Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1867-12-11

gives: nor attachment 70 the principles oI
the Constitution, are the only condition:
upon which he can be admitted to ciizensh, p
lie must prove in addition good moral char
acter, and thus give reasonable ground fcI
belief that he will be faithful to the obIiga
lions which he assn mes as citizen OF tbt
Republic. Where people, the source OF nj
political power, speak by tter suffrages thro
the instrumentaiity of the ballot-box, 1t ,nusl
be carefully guarded against the control oi
ihose sho are corrupt in principle and enc
mics of. Tree institutions. for il can only be-
come to our political and social system safe
conductor of healthy popular sentiment when
kept free from all demoralizing Influences
Controlled through fraud AMI usurpatiou by
the designing, anarchy and despotlsm must
inevitably follow. In the hands of the patri-
otlc and worthy, our Government will be
preserved upon the principles Of the Consti-
tuition inherited from our fathers. II follows
therefore, that IN admitting to the ballot box
a new class Of voters not qualified for the ex =.
ercisc of the elective franchise, We weaken
our system Of government instead of ad ddi ug
to its strength and durability. l yield to no
one in attachment to that rule of general suf-
frage which distinguishes our policy as a
nation, but there is limit wisely observed
hitherto which makes the ballot a privilege
and trust, aud which requires of some classes
time suitable for probation and preparation.
To give it indlscriminately to a new class
wholly unprepared by previous habits and
oppOri unities 20 perform the trust which it
demands, is to degrade it, and finally to do
stroy its power for it may be safely assum
ed that no political truth is better established
than that such lndlscrimnnate and all embra-
cling extentlon Of popular suffrage must end
at last in its overthrow and destruction.
repeat the ex preston of my willingness to
join in any plan within the scope of our con-
stitutional an thority, which promises to bet
ter the condition of the negroes in the South
by encouraging them in industry, enlighteD>
ing their minds, improving their morals, and
giving protection TO all their just rights as
freedmen but the transfer Of our political
inheritance to them would, in my opinion. be
an abandonment of a duty which we owe
alike TO the memory Of our fathers and the
rights of our children. The plan of putting
the Southern States wholly, aud the General
Government partially, into the hands Of ne
groes is proposed al a time peculiarly unpro,
pltious. The foundations of society have
been broken up By civil war. Industry must
be re-organlzed, justice re-establisbed, public
credit maintained, and order brought out of
confusion To accomplish these ends would
require all the wisdom and virtue of the great
men who formed our Institutions originally.
| confidentialy believe that their descendants
will be equal to the arduous TASK before them;
bat it it is worse than madness to expect
that the negroes will perform it for US. Ger
tainly we ought not to ask their assistance
until we despair of our own competency. The
great difference between the two races in
physical, mental aud moral characteristics
will prevent an amalgamatiUn or fusion OF
them together in one homogeneous mass. II
the inferior obtain ascendancy over the other,
It W II govern with reference only to its own
interest, for it will recognize no comon inter>
est, and create such tyranny as this CONT
ncnt has never yet witnessed. Already the
negroes are influenced by promises of confis-
cation and punder. They are taught to re-
gard as an enemy every white man who has
any respect for the rights OF his own race
If This continues, il must become worse and
worse, until all order will he subvcrted, all
industry cease, and the fertile fields of the
South will grow up into wilderness. Of
the dangers which our nation has yet encoun
tered, nlne are equal to those which must
result from the SUCCESS Of the effort now MAJ
king to African,ze one half of our country.
THE COST or CONGRESSIONAL REtoNsrRUcrroN.
| would not put considerations of money
in competition with justice aud right. bul the
expenses incident to Reconstruction" under
the system adopted by Congress aggravste
what | regald as the intrinsic wrong of the
measure itself. 1t has cost uneounted mil
lions already, and, if persisted in, will add
largely 10 the weight Of taxation, air eady too
oppressive TO be borne without just complaint
and may finally reduce the Treasury of the
nation to condition Of bankruptcy, We
m ust not delude ourselves. il will require q
strong standing army, and probably more
than two hundred millions Of dollars per an
mum, to maintain the supremacy OF negro
governments after they are established. The
sums thus thrown away would, if properly
used, form q sinking fund large enough to
nav the whole national debt in less than ff
teen years. II is vain to hope the negroes
will maintain their ascendency themselves
Without military power they are wholly in.
capable of holding in ssubjection the white
people Of the South. | submit to the judg-
ment Of Congress whether the public credit
may not be injuriously affected by ssytem
of measures like this. With our debt and
the vast private interests which are compl.
Gated with it, we cannot be too cautious of q
policy which might by possibility impair
The confidence of the world in our Governs
ment. That confidence can only be retained by
carefully intoxicating the principles of justice
and honor in the popular mind and by the
most scrupulous fidelity to all our engages
ments of every sort. Any serious breach of
the organic law persisted IN for q considera-
BILE time cannot but create fears for the sta>
biHty of our institutions. Habhnal violation
of prescribed rules which we bind ourselves
to observe must demorslize the people. Our
only standard Of civil dnty being set al naught
the sheet anchor of our political morality is
lost, public conscience swings from its moor
ings and yields to every impulse of passion
and interest. If we repudiate the Constitu.
tion, we will not be expected to care much
fore mere pecunary obligations. The viola
tion Of such pledge as we made on the twsn-
ty-second of July, 1861, will assuredly di>
minish the market value OF our other prom
ises. Besides, il we now acknowledge that
the national debt was created not to
hold States in the Union as the taxpayers
were led to suppose. but to expel them from
it, and hand them over to be governed by
negroes, the moral duty to pay it may seem
III