiii orhergd 70
yarate in favor Of the Governors elect,
( NIessrs. Hampton and Worth; if he indi-
Gates or PROPOSES tn continue a semi-mtl-
.tary supervision of tnes5 Stalp5s atsl hes-
ftates about receiving them into tull COM
munfon, il viii not be at all difficult 10
/ discover the causes that have led to this
( change iA Lis policy, The people Of the
south have been told ~ the President
and by those who understood his plan Of
Z REORGANIZATION, that il was experimental,
not final, and depended for its perma-
( u.nce Oh the 2cfion and spirit of The
/ Deople of the Southern states themselves
( lfa change in his purposes takes place, IL
viii not be the result of radical pressure
atthe North, hut disloyal pressure at the
south. He has met thOse lately inrebel-
lion more than half way, and has held
the sacrifcial knife ready these many
months t8 kil} the fatted calf, and make
I merry over the returu Of the prOdlghls
who have wasted their substance in riot
uus living. They must do something for
themselves, lGabYeF,