The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-13

performing any act, except by the permission
or suferance of the General in command.
General Sheridan has already assumed supe
riority to State laws, by ordering the post
noneHent of the New Orleans election, which
the law of Louisiana required to be held yes
terday: having issued the order, as is stated,
on the failure of the Legislature to pass an act
to the same effect.
one of the arguments for Wilson'S bill is,
that IL will preclude any conflict of authority
between the Provisional Legislatures and tile
military commanders in fixing the time and
prescribing the preliminaries of the State con
yentions. But there can be no such conflict,
anv more than there can between the military
commanders and their sub-oficers. The very
pilar and pivot of the Sherman law is, that
the military authority is supreme; that no
state action of any kind can prevail if it be
not according to military pleasure. If Legis-
lature orders an election on day which the
General in command dislikes, he will annul
the order, and declare that no election shall be
held on that day Ifa Legislature refuses to
provide for State Convention, and pOstpones
the whole subject, the military officer will him
self appoint day for the election of delegates
and make arrangements for opening the polls.
If (Which seems to be contingency which
Wilson's bill seeks to provide against) the
Legislature prescribes one day and makes one
set VI arrangements, dllu bAt ullllNtlN OlhOoA
prescribes and makes another, the General
would be likely to settle such a difficulty in
short order without the aid of Congress.
But although the bill if passed, will cause
nothing to be done which would not equally
be done without it, it may perhaps be better
to have uniform rule, and to trust as little
as possible to mere discretion. BY fixing
time within which State Conventions shall be
called, determining who shall call them, pre-
scribing the registration of voters and the
regulations for the polls, the whole thing is
put at the outset, and once for all, in the de-
finite shape in which the Southern people will
be called to act upon it. Let it be fully dis
played in all its bideous nakedness By the
necessary operation of Sherman's bill, it will
ultimately come into the shape of compulsory
reorganization. The people may as well be
cured of any fattering delusiOn on that sub
iect, first as last. True, nobody will be COM
PEELED to 60 to the polls unless he chooses to
go, and the concOcters of this iniquity will be
by nothing so much gratfed as by the stub
born staying away of the white majority.
The oOmpulsion will consist in their being
compelled to submit afterwards to a State
Government which they had no hand in franz
ing, and which, if they stand aloof and permit
it, will distranehise them forever, after the
Missouri and Tennessee modes.
The only question or choice for the South
ern whites is, whether they will be horse or
rider-whether they will control their States
by participation, or surrender them to the
control of the radicals by abstention. Elec-
tions will certainly be held, and held early.
If the majority of the Southern whites stay
away from the first polls by choice, they will
be kept away from all future polls by disfran-
chisement. This was the design of Sherman's
bill; and the object of Wilson's is to hurry
the scheme through to its consummation.
nm. -. =, - - :, ~.
From the Herald
The proposition of the Herald to unite the
North and South in a solid bond of practical
union by electing General Grant President
and General Lee Vice President in 1868 has
created a great deal of excitement, amounting
among the extreme radicals to panic. One
of this class writes the following letter from
the City of Brotherly Love-
PHILADELPHIA March 81. g. Bennett Esq.
Dear Sir:-You require every once and while
somebody to talk plainly to you, anu in this
connection l am constrained to say that you
made id fool of yourself by proposing in
to-days Herald TO run Generals Grant and Lee
on the same ticket for the Presidency and Vice.
Presidency in 1863 This would be an insult to
the loyal people North and South. and will
never be tolerated, TO connect traitor with
loyal man.
General Grant possesses the affection and
veneration of all the people of the North, and
the respect of all the people at the South.
General Lee enjoys the affection and venera-
ton of the South and the respect of the North.
General Grant is a patriot who served and
saved his country in the field. General Lee
was Rebel, but confesses now that he was all
wrong, and repents of his former acts. 1t is
one of the principles of Christian charity to
forgive a repentant sinner. The election of
these two soldiers would insure to the country
union and fraternity at home, respect and in
fuence abroad.
We do not desire to compliment our cores
pOndent as he compliments us, but we will
say to him that it would be to his advantage
to take a few lessons of some of his Quaker
neighbors in good language and decent man
ners and that if we can succeed in uniting the
North and South, and restoring peace, good
will, and prosperity to every part of the Union,
we shall be content to allow him and all his
degraded associates to call us "a id fool"
as long as we live, and to engrave the title
upon our tombstone when we die.
3Se, g. :As,,. O, eoae.