The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-09-13

ny had been restored totherights of cit
izenship. The trut h is that they feared
that before the intelligent portion of
the community their claims to office
would be rejected. Hence they propos-
ed the enfranchisment Of the blacks
with the right of suffrage. This was
Il question Of policy-and inasmuch as
many the ofmost intelligent communi-
ties at the North have continued to re-
fuse the ballot to their colOred pOpula-
ton who are more or less educated, it
was supposed that we could refuse it to
the ignorant blacks in our midst, with
out danger of incurring any penalty
The proposition was therefore rejected.
The Convention having adjourned,
all parties went again before the people
at general election-very few if any
openly opposed the plan of reconstruc-
ton adopted, but the defeated party
were charged by their opponents, and
were believed by the people to he OPP
posed to it. Upon the result of the e.
lection being made known the Presi-
dent authorized the government to be
turned over to the officers chosen by
the people who were generally well
qualified for the duties they were called
to fill. Peace was proclaimed, we and
believed we had entered on a new era Of
prosperity. The legislation of the
country shows it. Immigration and
capital were invited to the State Com
panies to develop our mines and min
eral springs, to improve our bays and
harbOrS, to make railroads and canals,
to build shops, to erect manufactures,
to improve towns and cities were form
edand chartered. Courts were establish
ed; the taxes, the public debt, the pub
lie buildings and institutions, dissem-
ination of the laws, and decisions of
our courts, public schools and univer-
isties, public lands, with every other
matter of general interest, received due
attention. Nor was the freedman for
gotten. The penal codes We're changed
to meet his new condition, and upon
him was conferred every right which
was enjoyed by the white man that he
might be enabled to protect his life,
liberty, and property.
Under this order of things the laws
have been regularly, peacefully execu-
ted, rights have been adjudicated,
criminals have been arrested, tried, and
punished without interruption both in
the State and federal courts, saving on
lysuch Interruptions as have been made
by those who now charge me as being
an impediment to the execution of
law.
In view of these facts, what shall be
said of those politicians who, being de
feated in the State election, abandoned
their country to disseminate through
out the Northern States the misrepre-
sentations and SANDERS which have
brought upon the country SO direful a
calamity as unrestrained martial law :;
or, what Of thosesWho securely remain
in the State, and by anonymous letters
to the Northern journals and politicians
falsely representing the lawlessness
and dislOyalty of the people, cOntribu-
ted largely to the same end?
1t is true that the commission Of crime
has been frequent, and that offenders
have not always been punished. But
the same may be said of every State in
the Union, and in this regard, it is be-
iieved that Texas presents no worse re-
cord than older and more favored
States.
But is insisted that the Legislature,
in refusing to accept the proposed a
mendment Of the Constitution of the
United States, known as the fourteenth
article, was an evidence of disloyalty.
That amendment was proposed under
the forms Of the Constitution, and, it
was believed, in its spirit that is that
it was to be deliberated upon freely, and
accepted or rejected by the several
States, according to their own ideas of
public policy, and their own interest to
be affected thereby. When submitted
to this state it had been considered re-
jected by a number Of the States repre-
sented in the national councils. 1t was
by the Legislature respectfully received,
referred, reported upon and debated,
and believing it was manifestly con-
trary to the interest of the State
and the whole Union, it was rejected.
This was only the exercise of their
sound discretion. They only had acted
as they had been invited to do. Had
they known that the acceptance Of it
was absolutely necessary, that the
State should have the privilege of a To-
cal government of their own choice,
and representation in Congress, it
would have been adopted. No charge,
therefore, can be more Wanton and un-
Just, than to attribute the motive for
rejection to spirit of disloyalty.
The loyalty of the great mass of the
people is unquestionable. They are
obedient to the law; they have borne
with every law, even with the enfran-
chisement of the blacks, and disfran-
chisement of the whites, with equa-
nimity, ana without useless murmur-
ing. No tumult or sedition has occur
red; no organization exists to impede the
laws and so careful have the people