Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-06-02
County Meeting.

4
olamations. II adopted anonymously
set Of resolutions, excellent alike fo
brevity, strength and comprehensveness
They are true. No man can deny them
in the face of an honest people. without
disgrace. The war was waged to restore
the Union under the Constitution,
and as such, has been declared sue
cess. Why then is not the Union
as il was restored2 Tho war has extin-
guished slavery. II is no more. And
the Southern people never have evinced
any desire to re.establish it, nor any will
to Cypress in any respect the negro as a
freeman, so as to require the military for
his protection. The very presence OF
the military here is SANDER on South
ern men, whose incapacity for dishon-
oring their pledges, the radical partisans
are incapable of appreciating, as well as
unwilling to see. The negro may be
made happy as freeman, but it must be
under some rule of intelligence and ben
efcent laws. He knows not how to gov
ern himself. And to give him the fran.
chise and make him a governor over
others is we'll designated a crime. To
put the direction Of the Ship OF State into
the most incompetent possible hands is
to sink black and white in pecuniary
ruin and political and moral degrade
ton. The government which is best
administered is best" and republican
government requires wise direction
even more than despotism. II it is
problem whether free governments can
be maintained by white men, is there not
also some small reason for doubt whether
blacks, who have never in all time main
tanned a respectable government of any
sort, can do so, even with the help of the
least intelligent and most venal of the
whites =?
The crisis in public affairs " is per-
ilous. 1t is indeed a peril to liberty that
even a question should exist as to
whether government shall remain in the
hands of corrupt men. 1t must be a
deadly peril when the intelligent and
wise of a Republican people are
threatened with being placed under the
of balance Of power in the
hands of ignorance, welded by vensl
ambition. We should call that peril,
indeed, when in the name of the people,
and with the appreciation of great
party, despot who is seeking increased
power holds twelve millions of people BY
the power of the sword, and will give
direction to their votes at his own will,
and for the accomplishment Of his own
purposes The General in Chief of
the Army Of The United States nO,c
holds his spord 10 the throdts Of one
third of the american people and de
mands their rotes Eleven States oflhe
American Union are thus to vote under
a threat And only the selected few
most easily trusted are allowed even to
do that
Ten States are under the dominion of I
The sword, and that sword entrusted BY
he cowardly hate of those who dared not [
s ght to win the right to it, to one man,
Who has already slain liberty in the ten,
lnd, will, if elected, as certainly do it in
he remaining twenty-six. He who will ,
leny the hdbeaS corpus in one quarter, |
where be has the power, will also deny it I
n another, where he has the power. And :
{ he is elected, We trust he may make
lis despotism uniform and universal. ,
set the oppression be impartial, at least,
it has no other virtue.
1t also, that ''the party in power /
q the Federal and State Governments is
Utterly incompetent to govern" "By Z
heir fruits ye shall know them" We
udge men raost rightly when we judge
hem by their acts. They may have the
Intellect to govern. Bat if they have not |
lao the virtue to govern justly, they are ,
incompetent to govern wisely and we'll
The r sdical North yet raDkles With the ,
oul Of hate toward the Southern people /
seTer daring TO meet them in the battle ,
ray. they delight 10 perteeute and I.
pprsss those whom the National arms
. the hands Of brave men have re-
uced to subsection. II is work to
rbieh towards are prone, and which all {
rave men loathe. To trsmple on the
alien has been the synsnym Of iufamy ,
0 all nations and all ages. 1t is the
owsfds who we're not Of the camp but .
ollowed il. the spectators who gave not {
be blood Of the soldier bot the money Of !
be Shylock, the demons who hate most |
hose whom they have most wroDged, I
be fanatics. Pharisees, false saints
I'D hyp0crites we fear not the
rny Of the Uoited States So far a
re we from fearing Union soldiers, or {
elieVing they will 90 for electing even .
heir own General to be the dictator to :
reemen, and the instrument Of subject
1g their fellow-ciiizsns to the degrade {
ion Of the negro, 10 which, because 1t ,
'ould be especially injurious to US,
hese non-combstant enemies oftheSoutb
Iould so delight as to imperil their own
iberiies for the qualification Of their
lalice, that we Should be glad TO submit :
l.. hi. ;.s,a % ,ha dacision If the | .