The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-04
Reconstruction.
Fto,n Ms ". 7. World.


We recently printed an E1glish view of re-
construction, taken from the PdH Mall Guzette,
AS 1t strikes the British mind, tue Amsrloau
Congress has sought TO place the chief powers
of state in the South in the hands of the guo.
raut and pauper class ss--sometniDg never befOre
attempted, save for brief period in tue
French Revolution OF 1898 and fears are ex-
pressed lest so gross a procedure force war
Of races. Similar views, it will be- remem-
bered, were expressed by Mr.. Anthony Troll
lope i'll his 81. PaurS Wdgd=ine on this suhj-ot,
and as we said then We say now thai tn :
effect OF thorough understanding abroad OF
that gigantic atrOcity, .reconstruotlon, must
be to impair foreign c0Dh ieDce in our mone-
taIy credit. To the European, cotton Is the
backbone OF our public wealth. The South,
he knows, makes cotton. Now, lot hm
know that brutal misgovernment Is rendsr-
ing the South hell upo1 earth, aud he
At once reasons back pretty much ia this way
Disturbed South, decreased Cotton; decreased
cotton, impaired wealth; imp aired wealth, re-
duced credit, aud no more fve-t~enties for
me. This is the argument as TO the power OF
the United States to meet their bonds. Bht
there is still another arguMsut-thst as TO
their will-tbat comprehension OF recon-
struction will supeTinduce. From its inosp-
tion, and through every stage Of its progress
to its present state, We have seen this scheme
marked with the most Iascally violations of
plight.d faith, and know that It is psrjury in
its very essence, since it is confessedly action
outside Of the Constitution by men who took
Almighty God to witness tnat they would
only legislate within. Let this DO seen and
known in Europe as We see and know it, and
how long will il bs betore marvellous distrust
in American promises will prevail FdLSaS
an uno fdiSuS in omnibus is a rule not altogether
unknown or unacted on in Mark lane or on the
BOurse.
There is another reflection, a domestic one,
that is suggested by the article in the PlA
Mall. 1t is tbis:-Iu dwelling on the statistios
of reconstruction, much stress is laid on the
figures in the case of South Carolina but only
because in South Carolina alone has anything
like complete exhibit been made. The Demo-
cratic COMMITTEES in that State put forth a de-
tailed statement, which showed how many
whites and negroes we're in the pretended
convention and legislature respectively, anG
what taxes these worthless severally paid, OF
rather did not pay. Coupled with this was a
dissection of the thing called aconstituton
and the influence of this exhibit may be judged
from the fact that it now comes back to u.
from England. As we have by no means done
with reconstruction yet it is desirable that il
the other States of the South documents simi
lar to the one above described in the case o
South Carolina be prepared, and in trust tC
assist such effort ss may be made we su6join q
syllabus for general guidance:-
l. An alph abetical list of those making ur
the so-called convention, giving, first, color
second, nativity; third, length OF residence in
State where alien; fourth, amount Of take;
paid; aud fifth, record specifying particularly
how many acted as election judges wher
themselves candidates, and how many have
been in the penitentary or otherwise made
ameDable to the criminal law. This latter is
suggested from the fact that as many as two
| i1fS hova hapY1 lrnomu in {
single one of these reconstruction conven
| tions.
2. A like list of the pretended legislatures
| g. Same as to pretended State officers.
4. Synopsis of 'moral ideas' III the Negro
constitutions, and of the carpet-bag laws.