The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-03-12

]
who speaks from long and actual OBJ
servation, call
"sco nothing in tho policy Of reconstruction
| but the operation of fearful scheme, whose
ultimate result will be the destruction of cithcr
| the black or white race. Every day, IL becomes
moro painfully evident that the cstrangemrnt
between the races is widening--ou tho part Of
| the negroes from the effects Of such instruction
as tcachs them to distrustai dopposc the whites
and on the part OF the latter from an abhoranco
Of tho negro leaders and an instructive aversion
to bc ruled amt legislotcd for by ignorunce and
sem-bai bnrsm. From what fell under his
own observation in Georgia he was unable To
detect anything like spirit on either side tend
ing to mutual sympathy of sentiment and in
terCbt. Radical cmissarc3 from the North
have aown the seeds Of evil dissonson with "a
terrible eornestncss, and tho diumctric oppo-
sition Of the races now visible all over tho
South must, IN the worry nature of things, lead,
nt some time or other, to fearful collisions.
This inevitable result, Us u dispn pnssonate OBJ
server, forces itself irresistibly on his attsnion.
A war of races, desired by some, and iudiGcr-
emily needed by others is, to his mind, con-
sequence as sure TO happen, under the Radical
method of rreconstrucion, as it s impossible TO
pulses that control human nature TO be taken
into account"
And such is the united testimony of
tho Intlligent men of the South.
But, sir, why press this negro su-
promacv over the whItos2 What rea-
son can you give? have heard three
distinct answers TO :hls question wor-
thy Of notice
First. Because the States Of the
South rejected tho constitutional
Amendment submitted by Congress;
Second. Because the negroes arc
loyal and tho whites disloyal and
Third Because it will secure party
asccndoncy.
Let us consider .ho first answer, that
tho States Of tho South have rejected
the constitutional amendment submit.
ted by tho last Congress as the basis
of reconstruction.
l admit the Legislatures Of all the
| southern States rejected that amend
ment with great unanimity but Is
that any sufficient reason for the adop-
5ion Of this harsh policy? l think not.
In the first place, that amendment
contains one provision which nado Its
adoption impossible blythe southern pco-
pic, Mt leas. until you change the human
heart and destroy the sense Ufpersonal
! honor. 1t DISTINGUISHES from holding
Office all the men of the South in whom
they had over placed any public con-
fdencc-all who had ever held any
Office, State or Federal. And disiran-
chises them for what For simply
dong what they themselves had don0.
l can understand how one may say
in argument that the leaders should be
disfranchlsod. But how any man of
common sense, or common manhood.
could ovar suppose it possible for tho
people Of the South to vote TO dislran-
chiso men esteemed by them as equal
to, If not better than themselves, for
an offonso Of which thoy themselves
were equally rs guilty, is beyond my
comprehension. You ask the southern
people to bctray men whom they trust.
You ask them to dshonor those whom
they honor, to uproot tho affection of
years from their hearts. YOu ask
them to strike with q scrponts tooth
tho bosom of q friend. Until human
nature shall cease TO be what God has
made it, honorable mon could not do it ;
| honorable mon, TO save themselves, to
save even Their lives; would not incur
tho guilt OF such unnatural treachory
by voting for such provision. When
IT was pending before the Senate, June
g, 1866, | urged and Implorcd Senators
to allow tho several provisions Of that
amendment to be separately submit
ted and voted upon, and l warned tho
friends of tho measure that this pro.
vision would inevitably defeat its adop-
ton by every south ern State. But
sir, the majority were deaf to my APP
pcals. The caucus had resolved the
decd was dono; and it was done: On
account, mainly, Of that provision, tho
amendment was rejected almost unan-
Imously by every southern State.
AGAIN, when examined moro closely
VIC find that provision required them tc
vote TO disiranchiso thousands who had
received pardon and amnesty, and {
restoration TO all their rights MS citi
zens under tho proclamation of Prcsi'
dent Lincoln and PresldonJ Johnson
| by virtue Of law Of Congress, whlcl
YOU yourselves enacted, which expires
sly authorized them to grant such par
con and amnesty upon just such terms
as thOy thought proper. An amcnd
ment offered by mo in the Senate The
3lst of May, 1866, to except those MOI
who had "duly received pardon anC
amnesty under tho Constitution anC
laws" was voted down by an unyiold
ing majority. | can never view thu
provision IN any other light than {
palpable violation Of the p!ightod faitl
OF this Government given to thos
porsons in tho most solemn form.
If the emperor Of Russia, by procla
nation, were to giant full pardon t.
such Poles as would taEo an oath o
allegiance to his crown, ana it h
should afterwards deliberately hreal
hIs word what dcnunciations woulO
! be, and ought to be, hoapod upon hi
head by tho civilized world ! Tn
porfdy Of such an action would onl.
ho cnIlnled bV its follV as n measure O