The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-12-04

or and Just consequences OF their great
crime those who engaged in rebellion
against the Government; but as mode
Of punishment the measures under con.
siderahon are the most unreasonable that
could be invented. Many Of those peo.
pie are perfectly innocent many kept
their fidelity 70 the Union untainted 10
the lasti many were incapable Of any
legal offence a'large proportion even Of
the persons able 70 bear arms were forced
into rebellion against their will; and Of
those who are guilty with their own CON.
sent, the degrees Of guilt are as various
as the shades Of their character and tenn.
per. But these acts Of Congress confound
them all together in one common doom.
lndiscfiminate vengeance upon classes,
sects, and parties, or upon whole commu.
mites, for offences committed by DOR.
tion Of them against the governments to
which they owed obedience, was common
in the barbarous ages Of tho world. But
Christianity and civilization have made
such progress that recourse TO punish.
ment so cruel and unjust would meet
With the condemnation Of all tinpreiu.
diced and rightminded men. The puni.
tive justice Of this age, and especially Of
this country, does not consist In stripping
whole States Of their liberties, and re.
ducing all their people, without distiuc.
ton, to the condition Of slavery, ut deals
separately with each individual, confines
itself to the forms of law, and vindicates
It's own purity by an impartial examina.
ton Of every case before o competent ,ju.
dioial tribunal. II this does not satisfy
oil our desires with regard to Southern
rebels, let US console ourselves by reflect.
ing that free Constitution, triumphant
in war and unbroken in peace, is worth
far more to US and our children than the
qualification Of any present feeling.
| am aware 1t Is assumed that this sys.
TEN Of government for the Southern
States Is not to be perpetual. It Is true
this military government is to be only
provisional, but it is through this tempo.
rary evil that a greater evil is to be made
perpetual. If the guarantees Of the
Constitution can be broken Professionally
TO serve temporary purpose, and in a
part only Of the country, we can destroy
them everywhere and for all time. Arbt.
trary measures often change, but they
generally change for the worse. It is the
curse Of despotism that II has no hating
place. The intermitted exercise Of its
power brings no sense Of security TO its
subjects; for they can never know what
more they will be called 10 endure when
It's red right hand Is armed to plague
them again. Nor is it possible to coniec.
ture how or where power, unrestrained by
law, may seek its next victims. The
States that are still free may be enslayed
at any moment; for If the Constitution
does not protect all, it protects none.
It is mRnifestly and avowedly the
object Of these laws TO confer upon ne.
genes the privilege Of voting, aud to dis.
franchise such u number Of white citizens
as will give the former q clear majority at
nll elections in the Southern States.
This, to the minds Of some persons, is so
important, that violation Of the Consti.
tuition is justified as u means Of bringing
it about. The morality is always false
which excuses wrong because it PROMO.
ses to accomplish u desirable end. We
are not permitted TO do evil that good
may come. But in this case the end itself
is evil, as we'll as the means. The subju.
CATION OF the States to negro domination
would be worse than the military despot.
ism under which they are now suffering.
1t was believed beforehand that the peo.
pie would endure any amount Of military
oppression, for any length of time, rath.
er than degrade themselves by subiection
to the negro race. Therefore they have
been left without choice. Negro suf.
frage was established by act Of Congress,
and the military officers we're commanded
to superintend the process Of clothing
the negro race with.the political privileges
torn from white men.
The blacks in the South are entitled to
be we'll and humanely governed, and to
have the protection Of just laws for all
their rights Of person and property. II
It were practicable at this time to give
them a government exclusively their own,
under which they might manage their
own affairs in their own way, It would
become grave question whether we
ought TO do so, or whether common hu.
manity would not require us to save them
from themselves. But, under the circum.
stances, this is only a speculative point.
1t is not proposed merely that they shall
govern themselves, but that they shall
rule the white race, make and administer
State laws, elect Presidents and members
of Congress, and shape to a greater or
less extent the future destiny of the
whole country. Would such trust and
power be safe in such hands?
The peculiar qualities which should
characterize any people WHO are ct to de.
eide upon the management Of public af.
fairs for great State have seldom been
combined. It is the glory of white men
to know that they have had these qualities
in sufficient measure 10 build upon this
continent great political fabric, and to
preserve its stability for more than ninety
years, while in every other part of the
world all similar experiments have failed.
But if anything can be proved by known
iacts-iF all reasoning upon evidence is
not abandoned, it must be- acknowledged
that in the progress Of nations negroes
have shown less capacity for government
than my other race Of people. No indie.
pendent government Of any form has ever
been successful in their hands. On the
contrary, wherever they have been left to
their own devices, they have shown IL
constant tendency to relapse into barbar.
ism. In the Southern States, however,
Congress has undertaken TO confer upon
them tho privilege Of the ballot Just
released from slavery, il may bO doubted
whether, us class, they know more than
their ancestors how to organize and reg.
ulate civil society, Indeed, it is admitted
that the blacks Of the South arc not only
regardless Of the rights Of property, hut
so utterly ignorant Of public affairs that
their voting can consist in nothing more
than carrying ballot TO the place wherG
they are directed to dOpOsitit. Tneed not
remind you that the exercise Of the elec.
tive franchise is the highest attribute OF
an American citizen, and that, when
guided by virtue, intelligence, patriotism,
and aprOper appreciation OF our free in.
St'tu'ionS, 1t constitutes the true basis Of a
democratic form Of government, in which
tho sovereign power is lodged in the body
Of the people. A trust artifiCialIy Gre.
atGd, not for its own SRkc, hut solely As IL
means Of promoting the general welfare,
its influence for good must necessarily de,
pend upon the elevated character aud