The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-08-24
RECONSTRUCTION.
VIEWS 0F MAI. GEN. POPE.


ADMITTING PROMINENT REBEL LEADER
TO ACTUAL PARTICIPATION IN RECON
sTUCTIoN MEASURES.
H'DQ'Rs BIRD MIL'Y DISTRICT,
GEORGIA, ALABAMA, AND FLORIDA,
ATLANTA, Ca, July "A, 1867.
GENERAL: have the honor to send in
closed q newspaper containing speech
IN 1te in this city by B. H. Hill OF this State,
IL Senator in the Rebel Congress. This
p. rson only a few weeks since was pardohee'
il; the President, and, in common with al
most every pardoned Rebel, this Is the use
he makes of the clemency OF the Govern
Inent You can readily see from the speech
itself the character of the man, VINO IS the
representative of large class, anu the nope
lcssness of any satisfactory reconstruction OF
tho Southern States while such men retain
influence.
IT has been and will continue to be my
course to permit and encourage the widest
latitude of speech and of the press in this
district, consistent with the law and the
public peace. 1 do not include among those
who are permitted to exercise this latitude
of speech the civil officers of the provisional
State Governments already prohibited by
orders from using any influence whatever to
deter or dissuade the people from taking an
active part in reconstructing their State
Governments under the Reconstruction acts.
No such advantages as the use OF the ma
chinery of the existing State Governments
ought to be or will be given to the anti-re-
construction party. l consider it desirable
that the Government and the people OF the
United States should thoroughly under
stand the feelings and purposes OF these lead
ing politicians of the South, in order that
the country may know the result OF the
coming elections, precisely the amount of in
tiuence possessed by these men, and the kind
and extent of legislation required to counter
act its baleful effects. In my opinion no re-
construction can be satisfactory or at all re-
liable as to future results unless these men
are permitted to discuss openly and accord
ing to their nature the issuses presented. Ii
they still retain influence enough with the
masses of the whites at the South to enable
them by active efforts to defeat resconstruc-
ton under the late acts of Congress,it is bet
ter that the country should know it before
than after the readmission of the Southern
States into the Union. 1t would not be diff
ficult to find, in the violent speeches of such
men, abundant cause for siencing them; but
reconstruction accomplished in this manner
"OuNt DC lO lLSCA VI VIC puOiiS SNuOAhiSASs
and might, and probably would, result after
!. year or two In a relapse of the people into
The same condition of bondage to these
leaders that would lead necessarily to a re-
production of the same condition of things
which demanded the passage of the Recon-
struction acts.
1t is better that the battle should be
fought out now and openly. If the people
of these States have the common sense
and the manhood to withstand the influence
of the secession party, and of the political
leaders who have long controlled them, who
have led them into their present desperate
condition, and who seek to plunge them
still deeper into misfortune, and if they
prove able and willing to reconstruct their
State governments upon the only true prin-
ciples of government, in defiance of leaders
and against active opposition, there will be
good ground for hope that reconstruction
will be satisfactory and permanent. If they
cannot do this it may well become ques-
tion whether reconstruction on any reason
able terms as possible so long as these unre-
pentant and reactionary political leaders are
suffered to remain in this country. 1t is
better that the country should know the |
truth on this subject now than run the risk |
of learning hereafter that an irreparable mis-
take has been made in the plan and execu-
ton of the Reconstruction acts.
need scarcely repeat that reconstruction |
to be in the spirit of the acts of Congress |
and to be permanent must be the act of the |
people themselves after the fullest and freest |
discussion. Congress has done wisely in en-
abling them to make this fight by disfran-
chising the leading rebels, and at least ma
ing it impossible for them to vote or hold
office. 1t would have been still better to en-
force their permanent absence from the coun-
try. The personal influence they might
bring to bear if they were candidates them
selves is thus greatly weakened, and they
are forced to discuss issues and not appeal to
personal feeling in their own favor The
people are thus left freer than they ever were
before to choose their own candidates. and
are forced to think for themselves, as they
have not hitherto done.
So far from being willing to see the dis
franchised classes relieved from political dis
ability, I consider these DISTINGUISHING clau-
ses of the acts to be among their wisest and
best considered provisions. If they do no
other good than to relieve the people from
the incubus of the old political leaders,
they have accomplished incalculable service.
It is not doubted that many worthy and
now loyal men who could be safely trusted
are DISTINGUISHED by these clauses of the mil
itary bills; but such a result was unavoid-
Bile, and can in their cases be easily rene
died. 1t will no doubt be wise at an early
day to relieve by name such of the disfran-
chised persons as have hitherto proved or
shall prove by their conduct, in the course
OF the next six months, that they are worthy
OF 1t. While it was unavoidable that some
good men would be disfranchised bv proyis-
ions OF law against classes of persons, the
remedy is easy. To undertake the converse
Of this-that is, to give general amnesty and
except individuals by name-would certain
y result in leaving large numbers enfranchis-
I'd who ought not to be- Such improper
persons might decide the coming elections
before their unftness could be ascertalned.
md even when it would be more than diff
,ult to remedy the evil. I consider the me-
;hod set forth in the Reconstruction act by
ar the wiser course of the two, and I can
hardly understand how any man familiar
With the facts can think otherwise.
These disfranchised persons include gener-
lily, the whole army of those who now hold
" have hitherto held Office. With few excep-
ions, all these persons were active Rebels,
nd are bitterly opposed to reconstruction
lnder the acts of Congress-opposed, in fact
o any reconstruction whatever, except such
3 would leave them in precisely the same
'olltlcal condition as if there had been no
eoellon and no war. Even such recon-
LructlOn as this thew would onIv oooon+ n,