Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-11-22
BH4Irs AND REsrEor4BTLITT.


reconstruction acts. It is suddenly dis
covered by certain philosophers Of great
wisdom but Of very limited Southern
observation, that this disfranchised ell
ement combines ali the brains, respect
ability and governinE capacity of the
Southern states. no efficient reorgan-
ization can take place, it is said, with-
ont the Indispensable assistance OF
these experienced statesmen OF noble
blood. Everything VIII certainly 60
wrong while the first Samilies are ex-
cIuded from control OF matters. These
are the gentlemen of the South, the
eIlivalry, the intellectual elite the rest
Of the community is nothing but ''white
trash" Northern rsnegades" and
"niggers-"
A great wrong. is done, it is alleged,
/ in depriving the nRtion.oR she political
services of individuals so important
and so necessary they ought to be
treated with more distinguished consid-
Grafton than to be rudeIy thrust from
the ballot-box and debarred from the
places of honor. Having been aeeus-
toned to domineer over the Southern
people for so many years they have a
sort of prescriDtive right to continue
the practice. The places of public trust
have become a sort Of heirloom belong
/ ing to them and their posterity OF un-
naked blood.
such arc the allegations made, but
we confess that after a limited amount
/ of Soathern travel and observation we
are unable to. see these things exactly in
this Iigbs.
Who are these ddsfranch1sed persons
ssNearly the entire white population Of
the South Says Dan voorhees, and the
knaves and ienoramusss Of the Voor-
hesian school. Their venturing such
an egregiousIy false assertion probably
grows out Of the old Democratic habit
& Of regarding. the chtvalry as the whole
body and soul OF the South. Here in
& the North the same persons profess
/ great love for the people, great friend
/ ship for the poor, great hostility to the
moneyed aristocracy- When they re-
/ gard the insurgent and disloyal co.n-
munities Of the South, however, their
/ views are different They utterly ig-
more the great body of the people and
/ disregard the voice of the masses. They
can see only a few ancient lords of ths
chain-gang and the knout, and these,
/ to their minds, constitute the whole
Southern people. This class and its
sycophants receives all their sympa-
thies and praises, while all other class
es are only. noticed to be condemned
/ And yet they accuse Republicans of be-
ling narrow-minded, sectional, men OF
| one ideal
| These disfranehised persons are not
THE PEOPLE Of the South Nor are
they anything near "the entire white
population. The most liberal estim-
ates, that have been made Of their en-
/ tire number, does not place it above
so, 900, and it is themost carefully FORM
ed opinion that they do not number
more than 81, 1000 or at most 1000.
Now p0ho are they ? First they are
those who, having been elected or ap-
pointed to places of honor and trust
under the United States government,
! having taken a solemn oath of ale
glance to that government and to faith
fully discharge their duties as guardians
OF the interests and honor of the lOHOIe
Union, and having received not only
the hOnors but emoIuments of such
places of trust, while in office abused
the advantages it gave to further the
/ interests of insurrection and finally
stepped down from the seats Of power
to engage in the rebellion they had kim
died. They are men who, while in Of
fee under the United States govern
ment, made the utmost effort to force
| the Southern States to secede and final
Iy did so force them contrary, in most
cases, to the viii of a majority Of their
I people. They are the men who having
I melted mob which could not have
been successful as such organizedit into
systematic war and thus gave it the pos
sibility of success. They stood in their
places in Congress andavOwed their trea-
son and insulteda and defiedthe authority
and power of the United States. They
led in person the armies of the rebel
/ lion against the capital Of the nation
and in devastating invasions of the
loyal States But why enumerate the
/ crimes of these men? They stand
out prominently among the most
diabolicaI and infamous in history
They have committed the treachery Of
all treacheries, betrayed without cause
a free nation and a benignant govern
ment which had trusted, honored and
educated them. And now, forsooth,
such clamor is raised for the rights of
these persons as would indicate that
they are about the only persons who
have any rights. The Republican party
is complained Of and denounced as pro-
4 seriptive, not because it hangs them,
not because it confiscates their property
or deprives them of their personal nber-
ty, but because It is not willing, while
the smoke of battle has yet scarcely
cleared away and the graves Of the
slain are scarcely yet greened over, to
let these men vote and hold office as be-
fore let them 60 to Washington and
] legisIate for us whom they have depriv-
ed oflOver and husband, son and father
and brotherI Modest claim indeed
Such are the s'rights" of Southern men
that are being "trampled on, such is
the despotism complained Of
True there are other classes disfran-
chised than those mentioned. The law
keeps from voting and holding Office
not only those who vacated offices they
were holding under the general govern
nent to engage in the rebellion, bus all
who at any time held Office under the
States or the United States and took an
oath Of allegiance to the latter but sf-
forwards voluntarily engaged IN the
rebellion. This reaches, it is true, to
some who have held places Of inferior
importance, but it includes none who