Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-08-10
The Richmond Election Null
fed.

\ misstcp has been made by the admin
istratlOn, which arrests, aud threatens 10
turn backward, the wheels Of Reconstruction,
and casts ominous conjecture o the whole
succnss' OF President johnson experiment.
The municipal election held few days
since at Richmond ha, been set aside by a
military order, on the ground that the Off
GERS elected were persons Of rebel antcccl-
cnts. 1t is not alleged that they are unrc-
pcntant rebels; there is no charge against
them Of present disloyalty; on the contrary,
they are persons who have submitted 10 the
federal authority and taken the oath Of ale
glance. II the precedent here set is to be
followed IN other cases, VIC apIrchcnd that
anything resembling real reconstruction is
very far off. The southern people have 50
generally participated in the rebellion. that,
iGno space is to allowed for repentance, local
self government cannot be rc-cstabli-hcd till
the present generation ofadults has died off .
The rule adopted with reference to the
Richmond officials, would oust certainly
three, and We know not how many more, Of
President JOhnson's provisional governors,
who have not only participated in the rebel
lion, but held Office, under it. Governor
Holden, Of North Carolina, spoke and voted
/ for the ordinance Of secession, and held the
Office Of state printer under the rebel gov
crnmcnt Governor Perry, Of South Caro-
/ lima, wa, a rebel state judge and a confeder-
ate commissioner for the imprcssmcnt Of
supplies for the rebel army. Governor Par
sons, Of Alabama, was Il bitter scccssionist.
the rebel Judge Of a confederate district
court, member of the rebel state Legisa-
turc, and has at least twice taken the oath
of allegiance to the confederate government.
: There is neither fairness, equity, nor con
,istcncy in nullfying a local election on ac-
count Of the confederate antcccdcnts of the
persons elected at the same time that per
sons are appointed to the responsible Office
OF state governor, whose record is equally
t Objectionable. The appointment Of gov
! ernors likely to command the confidence
and gain the cooperation Of the southern
c people, has been commended as an act Of
| wisdom. 1t is less costly to govern By moral
t influence than by physical terror and brute
, force, to say nothing of the Importance ofre-
cementing the Union by the habit of willing
obedience. 1t surely does not tend to the
pacifcatlOn and cOntentncnt Of the South
to keep tearing open the old wounds. -
= Now that the rebellion is dead why should
t the government keep fighting its carcass
1t is an insulting mOckery to open the
polls and call upon citizens to come and vote,
! and then set aside the election ifthe govern
] ment candidates are not chosen, If it is a
- forcgone conclusion that the federal author
ity is to dictate to the people of the locality
, whom they shall select for local officers, and
+ the ballot-boX is to be mere machine for
registering the decrecs Of the government,
the prctcnse Of an election is u transparent
, farce. This business Of rcconstructng the
, local governments of the South iSundertaken
under the color of that provision of the Con-
l,, ,,l ;,l, ITnita1
. tee to every state in the Union republican
5 form of government 1t is queer sort Of re-
r puJiicnmjsm which permits the people tC
Il choose only in obedience to outside dictatiou
o but would you have rebels hold Office
The qu, stion is irrelevant there are N
: rebels. The people of the South have sub
u mitted, and are universally disposed to max,
+ the best Of the situation. The completeness
of their submission is matter of universe
b surprise and congratulation. 1t surpasse
}, all expectation. There has been no time
within the last forty years when the Unior
d was in SO little danger Of disruption as a
e present. The people of the South should
+ now be treated, not as slaves dragged at the
c chariot wheels of their conquerors, but "A:
: rcpcntant tellow-citizcns whom it is our duty
Ii and interest to treat as republican frcemen
l., The method now adopted seems likely t.
keep the South for a long period under mil
o itary rule. The evil will ultimately cure it
C self, for the federal government is not fitteC
to administer the local affairs of that cxten
} sivc region and will certainly fail in the at
o tempt The South will lose less by this per
version of federal authority than the North
c and when the North realizes how it affect
&c them, they will apply remedy through thu
c elections.
p This wrctched business of administering
} the local affairs of the South by the fedora
Il government will break down by a revolt o
n the tax payers. Under the normal system
local government in all the states Is support
cd by local taxes. The aggregate of state
II county, and town taxes greatly exceeds thos
collected by the federal government Bu
under the system now inaugurated, tn
Df people of the whole country will have t
x pay for the local government Of the South
in The federal government is prohibited by tn
I. Constitution from laying any taxes whic
re are not uniform throughout the Unite
cs States 1t accordingly follows that the Sout
- will be relieved from taxation for the SUI
Of port Of local officers, and that the cXpens'
no of their local administration will be throw
u upon the people of the whole country III
he permanent maintenance of an army Of tv
dc hundred thousand men in the South, al
he the support of all the local officers nccessa
ny for administering local affairs, will prove
'ty burden to which the voting people of Il
elf North most certainly will not submit. Ne
cd York IIorM
r.
IL