New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-06-23
RECONSTRUCTION NOT TO
M 1T.

struction" has scarcely had q trial, but we see
enough in the present operation Of that policy
to justify us in making one or two crlti-
cisms. AS we understand the policy, it is that
the Unionists shall be delivered into the hands
Of the soldiers, the Rebels into the bands OF the
Unonists, and the negroes into the hands of
the Rebels. The logic Of our new "recon-
struction" scheme results in this, because we
proceed upon wrong theory. Instead of leav-
ing, the negro alone to work out his own saliva
ton, we insist upon protecting" him; and in
order that he may be properly protected, we
deprive him of every right that we give the
white man. Now see how it works:
We take Tennessee for an illustration, because
Tennessee is our favored State, and has been held
up since the war began as o pattern OF
struggling and unconquerable loyalty. That
Tennessee whose sons have been martyrs and
whose blood has been the seed of the Republic,
may be considered fair field for or construc'
ton" Into whose hands could we more conf
IDENTIFY place the negro than those Of State
whose capital the negro had saved and whose
fields were drenched with loyal negro blood
Well: this State has passed laws governing the
freedmen, and unless the President makes an
imperative protest. these laws will be carried
into effect and Tennessee reconstructed"
The first pont in the new code is "that Colored
children shall not be admitted into the same
public schools with White children" This
means that the Blacks shall not be educated at
all; for any legislator who hereafter proposes
to tax White men to educate "niggers" would
be driven out Of the State. Another law pro-
vdcs that "the County Courts may bind out
the colored children, whether they be orphans
or ofh,rmia." Thus any slaye-loying local judge
NAV enter the colored mans home and, whether
the father says yea or nay. bind out his likely
boys 20 any slave-hankerng friend he may wish
10 otlge. Again, "no contract between q
white and coored person shall be binding unless
it is made in writing and rifnessd By Hhne
person" The Colored persons may be wit
nesse, "apaina each oihtr,' but not against
White man Ap,gur,d Reid niH be accept
I'd, uhih loyal dark Uniomia IS ryect'd.
This is bad enough, for 1t perpetuates the sys-
TEN Of protecting and degrading the negro.
But in addition Tennessee gives us what might
be called Slavery in easy lessons" Listen:
Section tenth punshes vagrancy in free persons OF
color with imprisonment after conviction before
,fice of the peace; and failure 10 paw the Jaee
Ae ogiJr may be hr,d out 10 ne highest bidder ater que
notice section seven Furnishes with line any hons"
keeper rho shall hdrtor any ragrdni Negro The t"sth
section applies the poor laws affecting White 10
The free people Of ooor and "as. | "as1 sS os 1
n" per'oH' Of color
vagrancy"--" Jail fees -" highest bid
der harboring any vngrant negro o." rem
dition Of poor and INDECENT free persons of color
these are new phrases, but they have the old
Ifugitiye-slaye, calaboose, auction-block flavor
Look at the extreme injustice of these pro-
Visions: Any pardoned Rebel who can be
chosen justice Of the peace has 1t III his power
to arrest and imprison any number of negroes,
TO sell their services To the highest bidder, to
compel them to remain with their purchasers by
Furnishing any who give them refuge, and to
prevent them from running away by Keeping
them in their own county. All this the privi-
legc of any justice of the peace, with power to
enforce the law" by whip and hound and pis-
tol. This is reconstruction" as seen in the
model State Of Tennessee!
Let us look at North Carolina That State
lls been reconstructed" Oh the most ap-
proved basis. We have bran-new governor
AMI an army, and general, and whole tribe
Of provost-narshals, and one Of the results is
thus given by a correspondent of The Hsraid;
"In some cases. where the masters OF misresses are
fp de4 In
the negroes beginning to rebel aud lay their com
plants before the provostmarshai who by the way
the darkey RECONCILIATION Of right and Justice. They
find here, however that they are not PPori'd In their
demands. These officers well aware that the Whites
not able TO pay their servants Ia money! and that
all labor be r6mnEditd at present by stbsiscncc
OF the laborer only. The determination again, mani
sted to enact he due modieun q rork from the coored
aborer has sent many Of them back to their old homes
there TO remain In conteninent
Now, provost-marshals are necessary mortals
and in their place-hanging people, shooting de-
serters, and keeping the soldiers from robbing
the sutler-are as indispensable as our handsome
policemen on Broadway. But what value is in
system of reconstruction that places
whole peope'at the mercy of petty officers of
the army who are generally more eager to win
the smiles of Southern "beauty" by pleasing
Southern "chivalry," than to redress the wrongs
of the forlorn, dusky negro As to negro suf-
frage, that question is disposed of in the
naughty menace of The Raleigh Progress:
! AT present We are sure that there is not single
man in the State Ia favor Of aoWiE9 him lthe negro to
votes and any anempt the part of the General Gov
eminent 20 force II upon would seriously interfere with
that fraferna synpaihc affection necessary between
the oOpc Of the different States and secure
a union Of hearts well ns n union Of States"
These are brave words for journal that has