The Irish republic. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-18??, 1868-02-08
Reconstruction.

which apparently decided the fate of slavery on this
American continent came to end. Yet, strange to
say, the conflict has only been transferred from the
tented field to the Presidential Cabinet and national
legislature and at this moment RACES ercey
We hear of another Reconstruction Bill, which has
been advocated by Judge Bng ham and Others with an
ability and eoquence which would have done honor to
Greece or Rome in their best and brightest days. In
fact the case is clear truth and right render
it-as clear as if it had been inscribed with sunbeams
on the face of the armament. That is simply this,
that none but loyal to the American Republic
should either vote legisate rule in that Repubic
and that all who the known enemies of the Amer
lean Union, and consequently of human liberty every
where should be left out in the cold till they learn
the most necessary lesson of respecting in all other
human beings the rights which they ready to
arrogate to themselves.
One would have naturally expected that after this
question was decided by the arbtrament of the sword,
all controversy would have ceased and that those who
had spent mountains of treasure and shed of blood
in order destroy the national Government would when
the day to them was hopelessy lost have quietly yielded
as did the majority of the English Tories of the Revo
lutionary War; to that dsfranchsement which the
Just and necessary reward of their atrocous crimes For
let who will take offense at it, the fact is plain and
patent that those who sacrificed so much human life,
caused much human misery, and entailed such an
oppressive load of taxation the people OF this country
in their mad and wicked endeavor to rend and destroy
the Republic guilty of crimes for which perpetual
political disqualification is but slight and inadequate
punishment
l. too
who scout the idea of punishment altogether and only
insist such absolutely necessary to
the safety of the country, and the peace and
prosperity of the entire American people But there
no use in conceang it from ourselves that authority
must in some instances be made terror to the doors
of evil" Nor does this so far see, at all
cessitae resort to the savage and fendsh practices of
English and European tyrants Neither life, nor limb
nor liberty require to be sacrificed Political dsqua
fcation is abundantly sufficient, in such country
this draw the serpents fangs, and pare the tigers
claws and so to deprive the savage beast of all power
of mischief.
Concerning such questions twould naturally be sup
posed no difficulty could possibly arise For surely the
loyal people of America would not be so blind and mad
as to bring into place and power in their noble national
Government those whose first and frmest purpose would
be to destroy it. Imagine rational man building
magnificent mansion and investing in it his entire for
tune and then cooy letting it to unac incendary,
whose avowed purpose is put the torch to its tmbers
and to reduce it to heap of ashes at the very earliest
moment he can find an opportunity
Yet, this is just what by the Supplementary Recon-
strucon Bill the Congress of the United States is en-
deavorng to prevent Tt is simply to keep men out of
places Of power and authority in the Southern States OF
the Union, who would do by fraud what the sword of
rebellion failed to do by force who would restore slavery
in reality if not in NAME and who would make this great