The Montana post., 1868-09-04
RECONSTRUCTION a FAILURE.

Lhat we might nave Win IeSAru 10 ln'
truth of the assertion, but may, per-
haps, be allowed to search for the cause
of this failure. The Gazette intimate;
that Grants regulars. the Bureau and
the negro militia" are to be looked upor
as the great obstacles which stand in
the way of conplete reconstruction, the
barriers which, stand between the ma
tion and its restoration TO that perfect
peace which surpasseth all understand.
ing, and which the prophets of the un-
terrified tribe tells us is only to be Sc
cured under Democratic rule. If we turn
back in the pages of history and read
those dark chapters of treason. which
tell us of the first years of the rebellion
we shall there find recorded similar ar
guments of the Democratic party. We
were told that the South could not be
conquered, that the party which fired on
the flag must be concjliated, and that
theEwar was failure. This latter was,
certain extent true. The nation
had not attained TO full conception OF
the work it had before it, and had been
handling the rebellion with almost egg.
shell tenderness. Expressing it's regrets
that it was compelled to chastise, it laid
ON the rod with such gentle stroke as
would best convey the idea of punish
ment without any great amount of ac-
companying paiu. But it was found
that this policy would never secure sue =
cess, a vigorous prosecution of the war
was commenced and the rebellion was
conquered.
The nation has shown a spirit to deal
with the South in a similar manner,
since the war, and if we accept the Ga
zette's own statement, that reconstruc.
tion is a failure, we must attribute it to
a too lenient. rather than too severe,
policy Yielding to the clamors of the
Democratic party, the echoes of its
screechings at the commencement of
the war, too much haste has been
made to give traitors all the rights
of loyal men and to substitute civil for
military government. But following
Immediately upon the abandonment of
the latter has come the old spirit of re-
bellion which threatens to renew the
rule of the "Confederacy" and to plunge
the South from its present state of an
archy into a frightful civil war, in which
the whole nation shall be involved, pro
i. l., IL I,
The Democratic party should be the last
TO complain of the failure of recon-
struction,' for it alone has been respon-
sible for it, Responsible for the war in
the beginning, it is now responsible for
the difficulties that stand in the way of
a complete restoration of peace and har-
mony. 1t organizes its hu Hlux Klans
and complains that reconstruction is a
failure ;" it enters churches with its
mobs and dares the congregation TO a
fight, and complains that ''reconstruc-
ton is failure il intimidates and
Union men and claims that ere
is failure = it does all it
can to foster a second rebellion, still
CRYING reconstruction is a failure"
While we do not admit the truth of its
cry, we do admit that retorstruc.iOD IS
rot ylt a complete succese. and asset
q o. -otblne VIII make it rae save .hs
.-rli cation OF thar suuls Deans which
secuTea victory 80 the Union arms. n
more severe treatment OF the spirit OF
reason. Hence it is that we demand,
if necessary, further armies and fleets
for the purpose of preserving those prin-
ciples which the nation won in battle,
and which the freedom hating element
of the South would now wrest from it.
AT this the Gazette lifts up its hands in
holy horror and shouts at the top of it's
voice Taxes - 1t is the old cry, the
bugbear with which policy would at
tempt to frighten principle, and an ex-
emption from which the Democratic
party now uses as bribe with which to
buy the national honor. An application
Of this same principle in private life
would prevent person from avenging
the murder of father because of the
expense attendant upon the purchase of
powder and ball. To avoid any such
expense to the nation the lick-spittle
Democracy of the North, crinsing un~
der the lash of Southern drivers, would
resign the country into the hands of
a lawless minority which it would fall
down and worship as the "peers Of the
earth" and which should, in place of
'carpet>bag" governments, set up the
autocratic rule of the bowie knife and
revolver, and which should gloat in the
blood of those who have spurned rebel
lion and treason from them. Thank
Sod the nation is not vet Democratic,
and does not present to the world yet