The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-08-23
GheNtteIt1qeneer.


which have been in the thought of all
loyal men who have studied the prob
lem of reconstruction. He epresents the
point very strongly OF the Importance
of destroying the influence ofthe for
mer leaders of Southern sentiment.
This is to be done by educating the
masses to correct ideas, and by con-
fning the right of suffrage and the
work of reorganizing the State to men
of loyal antecedents and to those who
are not dIstranchised by the terms of
the Acts OF Congress. $50
General Pope is very sure that free
speech is essential to the South. He
wants the people of the United States
to understand the feelings and purposes
of the leading politicians of the South,
in order that The country may know
precisely the amount of influence pos
sessed by these men, and the kind
and extent of legislation required
| TO connteract its effects. This can
only be done by the permission to
discuss openly and freely the issues
prescribed. He says these men might
warrantably be silenced, but recon-
struclion so brought about would be no
indexto the sentiment of the people.
He thinks the reorganization OF the
South must be done by Its own people.
On this point, he says: .-.g
| Reconstruction, to be in the spirit OF
| the Acts of Congress and TO be perma-
nant, must be the act of the people
themselves, after The fullest and freest
discussion. Congress has done wisely
| in enabling them to make this fight by
DISTINGUISHING the leading rebels, and
at least making it impossible for them
10 vote or hold office. ~ ea1
I SO far from being willing to see the
I disfranchised classes relieved from pO-
/ litical disability, L consider these dis
| frauchising clauses of the Acts to be
among their wisest and best consider
! ed provisions. II they do no other
good than TO relieve the people from the
Incubus of the old political leaders,
/ they have accomplished incalculable
service. aHas --v -aA
Reaction is certain unless the recon-
struction party can win the battle by
decisive maiorities over all the ele-
ments which oppose it, left to develop
themselves and apply their full force to
the contest. If the reactionists thus
left free can defeat such reconstruction
as this, we then know what to do
what. in iact, we must do, II we desire
to perpetuRte free institutions. 1t is
best to know all these things before re-
admission into the Union is granted.
1t will be too late to learn them after
ward. Now s-the time,and this IS the
opportunity to complete this work so
that il will stand. Every dictate of
wisdom and patriotism demands this
work at our hands. If hastily or par
TALLY done, reconstruction Vail drag
with ii n train of evils to the country
which can never be remedled. tits mol
necessary to say that however we re-
strain the opposition party now, the
moment reconstruction is accomplished
this party will regain its activity, and
we ought to know in advance whether
II possesses the power to undo what we
thought we had done. l do not mean
to intimate that il would be possible to
re-establish slavery; perhaps it would
not even be practicable to take from the
freedmen the right of suffrage, though
this laIter:is doubtful.
Social exclusion, Withdrawal of busi-
ness relations, open exhibitions of hos
tility-lf not, indeed, actual hostile acts
interruption of or interference with
the freedmen's and other schools main
ed by charitable contributions from the
North, these will be the weapons used
against UniOu men and the colored
race. Acts of wrong and violence will
meet no sufficient redress-if, indeed,
any redress at all-in the Courts. These
are acts which cannot be reached by the
General Government, and yet which
quietly and silently render justice i'm
possible, and establish discrimination
against classes or color, odious ana un-
bearable. l say then, again, that un-
less reconstruction is accomplished,
after the full development OF all intlu-
ences against 1t, by decisive majorities,
we will simply have reproduced and
perpetuated in the South what we
sought to destroy.
General Pope believes that the habits
engendered by slavery untitled the
people for really free press and free
discussion. This intolerance is not
confined to one party alone. "Candor
compels me to say" he observes. that
this tendency to repress freedom of
speech is not confined to either party,
but prevails, though to much less ex-
tent, among the reconstructionists,
whether they have been always Union
men or have lately Joined the ranks
of the reconstruction party. 1t
becomes the Government of the
United States to frown upon such
measures, by whatever party exercised,
| and no rebuke so salutary or SO preg-
nant of good results can be admins
tered as for the Government to protect
| all parties in the exercise of free
| speech" AS TO the colored race, the
General finds much that is encourag-
Ing, and he believes ifthe poorer South
ern whites continue to be as indisposed
| toward education as they are now, that
five years will transfer Intelligence and
education, SO far as the masses are con-
cerned, to the colored people of the dis
trict.
! The notice OF coal dealer in the
| Cincinnati papers will look queer TO
readers east, as in that notice commend
Ing anthracite coal he says that with