Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-12-14

A BemntblD Republican Af0ttOrlnu.
The Springfield RepubIicdn, a Republical
journal OF prominence and Of much ability,
thus expresses itself ON the subject as to
how we should deal with the South:
What is most TO be deplored in the South
Is not any general inclination to disobey
the laws or resist the authority ofthe Gov
ernment, for there is no evidence that such
a disposition exists. The real ground of
anxiety lies in the increasing alienation of
the South from the rest of the country.
| Without inquiring as to causes, we cannot
refuse to recognize the fact that the hope
fnl indications that followed the close of
the war have gradually passed away, and
that the present tendency of Southern
feeling Is to consolidate a nationality as
distinct and no tile as If the Confederate
| Government still existed. Were our Gov
ernment a despotism this would be of less
consequence; but in republic, the essen
| tial condition of whose existence is the con-
sent of the governed, it is full of evil omens.
| The idea OF holding one. third of the Amer
! lean people as perpetual subjects, and maxi
ing the South the Poland of America, which
some of our politicians strangely regard as
a desirable consummation, Is most abhor-
rent to every true Republican. The exis-
tence of such system under republican
1 form of government, in time OF peace, and
as permanent arrangement, Is simply i'm
possible. Whatever may be the purposes
of men who look only to immediate party
and personal advantage, and American peo-
Pile do not propose TO try any such expert
Inent, and will not consent to 1t. 1t would
| contribute very much to the correction of
the wrong and dangerous tendency OF
Southern opinion and feeling If the people
| OF that section could be made to tOunderstand
| the real spirit and purpose Of the Northern
| people. With rare exceptions, there is no
| wish to punish, degrade or oppress them In
any way. We respect the sentiment Of
honor which leads them to reject the con-
stitutiOnal amendment because they will
not assist in the punishment of their chosen
leaders, and in fact the North cares nothing
for that feature of the amendment, and
would willingly dispense with it If the
South will accept the essential thing. the
equalization OF representation. The entire
amendment having failed, the people do
| not threaten vengeance upon the South for
freely rejecting it, but they look to Con-
gress to propose some new scheme of ad-
justment, and believe that one can be devils
ed that shall be more acceptable to the
South and at the same time furnish better
security for future loyalty and for equal
rights to the freedmen.
Notwithstanding the mischief caused in
the South by the teud between the Presi-
dent and Congress, naturally leading by
mutual repellance to extreme views and
measures on both sides, there Is yet hope
that the wrong tendency of the South may
be arrested and corrected. AS things now
stand, the best men of the South are power
less. Many ofthe original Union men, eXas-
peratedby personal wrongs and by seeing
their personal enemies, the late rebels, COM
ing again into power, are calling for the
most extreme measures, such as the recon-
struction Of State Governments and the
disfranchsement Of all who have been reb-
els, including nine-tenths at least of all
present voters. The more moderate Union
men of the South, including many who
were nominal secessionists during the
war, but rejoicedin the failure of the rebel
lion, and are now entirely trustworthy, are
silent and powerless between the two ex-
tremes, and complain with reason that they
are treated as rebels.
The declaration of Governor Pierpont,
of Virginia, for the constitutional amend
ment, might be hailed as good omen, If
he represented any considerable number
of Virginans. But he does not; he is
relic of the skeleton government that was
maintained at Alexandria during the war,
and will be dropped out of Virginia poll
tics as soon as his present term ends. Vir-
ginia, like all the other late rebel States, ex-
cept Tennessee, is in the same hands as be-
fore the war. These are some of the facts
Of the situation at the South. They cannot
be ignored. The great problem is how to
meet them. II we take counsel of our pas
sions and resentments, and prefer ven
geance and subjugation to Justice and rec
onciliation. the wrong tendency of the
South will be confirmed. We cannotannul
human nature, and If we want to make the
South foreign and hostile nation in fact
and feeling for a century to come, though
territoriallT a part ofthe Union, the course
is obvious and easy. 4