Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-07-11

ala bhat Outub W CDui
pei one who is convinced, IS sill rationa
Southern men must be, OF the irremedi
able ruin that Daast be the consequence
Of negro suffrage, to become, by conced
ing it, an enemy OF the Commonwealth
To agree to it, is 10 be guilty Of the Grim,
of pstrioide.
As little can any expressions OF men
secs, or the desire 10 escape from mill
tary despotism, excuse any men, how
ever poor and undistinguished, for agree
ing to enact, by a fundamental law, th'
Acknowledgement Of their chosen leaders
Of their men Of note, Of those who year
ago won and have never forfeited theil
esteem and confidence. No sophistry
can excuse, no casuistry can justify, suet
sn act. That these thus 20 be disfran.
chlsed are wiling to consent to it for tbs
public good, or because they do MOI
think the right Of suffrage worth having
can in no wise redeem the set In the
opinion Of the world. So much the
more reason why it should not be done
Let Congress do it, if they can and viii
( They have no right of conquest to de-
mand that you shall do an act TO be for.
ever ashamed Of. DOyou not know thai
il you yield to the temptation and en-
gage in the work of Reconstruction, those
who will be DISTINGUISHED by your aei
viii be the only fortunate men left living
among you, since they will be response
bic for nothing, will not share the igno-
miny Of the State, and will become for.
eigners for whom its fate and fortunes,
its honour or dishOnour will have nc in
terest?
But, it is urged, we are atthe mercy o.
the C~onqueror, and must perfOrce accept
the terms be imposes. Negro suffrage is
a fixed fact: reconstruction, with OIL
without U votes, is certain. If we dc
I not vote, the Radicals and Negroes viii
/ constitute the Conventions, make the
new Constitutions, and disfranchise Vi
all. We must vote in self-defense, anc
so endsavour to retain the control Of
affairs.
But how does it follow that, because
the negro is for the present to vote.
therefore we must guarantee to him the
right to do so in perpetuity. Shall we
therefore denude ourselves Of all power
hereafter to undo the mischief thus
done, and so make q temporary evil
chronic and permanent? Is it so terri
bic a thing to be DISTINGUISHED for a time,
that you should, in fear Of it, purchase
the right to vote, by yourselves taking
that right from those who have been
ysur leaders, whom your State hOnours
and trusts, and who are as worthy to
vote as you are Is it not As if Radi-
calism were to demand that you should
not only attaint them Of treason, as you
will do by DISTINGUISHING them, but also
that you should act as hangmen to exc
cute the death sentence. If the J~acobins
have the power and right to disfranchise,
let them do it. Shall you become the in
struments Of their malignancy? No
right Of conquest, nor any other right,
entities them to impose the detestable Of
fee on you.
1t is said that you must make tie best
Of your situation. You will make the
Uorst of it, by returning into tle Union
on grossly unequal terms, and with such
shameful compromises Of principle as
are demanded Of you. If our States can
only return upon such terms as these,
and II, when they have returned, they
are to occupy the same humiliating po-
sitiOn as Maryland, Kentucky and Ten
nessee now do, it will be infinitely better
for them to remain out of the Union al
together. When the war ended, they
shOEld have said to the United States,
q" we have e-ndeaVsursd to separate from
you and establish an independent Govern
ment. Wehave failed. We are willing,
if you desire it, to return into the Union.
1t is for you to say whether you do desire
it. In the meantime, govern Us as you
please. We will only return on per-
fectly equal terms, and will make ne
humiliating acknowledgements or conces-
sions, Of which we should repent hereaf-
.sr."
Instead Of that, they fastened to con-
csd4 all that the President demanded,
and have continued to elect persons to
represent them ir Congress, until the
farce thus played became ridiculous, and
our " members have ceased 70 ask for
admission. OF course, with every con-
cession, Radicalism said to the North,
" You see these chivalrous gentlemen
are all brag and bluster. We can scare
and drive them into anything and
thus every concession encouraged them
to make new demands, until little is left
TO conGede, and that little remnant that
covers their nskedness it is demanded
they shall give up.
d" Jlstlrul Uirufn non Utltus tyrunni
ment eguatU soLida!" Tyranny has
no terrors that an shake the reso-
luton and constancy Of a just man,
even If It threaten TO take from
him his most precious heritage, the
golden sands Of life" You have already
done more than enough, in accept
ing as lawful a Constitution conceived in
sin and born in iniquity, and acknowl-
its basUardy as legitimacy, a
huge lie as the truth, a monstrous viii
laiBy a. the supreme law; as Mississippi
has done in declaring her Ordinance of
Secession null and void. Now, each
State ought TO say
" I have net Kept my Square; but that TO come
all be done by the Rule
Better a Military Despotism for half a
century, than the right Of suffrage given
Unfortunately TO the negroes. And if
Radicalism in all its revolving deformity
is permanently to rule in the North, the
people Of the South will soon have the
to say Better a Military Despo-
tism than to be ruled as . State by the
Anarchs Of the Mob, and the vulgar
tyranny Of the men who hate us.''