The Evansville journal., 1868-02-21

I rstf~ by the presence OF red-handed
rebels" and thereby admits the va
I lidity of the act prescribing 1t.
! How much obedience, then, did the
people of the South yield 70 this law?
How much respect to the authority of
the United States, by which 1t was
enacted2
Under the Presidential plan of re-
construction, and under the lead of
Mr.. johnson, all the rebel States4 ex-
cept Texas, proceeded in the fall Of
1865 to elect Senators and Represent
atives in Congress. When they did
this they were fully informed Of the
existence of the act Of Congress pre-
scribing the iron-clad" oath.
How much obedience did they yield
to that law? How much respect did
they evince for the oath2 Let a few
facts answer the question: 20
Georgia chose Alexander II. Ste
phens, late Vice President of the
Rebel Confederacy, and Herschel v
johnson, late a Senator In the Rebel
Congress, to present her reconstructed
loyalty In the Senate of the United
States; and her people elected two
Rebel Generals to seats in the House
of Representatives
North Carolina sent as her Senators
William a. Graham, fresh from the
Confederate Senate, and Mr.. Pool a
member of the rebel Legislature of
the State during the war.
In the House, the people of the
same State elected member of the
rebel Congress, a Colonel In the rebel
army, and member of the COnven
ton which passed the Ordinance of
Secession. 7e g..
South Carolina, chose as her SEN
atOrs, a Confederate States Judge,
and staff officer of Beauregard in
the rebel army.
Virginia elected to the House two
members of her Secession Convention
who had acted as members Of that
body after the commencement of
hOstilities.
These are mere samples of the kind
Of men which the South chose as
members of the 39th Congress, and
it is perfectly notorious that as a
general rule in the elections which
resulted IN the choice Of such men,
loyalty to the Government of the
United States was prescribed, while
service In the Confederate cause was
a sure passport to popular favor
With facts like these staring US in
the face, it is not difficult to deter
mine how much credit is due to the I
senatorial assumption that these peo-
pie yielded obedience to law and res
pect to the authority of the United |
States.
But this is not the only evidence of I
the continued rebellious temper and |
spirit of the people of the South, and |
their utter want of respect for the |
authority of the United States. |
North Carolina, for instance. made /
the taking effect of sundry of her laws |
in relation to freedmen to depend up
on the withdrawal of the military pro- |
lection extended to this class of peo- |
pie by the United States, thereby re-
fusing to accept the situation" un-
less permitted to dictate to Congress
what should be the character of its
legislation in relation to the recent
ly emancipated slaves. Mississippi /
showed her respect for the authority
of the United States by passing an act,
approved November q, 1865, as to a
certain class Of ofenses committed be-
fore the war, granting an amnesty to
such persons, and to such persons
only, who had volunteered in the
Confederate army, and who did not
desert said army. If a man had
served In the Union army, or en-
listed in the rebel army and desert
ed, he was to be tried and
punished for offenses committed be-
fore the war; but If he had served the
rebellion without deserting, this purg-
ed him from all guilt. Who so blind
as not to see that such legislation as
this was out of pure respect for the
authority of the United States Again,
by another act of the same date, Mis-
sissippi set apart twenty per cent. of
the entire revenue of the State, a
revenue proposed to be raised by the
most enormous taxation, for a relief
fund for the relief of destitute, dis
abled Confederate soldiers and their
widows and children. Union soldiers
who resided or might settle in the
State of Mississippi, were to be taxed
to pension those who fought to de-
stroy the Government! Does not this
in favor of rebel sol
diers and against Union soldiers, show
4 marvellous respect for the authority
Of the United States 2 especially when
it is considered that by another law
Of the same State, a Union soldier, if
he happened to be black man, might
be sold on the block into temporary /
slavery to pay poll tax.
Again, manned rebel soldiers were
exempted from the payment of poll !
taxes and license fees; but no such '
exemption was extended to persons ;
who fought for their country. {
Another very significant fact, show $