New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-15

a.
stitutonal amendment at least il the terms Of
reconstruction that it shall no more return to
curse US. Aud, at any rate, let none be punished
for acting upon this doctrine until il shall have
been made indisputably certain to every reason
able mind that the doctrine is not part OF the
law of the land ..,
Iueed say no more to show that it was a elyil
war in which the South became involved, ana suCh
a civil war as brought her emphatically under the
law of war. need say no more 70 snoW Ilft eiiS
can never come within the JuIlsulctioI III ~ ~
court until the peace-maKlng p9Wel eu t? D.
restored the former sway of the CONSTITUTION, buV
\ fer the suddeu collapse and annlhlauon OF me
| Confederacy, the President and senate would
have been on our part this peace making power.
fine whole of this peaee-maklng power
How great would be the sorrow of all the OPP
messed nations Of christendom at learning that
he chief Justice of the United States holds that in
a civil war and even in fully developed one,
4 tbere remains the crime of treason, and work for
| the executioner They would feel fresh alarm,
while evury despot would feel himself more firmly
/ seated than ever. Surely, America with all her
| boosted love of freedom and human rights, and
with all her Difference for numbers, should not be
guilty of subectiug the vanquished party ia civil
4 war to the law of treason. There will probably be
many more civil wars. The great majority of them
will originate in the interests OF freedom. Some
/ of them perhaps many of them-Will result adj
versely to her. When they do shall the conquer
4 ing tyrants be able to plead the example of Amer
/ ica-of the republican America-of treedom-lov-
tons and Franklins God forbid But it will be
claimed that the Washingtons and Franklins, hay
ing Just cause, should not be hung and that the
Davises and Lees should be, because their cause is
unjust. Unavailng distinction! For the conqueror
would have but to hold (and for this his own bare
word would be his sufficient authority that his
own cause is just and the enemy's unjust and Then
his way would be clear to go straight to hanging
the Washingtous and Franklins.
On the other hand, there is not in all christendou
one enlightened friend'of human rights who woult
not rejoice in the influence the cause of human
j. rights of your refusing to recognize the crime 0
treason in popular rising, after it has reached th
stage of civil war. For there is not one such whit
S would fail to see in the refusal proper respec
J, and Difference to numbers; or who would fail t.
g see in ID the making of revolution more easy: and
/ what is far better, the making of government
more studOus Of Justice in order to prevent revo
s. luton By the way, there are some who deny til
right of revolution in repubtc--especial in
+ republic where suffrage is as extended in on
e own and hence do they deny that the revolution
d in republic are entitled to the humanities of til
law of war. But there may be as unendurabl
p oppression in a republic there have been in on
OWN as under monarchy or olgaTchy. 1t is nt
where the oppression is, but how great it is, whc
affects the question of the right of revolutions.
81 Humanity is, on the whole, constantly maxim
progress. In almost every age 1t takes som
marked and wide step upwards and onward
or Such one will it take in this age, if chrstendo
NJ shall declare herself against the recognition
Il treason I'M civil war Will she thus declare he
~ selfy mighty impulse towards IL WOuld She fe
y from your inviting her to declare it. And VII
Y knoweth," my old, and honorable, and believe
u friend, " whether thou art come to the kingdo
en- for such time as this?H Beautiful and glorioI
y for Yourself your country and mankind will
e your chief usticesbip if Cod shall incline you thu
5li to illustrate it. And not little would be dor
se towards gaining us the heart Of the South shOu
ef you from your high place say that she ought n
~ to be put on trial for treason For to try JeersG
he Davis for it would be to try herself for it and
40 wrong to him would be felt by each of her a
al, greyed people to be wrong to himself
ny How sad That the North should in this, the gre
III trial hour of her wisdom and integrity, be found
&c mistaken in regards to her needs and duties. 81
~ denounces the South for bringing on the war. B
" her own responsibility for is no less than that
ee the South. Nay in the light of the past that h
temptation to betray freedom and justice were
~ much weaker than those which assaied the Sout
y. her share of the common responsibityfor the "
~ is far the greater. She claaors for the punis
ment Of the South under the Constitution. 3
10 she should feel that the South has been punish
~ very severely already. She complains that t
Z South has still hard heart But it is not hard
le than her own The heart that can refuse gratitu
to the brave, forgiyfng and magnanimous bla
sayors Of our country, and that, by denying the
~ suffrage, can throw them again under the feet
" their old oppressors, is heart that need I
X look abroad for worse one. The North calls
~ Y the South to repent. But she needs 20 hQm'
~ herself by the side Of the South in common
~ pentance for common sins.
~ III The North has desolated and estranged t
South. NleGDeF all tnS was or was not nee
sary it is nevertheless clear that her present
~ is to win and comfort and bless the South. Gre
~ ~ as is this work, it can however, be done 1t
eu true that the President has by his unwise polio
40 sadly demoralized the South. For that policy
~ the way, he is not to be too severely judged.
t1e grew almost necessarily out of his unayodal
elo pro slavery education. 1t is true that, though
HI found the South Inundated and sober, and in
e state to respond to the claims Of truth and
rus he has by the pernicious expectations which
sfs' has excited in her, turned her quite away fri
w listening to those claims, and turned her gu
w back again into her old habits of arrogance
~, , tyranny Nevertheless, Congress could he
~. recovered her by promptly announcing its un
ncss terable policy of impartial justice to all
noe classes.
eLn Now she despises it. Then would Congress ha
ohs converted the South Now the Southis convert
Congress. No civil rights law and no OF
anq substitute for entire justice save the Sou
eut No promise Of protection to that portion of
les ~. people, whom it leaves stripped of their 0
ehs power and natural right to protect themselves,
save her Without equal justice in all things to
Ru people she will go straight to greater horr
the than those she has emerged from--even tot
horrors of war of races. The absurd position
70 the President and of one member Of the cabi
NJ after another, and ofone member of Congress a
S another, that the conqu9rOr though aeknowled
VI to have the entire control of everything else in
Sar, conquered States, has only partial control
una suffrage in them will notsRfice to cheat the ba
nv of the South and, least of ALL their Great Ayent
~ ~ | have said that we must deal with the Sout
@ the spirit of impartial justice. We must also
2 with her in the spirit of great generosity and q
~" love. We must claim no indemnity for the D
~ III We must exact no unnecessary security for
I III future. We must subject her to no changes
- no disabilities which are not indispensable. If
n breaking up of her large landed estates to pa
M them out to her white and black poor is not
~ ~ manded by her people, we must not insist upo
70 W If by putting the ballot in the hands of her bla
= ~ twill not be necessary, in order to save heI
AVIS withhold it for season from her whites