The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-07

Let him expose the fallacies of Stevens. rebuke
the wrath of Logan, and make Butler behave
himself-let him, at the same time, with pa.
triotic Independence, spurn the Copperhead
counsels Of Brooks and Fernando Wood, and
he will soon be able to justify the interest
which his presence has already excited in
Washington In the meantime he should not
be long in following up his protest of Monday
with more elaborate effort
Practical Operation of the New Tyranny.
From the World
Whether action or abstention shall be the
policy of the South under the new law which
has been passed for their oppression, is hardly
matter of choice The new system contem-
plates the continuance of the State Govern
ments as provisional organizations, subject,
indeed, to be at all times interfered with and
overruled, but forming, nevertheless, the or
dinary machinery for administering the affairs
of the States. By inaction on the part of the
people, this machinery would drop at once out
ofexistence, and Congress has provided nothing
to supply its place. Civilized communities
must every day buy and sell, make contracts.
collect debts, attest wills administer the es-
tates OF deceased persons, appoint guardians,
record deeds, toreclose mortgages, and do an
done according to the forms and with the
sanction of law. Society cannot otherwise
exist. 70 say nothing of the higher courts
and tunctonaries, there must be in every
locality justices of the peace notaries, surro-
gates, registers of deeds, commissioners of
highways, cOnstables, sheriffs and all the
other officers on whom community depends
for the transaction of its business, the re-
dress of its wrongs, the security of its pro-
perty, and the preservation of order. Con-
gress has made no provision for supplying this
necessary and multifariOus machinery, with
out which the ordinary transactions of life
cannot go on; and yet it has legislated out of
office all the existing functionares. 1t re-
quires others to be chosen in their places,
prescribing their qualifications and the rules
of suffrage by which they shall be elected,
but pointing out no other way of filling the
multitudinOus vacancies. ,
1t will be seen, therefore, that the Southern
people cannot stand aloof from this Internal
law if they would. If they decline all action
under it., and all participation in the proceed
ings it prescribes the result will be a COM
plete disintegratiOn of civil society through
out the South. We insert the sixth section
of the law
Section 6. And be it further enacted, That
until the people of the said Rebrl States shall
by law be admitted to representation TO the
Congress of the United States, all civil govern
ments that may exist therein shall be deemed
provisional only, and shall be in all respects
subject TO the paramount authority of The
United States 10 abolish, modify, control, and
supeTsede the same, and in all elections to any
office under such provisional governments all
persons shall be entitled to vote under the pro-
visions OF the fifth section of this act And no
person shall be eligible TO any Office under such
provisional governments who would be dis
qualified nom holding office under the provi-
sions of the third article OF said Constitutional
amendment.
No person is qualified to hold any Office
under the State GOvernments-reducedb by this
bill to a provisional character-if, previous to
his participation in the Rebellion, he had ever,
in any official capacity, taken an oath to sup
port the Constitution of the United States.
The continuance in Office of the present in
cumbents depends on their never having held
any State or Federal Office previous to the
Rebellion. All of them who ever did hold
such Office must retire, and have their places
supplied by an election in which all the freed
men will be voters. There are probably very
few who can retain their present Offices under
this provision, so that the South will be
brought face to face with negro suffrage in new
elections throughout all the States. We sup
pose the time and manner of holding them will
be prescribed by the Brigadier- General in
command, and that it rests in his discretion
whether such elections shall be ordered i'm
mediately, or whether he will await the regu-
lar day under the State laws. But whether
the elections are ordered few months earlier
or later, the Southern people have but a brief
period to decide how they will act with refer
ence to negro suffrage. If they shall pretty
generally accept the situation, and act
together, they can secure such officers as they
want-not the very persons perhaps, for these
may be among the disfranchised, but persons
true to Southern interests. Taking the whole
ten States together, the whites exceed the
blacks in the proportion of two to one, so that
the negro vote would, in general be com
pletely neutralized by full participation of
the whites in the elections. It would be a
great mistake, however, to allow the negroes
to cast solid vote against the white candi-
dates. That could easily be prevented by
early acquiescence in the situation, and taking
measures to conciliate and control the negro
vote. The worst mistake of all would be an
abstention from voting by a majority of the
whites, the effect of which would be merely to
Africanize all the administrative machinery of
the States, and band the negroes together, at
the outset, as a hostile political organization.
The experiments at Georgetown and Alexan-
drla are no criterion by which to Judge of the
manageability OF the negro vote, The close
proximity of those places to Washington,
which has become the sink and focus of radi-
cal influence, spreads the contaglon through
the negro population of those towns. In the
interior OF the South the negroes will be
brought into contact only with conservative
influences, and their temporary inability to
read renders them impeTYious to radical an
peals through the press. This is a condition
| OF things which ought to be improved while il
! lasts. by such kind treatment and educational
! helps as will lead them to look to their white
nelghbors, instead Of the distant Yankees, as