The Portland daily press., 1867-04-25

ley's charge to the Jury in the suit against tn,
Grand Trunk Railway Company for delay il
the delivery of freight; letter from Texas; .
great variety OF foreign, domestic and loea
news; two columns of agricultural matter, pre-
pared expressly for this paper; sea story
Nasby's last letter; reports of the last marke
day at Cambridge, a review of the Portland
markets, the shipping news of the week Sc sc
Rapid Progress of Truth and Right.
1.-The morn ming light is breaking,
The darkness disappears"
The progress of Truth and Right is usually
slow-very gradual. In the "Good Book" it il
compared to the growth and development o
vegetation; first the blade then the ear, ther
the full corn in the ear" But nations are al
so said, sometimes, to be born in day. Revo
lutions are sometimes sudden. Volcanoe:
throw up new islands in the ocean In a few
days or weeks, while the growth of coral rec
is the work OF ages. The gold of California
has done more for the Pacific coast, in the way
OF settlement, development and progress, in
eighteen years, than was done for the Allan
tic coast in hundred years dating from the
settlement of jamestown and Plymouth. The
late American civil war, inaugurated in The
interest of despotism and to make it perpetual
has resulted in doing more in two years fol
human freedom and equal rights than had beer
accomplished since the close off the Revolution.
ary war. In the language OF Southern edi-
tor--lately rebel in arms-"ffty years have
not taught" the people Of the North "the les
son they have learned" the South sin as many
weeks" Virginia, Tennessee, and even South
Carolina, have so far conquered their preiu-
dices" as to see an equal brother beneath a
dark skin, to see MAN where till lately was
only chattel, and to recognize his rights to all
the privileges Of citizenship, while Connecti.
cut and New jersey still cherish Internal dis.
tinctions based on the accident of color.
We have been led to these reflections by read
ing an account of a recent meeting in Peters
burg, Va, place not unheard Of in the his.
tory Of the war; a place where despotism made
one of its last stands in contending against the
armies of freedom, and place whose defences
and bulwarks were broken through by armed
men irrespective of color, the blood of white
and black mingling together in the great sac
rifice which was offered up In the name Of
Liberty and Union before the strongholds Of
rebellion in that city. -i @
This meeting was called by numerous par
ty of the most influential citizens of Peters
burg, including many who have been strong
rebels, and who are now disffanchised under
the reconstruction act. ..1 r. s..-...'t
The subject of the meeting was thus stated
in the CALI: 9r-la. r-.... ..s'l-9 at
For the purpose of adopting platform upon
which the conservative of our people, of whatev-
er party OF color, may unite for the recon-
struction OF Virginia under the terms prescrib-
ed by law, and upon the basis OF perfect equali-
ity to all men in politics and before the law.
The response to this call appears to have
been very general. A committee on resolu-
tions was appointed, and ON this committee
were two gentlemen who had been officers in
the rebel army, one of them Capt w. E. Cam
eron, at the present time editor of the Peters
burgh Inder, and the other Capt. John Lyons.
The resolutions reported, and which constitute
the platform of action, were as follows:
The citizens of Petersburg, Va, in public
meeting assembled, resolve and declare,
1st. That we agree to accept and perform,
in good faith, the terms and conditions pre-
scribed by the Congress Of the United States,
as the terms and conditions upon which Con-
gress has agreed to restore Virginia to her place
in the Union. rl1r fHH...f fa- + ...n
I'd. That we recognize and accept, as an es-
sential part OF said terms and conditions, the
proposition, that the political power Of the
Stare, which has heretofore been welded by
white men alone, shall henceforth be possess.
ed and exercised by white and black men
alike. r -rr
Sd. That we will, therefore, insist that new
constitution shall be framed for Virginia, which
shall provide that all men, white or black, with
out reference to previous conditions of servi-
tude, shall be perfectly equal before the laws,
er, and Of civil rights; and that all laws Great
ing distinctions or differences OF any sort, be-
tween persons OF different races, shall be un-
null and void.
4th. That we will support no candidate for
the convention who win not pledge himself TO
carry out, in good faith, the foregoing PROPOSE
tons; and to secure their adoption as part of
the fundamental law of Virginia, we will CO.
operate cordially with all good men, white OF
black, who honestly desire the same result
9th. We invite the colored men of Peters
burg, freedmen and the born-free alikeSto Join
us, to attend our political meeting, TO partici-
pate in our deliberations, and express freely
their opinions and wishes And we assure
them that they shall receive all the considera-
ton and respect to which they are entitled, as
81,
aud legal rights. .H.q
These resolutions were ably supported by
Capt. Lyons in an eloquent speech, who said
that as he was disfranchised by the Recon-
struction law of Congress he could not be ac-
cnsed of acting from interested motives. He
saw that necessity had placed the people in
new relations, and their duty was to accept the
inevitable in good faith. ON ..t t-'.' 4.
The editor of the Index, in the columns Of
that paper, explains at length the purposes Of
the resolutions. He claims also that they fair
ly represent the sentiment of the better part Of
the citizens of Petersburg. Claiming that sla.
very was inherited by the South, that the
southerners were born with and in the mids,
Of it, and therefore were not responsible for Its
possession, he says: 'a'1i
But in the progress Of events the institution
perished. Four millions of people set free in q
day, and two years from that day the people Of
Petersburg are ready to acknowledge and &C.
cept all the logical consequences Of emancipa.
ton. Fifty years have not taught our neigh.
bors the lesson they have learned US in as
many weeks. 40 rr-I8lI -lil- f-a3 't
Last night, then, we laid down the preju.
dices of centuries-last night, then, we asked
white men and black to let the dead past bury
its dead to cease to rail at the i'll that has gone
and begin to fight for the good that is to come
Without a recollection except such as shall
teach avoidance OF former errors, we will give
our whole energies 10 the present, and cast oul
whole thought upon the future to which we
aspire. is - -
And upon the foundations of wisdom and
fellowship which have survived the storm thai
swept over the Old Dominion, we will build a
new Virginia-a political structure which shall
every man of Gods creation within her Dor.
ders, who does his duty to his Maker, to his
State, and to his fellow-man.
The Boston Advertiser, in copying the above
extract and in giving an account of the meet.
ing, we'll says, cit is humiliating that the
taunt in the first paragraph has too much
foundation. We can only hope that progress
in this direction will not be confined to the
South"
1t would be refreshing if we could see al
graceful an acceptance of the situation in
which the war has left us, on the part o.
Northern Democrats as is being witnessed In
the South on the part of those recently in re.
bellion. Here the late rebel-sympathisers re.
main sullen, and gnash their teeth with rage
because the control has passed from their pow.
er They almost inspire the belief that they
would rather see the land again drenched with
fresh gore than have their will overruled b,
the popular verdict
The Tides.
A young Canadian, Mr.. E. 8 Virgins, ha,
been making some observations on the tida
wave, and has come to the conclusion that tn,