The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-03-06
THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT.

soul Of the man enSlayed by rum"
THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT.
The essence of the late Rebellion was
an assumption that one race of men are
born booted and spurred By the grace OF
God to ride, and another with bent backs
and hoof-like hands TO be ridden-that
the wise and strong, because of their wis
dom and strength, have a right to do as
they will with the weak and simple. AS
A. II. Stephens well said, Slavery, the in.
cident or accident of other States, was the
cornerstone Of the Southern Confederacy
that but for which that Confederacy
had never been. Hence every Tory, every
Reactionist, in either hemis phere-every
upholder Of the Divine Right of king craft
was Rebel sympathizer by instinct !;
while every Republican, every Socialist,in,
the Old World, was a champion of the
Union cause. Men do not wait to reason
ont such differenceS-the King of Daho-
mey, had he been seasoDably apprised of
our quarrel, would have joyfuily spared
his brother jeff legion of his most blood
thirsty Amazons to fight for their common
cause, though he detests and suppreSses
all secessions and rebellions in his own
domain. The higher law of elective affinity
would make him tolerant of treason and
revolution, when their aim is the couser-
Vation of the copple and the auction-biock
for beings made in the image of God.
1t is impossible not to see in the recent
utterances ofour President determination
to make war on the advocates of Human
Equality before the Law. If he had said
to the Black delegation, "Your people
must wait Educate your children seek
knowledge be industrious; be frugal; be
thrifty, and you will ultimately attain all
you desire but prejudice is strong, and
you must not expect everything done at
one" we should have felt that what he
said was reasonable, and couDseled acqui.
escence. So, if he had said to Congress,
There are some provisions 10 your Freed
mems Bureau bill which seem to me up-
warranted and pernicious allow me to
designate them, and to solicit their modi-
fcation''-we should have urged compli-
ance with his requirements, even though
we could not deem them intrinsicallY
sound. But his Veto Message is a dec
laratIOn Of War-lt can mean nothing else
1t was not intended TO convince but TO
defy Congress. There was not Copper
head mot a Rebel in America who did not
on reading it, say, "This is the man for
us-he talks just as we think and feel. "
We are confident that it will evoke letters
of appreciation from Rebel fugtives in
Europe, Mexico and BraziI-that some of
them will even offer to return whenever
assured that "the Presidents policy" is
destined to prevail. John Surratt may
not yet be ready to condescend so far; but
be will surely feel that he has not periled
life and incurred the pains of exile in
vain.
When we ask the Right of Suffrage for
the Blacks, we are told they are too igno
rant and degraded to vote; when we ask
that provisions be made for educating
them, the reply is, that we surely cannot
deem them in such crying need of edu-
cation, since we consider them qualified
to vote Such is the vicious circle wherein
their rights are denied aud their prayers
for justice derlded.
Again let US suppose the People ofthe
United States to be Thirty-one Millions,
whereof Sixteen Millions side with us, aud
Fifteen Millions with the negro-haters.
They stife the voice of Three to Four
Millions of US, and say, "Don't you see
that you are a weak minority? You have
scarcely party IN ten or twelve States
the fact being that we are a majority
in most of them and that most of US are
suppressed and nulifed. And this in the
abused name Of Democracy
OF course, the natuaral presumption is
that all who would sell th0Ir souls to keep
and those who would sell them to get
Office, piling upon ore hungry party, can
secure it a present,predominance. What
if they do? With power comes respousi,
bilities. With action, difference. A
blended Copperkead and Rebel ascend
ancy, thlnly veueerod with Office, holding
and Office. seeking Unionism, could not
help assaiiing the National Debt, disturbing
the safeguards of our National Industry,
and many other things equally provoca-
tive of resistance The new alliance, now
being Solemnized by salvos Of artillery, can
have but a short and stormy life at best ;
but give it power, and it cannot fail to ex-
plode by force of inherent repusion.
We are one of those who would gladly
have accepted an inStalment ofjustice for
the Freedmen, and waited for moro TO .