Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-06-14

people. Then the question arises, which is
the true exponent of the South, the politi-
cal journals and her public men, who have
testified before the Committee of Recon
struction on public sentiment in the South,
or the Christian Luder Do politicians lay
their designs and political vie WIS before the
editors of religious papers, generally !
And have not the editors of political pa
pers a better chance of knowing the politi-
cal sentiments of the people, than those Of
religious journals Then here is one re-
ligious paper, and published in the South,
that processes to be friendly towards the
North, or that alleges that the people at
large are not unfriendly to us. While all
the others, religious as well as political,
take the opposite view. Now, which is en-
| titled to credit, the one or the many! The
religious editor has to do with religious
| people-and this editors patrons may be
of the mild and sensible type, like hims III
while the political editors get their views
| from the leaders, trainers and controllers of
public sentiment So that the chances are,
that the latter represent the true sentiment
of the South, and the former does not. We
can believe that the editor of the Llder is
honest-that he tells what he sees and be
lieves, but his sight is limited He has lit
| tie opportunity of knowing the true state
of public sentiment where he lives, outside
of his peculiar sphere. To say the least,
all others who express an opinion on this
subject, many Of whom have as good OPP
portunities of Judging as the editor of the
Inder, disagree with him, and we think
they are light, and he is wrong.
Ill We at the North do believe that
there is disposition on the part of a ma
jority of the southern people to "oppress
! and persecute the negro race, and if pos
sible to re-enslave them," and while we
hav a great deal of positive and undispu-
ted testimony proving this fact, we will
an opposite character is given-and which
only shows that the southern people are
not all brutes-and no one believes they
are--and will rely solely on the enactments
of the legislatures of different southern
states since the close of the rebellion
! What do the vagrant acts of the Legisla-
| ture of Tennessee, and other states, in re-
| spect to the negro race indicate, if they do
not tend towards reinstatement and
! what of the labor regulations prescribed
| by South Carolina, Louisiana, and other
laws having any analogy to these have ev-
er been adopted by these states for the
white men. and no one ever heard of such
regulations for free people, and can only be
! applicable to a subjugated race. Still in
the face of these palpable evidences to the
contrary, the hader AYERS THAT nothing
could be further from the truth than an in
tended reinstatement or oppression of
the black race. What will people think of
the statements Of this paper, when such
acts as wo have referred to come from the
authority of the States themselves to con-
tradict them?
| ". We will consider the two last pro-
positions together Intelligent people of
| the North do not believe that the South will
urge repudiation of the public debt, but
the, do believe that rhe will use all the
power she is master of {" to force upon the
government the assumption of the debt of
the late Confederacy :" and what the Lder
has to say on this point indicates less
knowledge of the people of the South in
particular, and people in general, than any
editor ought to possess. Why, aside from
any averments made by southern men on
the subject, how stands the case? A very
large proportion of the Confederate debt is
held by the ruling class i'll the South, into
whose hands politica power will fall when
her states are restored and who are now
generally poor, save in Confederate Bonds.
are printed on, but if our Government
would assume their payment, they might be
worth something now, and in ten years
they would be par. Now, is it possible
tlat any one Is so Infatuated WIN lne
abnegation of these bond-holders in the
South, or so gullible in respect to any peo-
pie, as to believe, when having the power
they would not try to make something out
of these bonds. Such proposition is be-
yond the credence of any man properly bal
anced. Nay more, it is even feared that
these holders of Confederate Bonds, at the
proper time, will attempt to carry mea.
, sure for their assumption, without waiting
for political power, by corruption. The
Confederate debt is over five thousand mil
| lions, over four thousand millions of tpis is
held in the South, and suppose corruption
} fund of thousand millions was created for
the purpose of carrying this measure through
) Congress. Would all members of Congress
reject bribes of ten, twenty or fifty millions
each No one believes this Then when
the South is represented, our majority will
be much less and the chances of the pass
age of such measure greatly increased