Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1868-03-06
WHOLE NO. 1913.

sneltereu hbu prOtecteu theb, Nucn ne
hears the screams of beauty and innoceuce
IN the flight FROM pursuing lust; if be ever
veneraied mother, OF loved sister or
wife, his heart aud hand will be for the
pale faced woman, and for the child OF his
owo race" ..s5es sri s s..
As work of art, the picture lacks but
one element to make it a master- piece
+ That lacking element is its utter want Of
truihfulness. Ii ought to have been re-
membered 10 drawing his picture, that a
change of figure was necessary ~ max e IL
true to actual life. The brown-iaced wo
man ought to have been placed in the
foreground, with the Confederate white
man, brutalized by the contact aud prac
tice Of slavery, 10 hot pursuit.
Such scenes as this have not been of in
4 frequent occurrence in the South; and it
We may judge of results by the number OF
people ia that section, who are neither
fbiacS nor wi.iis. .ihe pale-taced man vas
generally successful in the chase.
Gratitude for the kind treatment exten-
ded by the colored men of the South to
the wives aud little ones OF Southern Dem
ocrais, when they were engaged in a cruel
and atrocious war, wuged to perretuste the
bondage OF these sable sons Of toll, aud to
overthrow the Government, ought 10 pro
tect them from such uniounded assaults
from any Democrat Of the Chicago plat
iornI per u sion.
As an offset TO this imaginary picture,
let me present to you another, not drawn
wholly from fancy, but which might have
taken place under the legislation to which
have called your attention, had not that
legislation been stricken from existence
BY the enactments of Congress aud the
strong arm Of military power.
Suppose discharged Union soldier,
With the uniform of his country still upon
his back, but laborng under the double
misfortune of having given Que Of his
limbs TO his country aud of having black
skin, to be resident OF Mississippi, aud to
be assessed with the special poll tax OF
which mention has already been made.
Suppose him not TO have money with which
to pay this tax; and suppose another dis.
eharged soldier, wearing the Confederate
gray, to have been elevated, IN consequence
OF his devotion to the rebel cause, TO the
Office Of Tax Collector, by his admring
fellow rebels. Behold tho rebel soldier
clutch the black man dressed in blue, aud
place him upon the block and expose him
TO sale, to pay tax from which the rebel
auctoneer Is exempt.
In witnessing such scene as this.
think you that the heart or hand Of the
Northern man who vessrates mother or
loves sister or wife, would be in favor
OF the rebel man seller?
But again, think see in Mississippi
two discharged white soldiers, both main,
ed by wounds received in battle, the one
still wearing the loyal blue, the other the
! Confederate gray; each was faithful to the
cuuse for which he fought; the man in gray,
because Of bis fidelity TO rebellion, is ex-
empt from paying poll tax and has beeu
elected Sheriff Of the county. Behold
him march Off the Union soldier to per-
iorm six days OF enforced labor to raise
fuud, one-Giih Of which is to 90 TO the
man IN gray, aud other disabled rebels, 10
compensate them for their suflefings in
attempting to destroy the Government to
which they both alike owed allegiance
la whose ieyor would tho heart aud hand
Of the Northern man be, under such cir
cumstances, it not himself at heart trai
tor2 Would he not, amid such surround.
ings, sing "We'l rally round the flag
boys, we'll rally once again" before We
will tolerate the preparation of such an
outrage under color of law?
But must proceed to other questions
Of fact involved in the issue.
THE PRESIDENTS TRIMS REJEcrED.
The Democracy assert, and we deny.
that the People of all the Southern States
adopted the Presidents recommendations,
aud elected delegates 10 Conventions, Con
siitulons were made, submitted, voted
upon and ratified. How stand these
lacls? There are two classes Of rebel
States that are siill without representation
In Congress In the FIRST class Il Virginia
Louisiana aud Arkansas. 10 each Of which
there was some sort Of State organization
claiming 10 be the legitimate Government
of the State at the liulo Ar, Johnson com.
mcnccd his work of reconstruction. As
90 these three States, he appointed no
Provisional Governors aud provided for
no conventio but recognized tho organi.
cations cxisting at tho oluse of tho war a.
the leei innate governments Of these State
respectively.
The Convention which amended or
pretended to amend the ConSitution of
the State of Virginia, met in Alexandria
IN the summer Of 1861. at a time when the
greater portion OF that State wns in the
possessian OF the rebel armies. The re-
cord shows that the vote on the amend
ment abolishing slavery stood, ayes i3,
TO one my. So that this grind Cons,itu
tional Convention of Virginia consisted
of fourteen members, who represented the
people Of Richmond, then tho seat Of
government of the rebel conicdcYaey. as
well as hll other portions Of tho State lhcn
under rebel control. To call such q meet
thug a convention of the people Of Virginia
Is 10 miNepfosent rs character aud 20
trflo with the intelligence of the public,
aud aver that the action Of this Con,en-
ton never was submitted 90. voted upon,
or alisod BY any portion Of Of tho poo
po Of tho city ol Alexandria. Can Con
slitulion 80 nado or amended DO binding
on any pcrson2 Aud ye, this is the Cou
u,ilution under which IL Is insisted that
tho present Virginia State organization
must bo recognized,
What are the facts in relation TO LouiFi
ana? La 1864 Gen. Banks issued mill.
tary order providing for tho election OF q
: itonstifutiannl HonVanfion M N lima when