Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-14
,,,,,,o,,-4 From the New York HeFald.l ,,,,c-,,1
The Poor: Somthe and Hts Doctor


The poor South! It is in very sick, un-
happy and perplexed condition. It is the
victim cot too much Etreatment-.tOos many
prescriptions, purges, blisters and vOmits.
Self constituted doctors, quacks and un-
skillful practitioners in numbers are pur-
suing course more likely to kill than cure.
1t is in a similar condition to New York,
with our acorrupt rnd unscrupulous city
government and politicians, with our over
officious and arbitrary police authorities,
and with all sorts Of political schemes and
corrupt Jobs with a view to rule. and fleece
the. citizens. Power, party and the spoils,
and not thepublic interests. are the objects
Our correspondents In the South and the
Southern press give US 2 picture of the, mis-
chiefstvhichE such politiealodootors as Will
Isoii and Kelley are doing in their voluntary
and Unacceptable labors, as well as the bad
effects of the unski illful and injurious treat
menti of the Southerners1 by some of the
: military authorities. Although the object
Of Senator Wilson and Mr.. Kelley in their
mission to the south may be only win the
negro. vote for the purpose Of strengthen
| ing their party and we are not disposed
| to inpnte any other-there is no doubt that
they are doing great deal of harm
One ofour correspondents in Virginia says,
.sSenator Wilson'S VISIT whether con-
| sidered in regard to the freedmen or the
whites, has had an exceedingly bad effect.
| IT has. perhaps, despite the Senators inten-
| tion, forced forward a dangerous topic.
lConfiscation' has become the word of the
| hour. This is at the bottom ofall thought;
and let the subject be what It may, discus
| lsiorlcannot GO TO any depth In any circle
WITHOUT touching or stirring this trouble
some and permanent thought of the South
ern, fnind-this political cuttlefish that only
moves TO darken all the waters Mr.sWilson
has used this terrible word confiscation over
and over again to intimidate the whites and
| TO encourage the blacks. True, he has prom
| edthe Sontherners restorationIto represen-
| ttationin Congress If they behave well;;B but
| he has doneso with such conditions and IN
ider such threats that these people have be-
come alarmed. Submitting everywhere,
! with ,butyYery few individual exceptions, to
the win and laws Of Congress, with a de-
termination to carry out fully the recon-
stfuction acts, and with an earnest desire to
be good and speaceable citizens. they begin
to fear that their fate is uncertain In the
hands of a party that seeks only to per-
lpetnate its power at any cost. Mr.. Wilson
has told them that confiscati0n and contin-
ued exclusion from political privileges and
restoration would follow any hardships to
the negroes, those tender pets OF the Radi-
Gals. Now; the Southern whites know very
we'll that If it should suit the purpose of the
Radical party to keep them excluded and
to confiscabe their lands,it would be easy
enough to trump up cases of hardship or to
seize upon few cases that may arise and
that are incidentalsin every community
There are cases of hardship and cruelty in
New York, in Boston and everywhere, as
there may be in the South, in snite of the
general good feeling and good disposition
of the mass Of the people. The Southern
ers, knowing, them how easy it is to seize
upon and use such cases for political pur-
poses, naturally feel alarmed and insecure
under the threats held over them. y .rs
But the evil does net rest here; for the
negroes, ignorant as they are, know what
lconfiscation means. They expect the lands
will be given to them, according to the
radical agrarian programme OF Wendell
Phillips. They see they are & the favored
race, and that the whites are treated
harshly and with distrust. They begin to
think they have right to the lands,ef the
South, and that their Northern radical
friends will give the lands 10 them. The
fearful consequence of all this must be
that one race win be arfayed against the
the other. the farmers and planters
will be discouraged to cultivate or i'm
prove their property the negroes will
not work for their employers, and a
magnificent and productive country viii
become, like San Domingo and Jamaica,
uncultivated and sdesOlate. We shall lose
the valuable productions of the South; our
burdens will be greatly increased By the
prolonged political and social disorganiza-
ton of the South, and through its Inability
to bear its portion of taxation. The South
erners will be unable to pay their debts to
the North, no one will invest money in
that section, commerce will decline and
bankruptcy follow In TACT, we might
expect to, see inaugurated the hOr-
rors of civil war-of war OF races like
that which occurred in San Domingo. The
threatened riot IN Richmond on Thursday
last is but a premonitOry symptom of what
may take place. and ought to be an impres-
sive warning. When the materials for a
general conflagration are prepared, a
little spark will set all i'm blaze. This is
not an Ooverdrawn picture, fearful as ii
is, as every thoughtful. unbiased person
must acknowledge. Such are the re-
suits to which the disorganizing and de-
structives harangues of Wilson, Kelly and
other radicals nowtin the South are lead
| ing us. .s45gsi.isx5 o. H4f.I B,iE
Another disturbing element in the South
is seen and felt in the conduct Of some OF
the military commanders. These gentle
men seem to have misunderstood the nature
of their duties. They act as if the country
was still in a state of war and the South'un-
der martial law. They do not understand
that they are placed in command simply
as police power to preserve order and
to see that the reconstruction acts be
not Oustructed in execution, and for
no other purpose. The acts of Con-
gress have nothing in them to warrant ar
bitrary doings. Besides, the war being
ended and the South not being under mar
tial law, the people have the constitutional
right of a free press and freedom of speech
and action so long as they do not break the
peace. The South was not placed, and
ought not to be placed, under the govern
ment of despotic military satraps. All
these things are wrong, dangerous, and
destructive to the principles of our govern
ment. They create despair in the Southern
mind, and. paralyze all the good efforts and
energies of the people. If the military
commanders do not understand their duties
better, General Grant or the War Depart
ment should instruct them. ..o5ei'f
AN English merchant vessel shipped at