, 1866-03-23
REcoNsTRUCTIoN.


The following is "a extract from letter Of a
southeFn, correspondent of one of the radical
journals
"a MAY ss weII be understood by tn, north
ern people 1rst as last that genuine ioval Union
sentiment, as it Is felt and recognized in The
North Is almost entirely unknown at the South .
BecSuse such is conceded to be the fact, the
entire radical pack join 10 the chorus.that Ii .
Southern States sh6uld not be admitted into the
councils of the Union. Now suppose there is
not in the South sentiment as felt and recog-
nized 10 the North That fact proves nothing
No sane man expected that by euelinq the re-
belion the Government would make the peopIe
OF the rebellious sections Of the country to feel
tue same on all matters as do those of the Sec
tions that are not in rebellion. People are not
to be convinced Of errors Of opinions and sen
timeut by hard knocks and bullets. The logic
OF the cannon is not by sensible men supposed
to be capable of eradicatng errors which are
the result OF three quarters of a century OF per-
nicious teachings. All that either the Govern
ment or loyal people aimed at in the late war
was to crush armed rebellion, and to COMPEL re.
belliOus people to yield obedience to the laws Of
the land. 1t was not expected TO compel them
TO adopt certain theories and reject others but
simply to compel them to conform to a certain
rule Of practice. 1t was long after the war COM
menced before either the Government or the
people concluded TO abolish slavery; and when
that conclusion was arrived at, no sane man
could expect by force of arms to compel pro-
slavery men to acknowledge that slavery was
wrong. The most that could be reasonably eI-
pecied was, that they should acquiesce in the
abolition of slavery, which they have done, as a
general thing. This modern idea of radicaisn
that people must entertain the sentiments, feel
ings, and theories Of the majority uPoE all ques-
tions before they can be recognized as citizens
is dangerous in the extreme, and if carried out
to its legitimate results will overthrow republi-
can governments as certain as a hot sun dispes
the morning dews. In opposition to the insane
ideas of the radicals, the New York Post says
the United States, in suppressing the war Of
Secession, acquired new rights over the ter
ritory and people of the insurgent States. They
merely reglined what was formerly their own,
and what has been temporarily wrested from
their grasp by mJst extensive and formidable
conspiracy to transform eleven States from one
Union to another Union. They put down the
revolters they defeated the parties engaged in
civil war; they reduced the armed hostility
but they made no con quests, because there was
nothing for them 90 UVIrquUr rue I~uIs .LOy
recovered from the domestic enemy were already
theirs in the eve of the law the people they
vauquished were already their own people, who
had in vain tried to cast of their aliegiance and
the States they recovered were already States Of
the United States-hothing more and nothing
supported the Government in the war against
secession and rebellion-who is in possession of
even average sense, denythe propositions quoted?
He who does deny them, asserts that we were
on gagged in prosecuting a wicked war-the most
wicked war chroncled in history for if the re-
bellous States did not belong to the Union,
aud their iu Inhabitants were not citizens of and
owing allegiance to the United States, we had
no moral or legal right to wage war upon the
would-be seceders. Will the radicals who pre-
tended to sustain the Nation in its war against
rebellion, now dare to attempt to stain the Ma
ton's honor by contcnding that it was engaged
in a work of Bloody iniquity to which history
can furnish NO parallel2 Yet, in Congress and
out of it. they are virtually asserting these
things by contending that citizens Of the United
States, who submit to the laws in all things, are
not entitled to be considered as citizens because
forsooth, they do not think and believe as Ste
vens, Sumner, ct ais, think and believe. 1t is
useless to indulge in prophecy, but the man has
read history aud studied human nature to little
purpose who fails to see that the political con-
duct of the radicals of the present day is eacu-
lated to proddce troubles, compared to which |
the late war of rebellion was only as common |
thunder storm to hurricane. They seem to
hav. taken for their models the Robespierres
and Murats Of the French ReTolution-Who |
slAupbtered thousands, not because they failed !
to respect and obey the laws Of the Republic
but because it was believed that they did not
think, feel and pray as the RobesPisrres and Ma
rats dds, +. Cali.