The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1866-06-28

most artfully framed for the purpose of
effectiug the extreme purposes Of the rad>
ical members of Congress, Of avoiding the
appearance of an open conflict with the
President of the United States. and of de-
Iuding the honest impulses of,he people in
respect to the real design of the trainers.
= Wicked and unjust leg
islation is abhorrent to the minds Of free
men. The low tricks of politicians who at
tempt to deceive the people by ambiguous
resolutions in party platforms are contempt
ible, but fraudulent Legislation by the reps
resentatives of a great people partakes Of
the cowardce as we'll as Of the cruelty of
that Roman tyrant who wrote his laws and
affixed them to pillars so high that the
people could not read them. in order to
have pretext to punish them in case they
innocently violated his DEGREES. The
vital interest which the people of Mary>
land feel in the result Of the fraudulent
effort of Congress thus to entrap the peo-
pie into the immediate admission of negro
suffrage and into surrender of the whole
power Of the government in all its branch
es for the next seven years. will not per
init their intelligence to be blinded by any
evasion with which the Congressional ma
jorities try to hide their mischcYious pur.
poses from the public.
From the Memphis Avalanche
The decree has gone forth that the south
can regain congressional representation on
ly on condition that she viii obey the rai>
ical mandate ordering our people 10 place
themselves on line with the negro. The
reconstruction bill means just :hat-noth-
ING more-nothing less Was the inlamy
of faction ever more transparent? These
Puritan fanatics, under the lead Of Sum
ner and Stevens, proclaim that the south
is not yet to be trusted with representation.
They charge that she is yet rcbellious; that
her citizens are too inmical to the north
for them to be yet trusted with the right
of '.life, liberty and the pursuit Of happi-
ness" And yet, after charging al this
upon us, they stultiiy themselves by pros
posing to restore US to full fellowship with
them whenever we will allow the negro to
vote. The nlgger is the panacea for all
political and moral evils. The white man
of the south, the descendants Of the men
who moulded and guided this government
during the ninety years Of It's existence,
are pronounced unqualified for exercising
the rights and privileges of freemen. uu :
less they will consent, under radical die
tation, to clothe their former negro slaves
with all the political rights they themselves
have hitherto enjoyed hat degradation
will baptise them anew, auj wash away
their political sins. 1t will cast out the
) bitterness and hate which the infamous
laws and propositions Of the Yankees have
implan ted in all honest southern hearts. and
breed love and kindness anu humanity in
their stead Poor, dreaming mortals is
this the way to return that brolnerlv feels
ing, about which they are always prating !?
If we are fools will this association with
the negro enlighted us ? If we are knaycs
will this association make us honest? Ii
we are unfit for Congressional representa-
ton, will this association with the negro lit
us for such honor: These questions with
their suggestive answers. must convince
al. that the radical plea that the southern
people are not yet qualified for exercising
the rights Of ireemen is nothing more or
less than radical lie. The south has
yielded too much already. The Constitu-
tional amendments already ratified by the
southern States were ratified because our
people were induced TO believe that this
would secure peace and justice, and restore
the ancient relations of equality. The
President believed it. and because he be-
licyed it. ne advised our people to DC what
they did They would have remained ST.
lent, submitting to whatever oppression
and injustice our enemies might choose to
inlet upon them, but never consentinS to
il by word Of acquleScence. From what
we know Of this southern race, we can
safely and proudly assure our enemies that
we have made the last concession. The
bob>tail Legislature of this State which
misrepresent nne-tenths Of our citizens
NAV accept the reconstruction amend
ment They would accept anything from
the radical Congress. But the people
, will never sustain them; and, in every 9th.
er southern State. the amendment will be
spurned with indignant contempt. and its
advocates become 4 by>word and Kissing
scorn. The true southern man who will
accept such an insult to him and his fell
low citizens will soon find that he is :.
southern Yankee, that worst of all bipcds.
The man who would consent that the
negro shall vote, rather than he shall not
90 to the Congress at Washington, is so
lost to all pride of character as to render
him unfit to represent aproud race, though
perhaps qualified to play the supple tool
for radicals. Thank heaven, there are
but few such in all our southern land. II
may be said in answer to this. that free
negroes once voted in Tennessee. True
but it was privilege conferred as favor,
aud by our own citizens. 1t was not an
exaction dictated by radical hate and lust
for power That privilege was Withdrawn
when the Constitution of 1888 was adopts
{ ed and it has never Teen reconferrcd by
those who alone have the power to do it.
Then it was given to a few free negroes,
who seldom exercised it. Now, it is to be
extended to large class, through whom
I low, radical Peter Funk, political aspi-
rants hope to ride into office. La short, it