Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-08-15

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the amendment abolishing slavery. The
elections of 1865 settled that question
\ against them, and deprived them of New
Jersey, the last free State which adhered
/ totlieir fallen fortunes. u ~ ~ u
at the session of Congress of 1S85-66,
! the President, finding that his so-called
State Governments in the rebel States
created by military power alone, and
without the sanction OF the legislative
power of the Government-had accepted
! his conditions, insisted that those States
were fully restored to their former proper
relations with the general Government,
and that they were again entitled to rep
.resentation in the same manner with the
loyal States. This plan accorded with
the wishes of all unrepentant rebels, and
as matter of course received the support
of their allies of the peace Democracy.
/ The Union party, at the sacrifice OF all
of the power and patronage OF the Adj
mnistration they had elected firmly OPP
posed and finally defeated this project.
They required, before the complete re-
( storation of the rebel States, that the
/ fourteenth amendment of the Constitu-
ton should be adopted, which was franz
| cd to secure civil rights to the colored
| people, equal representation between the
! free States and the former slave States,
| the disqualification for Office of leading
! rebels, the paymentof the loyal obliga-
| tions o creditors, to manned soldiers, and
to WIDOWS and orphans, and the repudi-
alton of the rebel debt, and of claims to
payment for slaves. On the adoption of
! this amendment turned the elections of
| 1866. After the amplest debate before
| the people the Union party carried the
country in favor of the amendment, elect
/ ing more than three-lourths of the MEM
! bCrs of the House of Representatives.
! They also secured the adoption of the
| amendment in twenty-one out of the
| twcnty-four States now represented
which have acted upon it by an average
vote in the State Legislatures of more
! than follr to one. ~
/ In striking contrast with this was the
action of the rebel States. Tennessee
alone ratified the amendment. The
other ten promptly and defiuntly reject
ed it by an average majority in their
State Legislatures of more than fifty to
one. When, therefore, the Thirty-ninth
/ Congress- met in the session of 1855 81,
they found the work of reconstruction
in those ten States still unaccomplished.
CONDITION OF THE REBEL STATES-DUTY
OF THE NATION.
Now, in what condition were those ten
rebel States? IN the first place all politi-
cal mower in those States was in the hands
of rebels, and for the most part of lead
ing and unrepentant rebels. Their Gov
ernors, their members of Legislatures,
their Judges, their County and city Off
GERS, and their members of Congress,
with rare exceptions, wers rebels. Such
was their political condition.
What was their condition with respect
to the preservation Of order, the suppress
ion of crime, and the redress of private
grievances? After the suppression of the
rebellion the next plain duty of the Ma
tioual Government was to see that the
lives, liberty, and property of all classes
of fcitzens were secure, and especially tC
see that the loyal white and colored citi-
zens who reside or, who might sojourn in
those States did not suffer Injustice, OPP
preston or outrage because OF their 10y
atty. Loyal men, without distinction OF
race or color, were clearly entitled to the
fun measure of protection usually found
in civilized countries, If in the nature o
thugs it was possible for the nation tC
furnish it.
| CONDITION OF THE SOUTH-REPORTS OF
UNION GENERALS.
Inquiring as to the condition of things
in the South, | waive the uniform current
of the information derived from the pres
and other inoilicial sources from all parts
of the South and rely exclusively on the
official reports Of army officers like Grant
Thomas, Sheridan and Howard officers
of clear heads, of strong sense, and o
spotless integrity, whose business it is tt
know the facts, and who all united in
warning the nation that onion men
either white or colored, were not safe III
the South.
Gen. Grant says that the class at the
South who twill acknowledge no law
but fOrcen Is sufficiently formidable tt
Justify the military occupation of tina,
territory.
Gen. Sheridan, in an oflicicl report
SAYS the "trial of white man or The
murder of freedman in Texas would hl
n farce and, in making this statemcnt
I make it because truth compels me, an,
for no other reason. n Over the Kill
ing of many freedmen nothing is done. ,
Gen. Sheridan cites cases in whIch on
} national soldiers wearing the uniform %
the Republic have been deliberately sho
: "without provocation by citizens, nn'
the grand jury refused to- find n bill
against the murderers. Even in Virginia
Gen. Schoiicld was compelled to resor
to military tribunal because "a gentle
man" who shotanegro dead in cold blood
"was Instantly acquitted by one of th'
civil courts"
Gcllcral Ora reports, III ArkaiiStS, Hily
! two murders of freed persons by Whit
mon in the past three or four months
and no reports hare been rcccircd That tn
murdcrers hare been imprisoned or pun,
} ished. \ The number of murder
, reported is not half the number com
mittcd. ..
, General Sickles says that In South Car
: olina, "in certain counties, such as New
berry, Edgecombe and Laurens, so mucl
countenance was given to outrages ol
; freedmen, by the Indifference ofthe civi
authorities and by the population, VIII
, made themselves accompices In tn
crimes, that other measures became nee
essary."
In Mississippi, Gen. Thomas calls at
) tention to the legislation in regard /
: colorcd people. "Itisoppressive, unjust
r and Unconstitutional. " The laws as t
9 buying real estate, bearing arms, max
] ing contracts, and the like, are of sue
{ II character "that the constitutions
t gift of freedmen is not much more tina
: u name. ~. .-f =
4 General Sheridan, speaking of Louis
r ana, says: "Homicides are frequent i
5 some localities Sometimes they are In
I vostigated by a coroner's jury, which ju'
{ tifias tha act and rplpnseS the DerDetratO