The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-05-22

p ana counter tlaTe1eQ over the CgUrG
! the torch has carried des0lati0n with
( 10 her very heart. The shackles Of
! slavery have been stricken from their
/ limbs, and freedom has been pro-
/ claimed birth right-eVery individual
breathing the free air of our Republic
Here you have two classes, the one
educated IN pTejudices of privileged
arIstOcracy, smarting under bitter
I ness, defeat and disfranchisement;
deprived Of much they looked upon
as their property; reduced to poverty
4 and extremity, and ready to fly to
arms again at the first favorable
opportunity, Unrepentent because not
convinced, and characterized by all
the wild recklessness and ferocty
which the demoralizing relation be
tween master and slave must newt
ably produce The other class,
brought up in ignorance and hUmil-
iation, tyranized and oppressed, and
enjoying no rights which the white
men were bound to. respect; Just
emerging from the degradation of
servitude, with crude and undigested
notions Of freedom, and perhaps an
easy Frey to the demagOgues, but full
Of gratitude to the Government which
broke their chains; overfowing with
enthusiastic loyalty to the flag which
brought them freedom, and de-
termined to defend their new treas
ure with with the arms which they
have learned to weld on many
bloody fields of battle. | admit that
it is a great problem to create order
out of chaos: to reconcile the hostile
elements in the South, while a party
in the North IS trying its utmost to
fan the flames. Of discord, resent
ment and vindictiveness. To restore
peace, allay preiudices, and establish
security amidst scenes of bloodshed
aud violence; to direct misspent ener-
gies into channels of industry and
trade; to restore business and labor
amidst inveterate aristocratic preiu-
dIces rebuild an edifce with such
a predominatirg quality of questiona-
Die material and create prosper
Ity where ruin and decay now
reign supreme, is perhaps the most
dficulJ problem ever submitted to
the wisdom of mortal man [ have
heard it said that the Southern pOr-
tIons of our country are IN want Of
new Moses to lead a people untitled
for self government to aid them
to fee into the wilderness. The
old generation, with its prejudices
and vices, has died, and a new gen.
Grafton has sprung up under a differ
ent system of society; but, fOrtu-
nately, it does not take forty
years in this wonderful coun-
try Of ours to bring up the new
generation. A writer in 2t0ckl0o1d'S
Monthly, a British Tory magazine,
once said that the Americans have a
remarkable, but successful, way Of
blundering through their difficulties.
There may be some truth IN this
assertion. Blunders may have been
committed Ia our many attempts to
solve a problem so new, unprecedent-
ed and difficult, but even our blum
ders have had their lesson, and
hence will contribute to help US
through our difficulties. Let us
trust to the spirit of our iasti-
tutions-the principles which underlie
them-the genius of our peOple-the
glorious success of our past, for they
are guarantees of a bright and happy
future. Our first task will be to
understand the problem; the next to
find the proper means of dIsposlng of
the question. The surest and safest
will be never to lose sight of the first
principles. There are certain fun9a-
mental truths upon which all sue
cess of the Government rests-certaIn
elementary principles upon which our
Americas system IS based. Let
these truths and principles show US
the way. Let them be oar cloud by
day and our pillar of light by night,
aud we shall soon be out Of the viii
derness, and behold the land Of
promise First, there must be peace
and security Governments are in
stttuted for the protection Of life,
liberty and property, and their cardi
nal purpose IS security. 1t IS self
evident that sudden transition from
slavery to freedom, and such great
revolution as the substitution of a0
entirely different system of sOcl-
ETY., will be accompanied by a
great c0mmotiOn. But the soon
er our eountrymeu IN the South
understand that there must be peace
and sacurity. the better 1t viii be for
them and the country. There must
be no riots, no mobs, 10 burning of
scooOl-houses and Churches; cheers ]
no assassination, no Ku-Kulx Klau.
A Union man in Georgia or Missis
sippi, white or black. must enjoy the
same security of person and properly
that is vouchsafed to any rebel who
+ comes to live among US In the North ;
+ a Northern merchant or traveller must
be able to pass through the Southern
+ States with the same degree of safety
with which Southern men travel
! AL.o.-.L L2.-...-.-l- -. -. nL;- NJ.