The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-15

the assumption that the Southern people have
by their rebellion forfeited ali claim to
which lie at the metcy OF the North;
and they insist that In reiraining from
banging them all and despoiling them of their
| goods, we are displaying considerable mUdera-
| ton. Consequently, one OF their strong argu-
ments in favor of the reconstruction policy of
Congress- or in favor OF holding the South as 1t
Is without reconstruction, is that 1t falls so far
| short of wholesale slaughter ano contscatlon.
One most unfortunate result o this kind OF talg,
as well as of the various expressions OF intense
adherence of the Southern people which Mr..
Stevens and men of his class Ot mind are con
| stantly pouring forth, Is that moderate people,
the people who do not occupy themselves mi
nutely with politics, have been easily led to be.
live that if Congress has its way something
dreadful will be done TO the Southern Dopu.
| lation: and the earlier favor which Mr..
Johnson managed to win was due to the
widespread impression that he was oppos-
ing himself to shocking. violence and op-
| preston medtated by the Radicals Mr..
Raymond is thus enabled to inform the public
| IN the Philadelphia address, with amusing ex.
ageeraton, that If the Southerners could accept
with uncomplaining submissiveness the hui
mutations thus sought to be imposed on them,
they would be unworthy citizens OF free coun-
try, degenerate sons of an heroic ancestry, unfit
ever to become guardians OF the rights and lib
critics bequeathed to us by the fathers and
founders OF this republic;" and DIR. Tying and
Mr.. Beecher, and hosts of others, are thus ena-
bled to read lectures to Congress on its want OF
,'maenanimity," and to preach to the public the
duty OF "1orbearanCe" towards the South with
certain show of justification.
Now, we think all persons interested in the
triumph OF the policy of Congress at the ap-
proacning elections viii do well to try and put
an end to this misunderstanding by every means
III heir power. We ought for this purpose to
stop at once and forever that rant about the
Southerners "having forfeited their lives by
heir Rebellion,n which, we are sorry TO see, Mr..
stevens has Just been repeating at Bedford, and
which good many people with more modera-
ton than he now and then indulge in. On no
theory OF our relations to the South are either
the lives or property of the vanquished 'at
our mercy" If they are subjugated Rebels, we
have, undoubtedly, moral and legal right to
execute certain persons for treason; but usage,
policy, humanity, and religion prescribe that
| the number of persons thus punished should be
small, and that they should be the leaders OF
| the movement and no others The right OF a
sovereign to execute couple or millions Of
| people for rebellion against hlm has never been
CLAIMED by any Christian potentate, and has
never been exercised by any heather one; and
for us, of all nations in the world, even to talk
| of such thing, is worse than disgusting.
If, on the other hand, the Southerners are
| conquered enemies, our right to Kill and desp0i
| them after they have laid down their arms is
| all moonshine, and to have any man calling
| himself even politician talk of deducIng a
policy from it, IS more than silly. No such right
has ever been asserted in the modern world /;
nobody has ever massacred even thousands of
| his enemies in cold blood since Christ came, ex.
| cept Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, two dgni-
taries whom the Christian public OF the North
| are not likely to take for models. tits revolt
| ing to hear civilized Americans talk of their
| abstinence from such crime as proof of mode
ration, and it is time we had an end OF this
| ponsense 1t disgraces us, and damages the
good cause which the majority of the people of
| the North have at heart.
| The facts of the case are that the South has
| heen beaten in arms when engaged in most
| criminal and atrocous attempt to overthrow
| the Government and found State on slavery;
| that justice and sound policy, and proper re-
gard for our own dignity and for our reputation
| for sincerity, require the punishment Of the
chief instigators and agents OF this enterprise;
| but that the community at large are not tit OBJ
| jects for punishment; that no attempt can be
| made to take vengeance on whole people
| which will not debase and degrade the ruler far
more than the ruled. The punishment OF
| nations for national sins God has clearly
| reserved to Himself, and anybody who reads his
tory rightly may see clearly that this punish.
ment is sure, sooner or later, TO come. If the
| South as community has not yet sufficiently
atoned for it's iniquities, it will assuredly
do so in some form or other; but this
| matter we may safely leave in the hands of Pro-
| vidence. Our business now is not to punish, not
to take vengeance, not to excite or perpetuate
hatred or maevolence towards the late Rebels,
bur to take such fair and humane precautions
for the future peace aud tranquility OF this
nation as we may deem tit. This and no other
is the power which our victory in war gives US,
and we are called upon to exercise it not because
enemies are at our mercy, but because we are
moral beings and patriots who love our coun-
try and our kind and are bound to see justice
reign and weakness protected. The terms pro
posed by Congress are, therefore, not terms oi
conquest and not signs of humiliation. There
is nothing in them to degrade or humliate
any human being, or to indicate any desire
for vengeance. They simply regulate repre-
sentation to suit the altered circumstance
of the Southern population; they ask that men
who made thems elves prominent in the attempt
to overthrow the Government shall, in common
decency, from common regard tor the feelings
of the rest of the population, abstain during
the remainder of their career from participation
in the administration o affairs; that persons
| who took no part in the Rebellion shall not bt
called to repay the money lent to carry it on
lastly, that all persons born in the Union, anC
owing it allegiance, shall be treated by South
ern law as citizens of the Union. In short. the
whole amendment is simply a provision FOL
what Placing the Southern whites under
the feet of the North ? making them its vassals
tributaries, serfs, dependents Nothing o
the kind. 1t is really difficult to keep from
laughing when saying that the terms which tn,
vanquished foe cannot accept "wlthout "degra
| dation,n which 1t would show want of magma
nlmlty on the part OF the North to insist on, anC
| which the New York Times tells us they cannO
and will not agree to, simply place them on tn
| same level in all respects with their conquerOrs
and make them frecr and more independen
| than any other community in the word-are
perhaps, the mildest terms which victory. 81
| dearly bought, ever imposed on the vanuushe
| furnish, perhaps, the only instance on record Il
| which the yictors, in fixing the terms of peace
rorbore to ask for single ADVANTAGE for them
| elves, a foot OF ground q cent of money, 0
even formal acknowledgment of defeat o
submission, or repentance.
ENTERPRIsE.-The great requisites for success b
| America pluck and enteFDFSe: and HalmD I'D