The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1867-12-12


the Union, untaintcd TO the last; many
were incapable Of any legal offense; a
large portion. ever OF those persons
able TO bear arms, were forced into the
rebellion against their will; and of
those who are guilty with their own
c1nscnt the degrees Of guilt are as va
riOus as the shades of their character
and temper; but these acts Of Congress
confound them all together in one COM
mon, ,indiscrlminate punishment. Ven
geance upon classes, sects and parties,
or upon whole communities, for the
ofenscs committed by IA portion of
them against the governments to which
they owed obedience, were common in
4 the barbarous ages Of the world; but
Christianity and civilization have
! made such progress that recourse to Il
| punishment SO cruel ana unjust would
meet with the condemnation Of all
unprejudiced and r;ght-mihded men
The punitive justice Of this age, cspec.
ialI y OF this country, does not consist IN
stripping whole Stutes other liberties,
and reducing all their people without
distinction, to condition Of slavery il
deals separately with each individual,
confines itself to the forms or law, and
vindicatcs its own purity by an impair
tial examination of every case before
competent judicial tribunal. If this
does not satisfy all oLr desires with
regard TO Southern rebels, let us con-
sole ourselves by rejecting that free
Constitution, triumphant IN war and
unbroken in peace, is worth far more
to us and our children than the gralif.
cation Vt any present feeling.
am aware it is assumed that this
sy stem OF government for the South
ern States is not to be perpetual 1t
is true this military government is to
be only provisional, but It is through
tins temporary evil that a greater evil
is to be madeperpctual. If guarantees
, OF the Constitution can be broken pros
, vislonally so serve temporary pur-
pose. and in part only of the country,
we can destroy them every where and
for all time. Arbitrary measures often
= change, but they generally change for
the worse. 1t II curse Of despotsnl
, that it has no halting.pace. The in
, tcrmltteJ eXel else Of iis power brings
} no sense of security 10 It's subjects, for
t they can never know what more they
will be cAlloi TO endure, when IT'S red
= right hand is armed to plague them
r again; nor Is itpossiblc to conjecture
t how or why power unrestraned by
+ law may seek its next victims. States
: that arc still free may be enslaved at
. any moment; for Il the Constitution
/ does not protect all, il tprotccts none,
1t ia manltestly and avowedly the
S object ofIhese laws to confer upon ne
grocs the privilege Of voting, and tc
3 disiranchiso such number Of white
citizens rs will give the former ceal
I majority at all elections in the South
n urn States. This TO the minds Of some
1 persons, is so important, that Il VIOLA
i tion OF the Constitution is justified az
j. Il means of bringing 1t about. Morally
S tho argument is false which excuses ,
t wrong because ii proposes to accom-
\ plush desirable end; we are not per
c mitted to DO evil that good may come
CO. but in this case, the end itself IS evil
T. as we'll as the mears. The subiuga
If tion OF these States TO negro domina'
- ton would be worse than the military
/. despotism under which they ATE nov
, suffering. IL was believed belorhan'
i that the people would endure an.
1t amount Of military oppression, for an.
Of length of timG, rather than degrad
II themselves by suljection to the negr
e. race; and therefore, they have been loI
4. without choice. Negro suffrage wa
ID established by act Of Congress, an
ID military officers were commanded
al supcrintend the process of cloghin
Us the negro race with the political priv
o, ileges wrested from White men. III
,c blacks in the South are entitled to
IT, we'll and humanely governed, and
I'd have the protection Of just laws for Il
ly their rights of persons and propcrt.
III If it were practicable mt this time
n give them a government exclusive
ev their own, under winch they mig
ot manage their own affairs in their ow
IN way, il would become n grave qucstiC
re whether wa ough 10 do so, or whot h
ed common humanity would not requi
v. us to.snve them from themselves; b
,so under the circumstance, this is only
,ty speculative point. IL is not propose
mt merely that they shall rule the whi
1t pace, make and administer State law
rv: elect thu President and members
nd congress, and shape, toa greater or Il
ia. extent, the future destiny OF the whC
no country, Would such a trust and pow
of be safe III such hands? The peculi
nd qualities which should character
,lp, any people who are ft to decide up
Ill. the management of public affairs 0
.es, great State, have seldom been comb
ese ed. 1t is tho glory Of white men
an. know that they nave had these Gut
,on ties III sufficient measure to build u
ter on this continent great political fl