New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-07
WHAT WILL PACIFY THE SOU1Hf

for this which when once removed, will bring ABOUT
what all te men, North and South so earnestly desre
viz: Peace good will, and prosperity But have We hero
in the South reasonable ground to hope for SUCH con-
summation Now look for q moment through our eyes
cast my mind over tho whole State OF virginia ana
find nearly every respectable White man In ~
some form or other. During our Court, last week.
counted a majority OF those present as dsfranchSed
With the thousands Of old magistrates clerks, poSthas
ters sheriff. &c. &c-the most OF whom are piain good
farmersthe number disranchisod and outawed Dy the
XVIII amendment OF Constitution very much larger
than you imagine. Before the war; there were ABOUT
5000 magistrates alone In and out OF ONCE III virginia
These men were selected they good honest
men OF fair Judgment, and not politicians; anu 30
with the sheriiJ, constabes. and Other county OH
Gers They were, In culpable sense, Responsible
for tho war Yet 1t is this class OF good, honest
men dnterwoven as they are I'm all the ramifca-
lions OF society, that the XVIII Amendment hurts
the most The prominent politicians whom II dsaDles
arc but few in number; whilst the great majority OF Tue
prescribed masses arc the very men. above oil Others
who should be treated with leniency Both J,see ana
Poey call for this. Then why withhold tf The war IS
oyer-Slavcry abOshcd-Secession doad-the doctrine OF
State Rights cxpodcd-and consequently the absence OF
all necessity for longer Furnishing these people. One or
tho cardinal doctrines Of tie Republican party Is
Equality before the law for ali men" But, pray what
sort OF equality Is 1t which endnehSes tho uneducaNa
coiored man. and disonehiscs the educated bhe man
pNOple
Rehts TO all yet they deny equal rights ut homo to the
very class specially enfranchsed here CONSISTENCY
tbor ort indeed Jewel! You will discover from tho
tone of orr new spapcrs. that the people OF virginia NC
iayi are proposing to take tho Alexandria Con,
stuon las call ~ which was adopted ny I'll o1 IN
cpsaturc in 1853 and amend II rs 10 remove an as
abilities make suffrage impartial, ana provide ioI iIso
schools. Aud, II they oHngy 90 w" W" ~ hJ G,e,
upon rs proscripiiye aud odious Constitution ..
The first step toward good will. viii be Tor Congress 10
%
and you will hear no more the cry aSnnSt e spes
sSaoss " We shall then have pcaee-actaa abiding
permanent peace based upon its only rem e %
your special attention. aud that OF your readers 10 te
thing called Constitution, Lately adopted In Kchold,
beg OF you read IL carefully, and then TO say with
yonr hand upon your heart whether could have even
the senbauco OF peaee under such an atroeous insr
prcsclbes the Ironcad" oath for all officers aud urors
To fasen upon ourselves Tor years anu We 90 nor We
are denounced as Rebels stu opposing Reconstruc'
or human ANYTHING TO expect us thus to degrade gma
tie aud outlaw our selves Nor ought you to re-
q5S s RTG HrS1 pSLe sr1y
true mai OF to love or respect such Government
or ever look upon IL otherwise than as erHeI per
seeuor Test oaths, at best are proscriptlve, ana
penal IN their nature, pugnsntt to the very genius Oh
yp a That y especially hold to that golden
rule commended by our saviour To do unto others rs
We would that they should do unto You" Now, all we
ask is 10 have this rule applied In We ask you
TO hoist ~ your column head nud urge upon Con
XVIII Amendment arc Too numerous aud too poor
10 go to Washington IN person, and petition for 10.
With real grace were Congress 0ugTdte this BENEFIT
cent scheme and make freight Offering Of ia bounty
aud magnanlmity The effect would DO marvellous aud
Win Reconstruction completed IN such a sprit-ths
to their ancient rightswh peace
and good will nil around us. patriotism ana PROSPERITY
march on in this nor epoch that Uh,na Thte which
Divinity has shaped Tor the American Republic. am,
wy HENRY WEBa ARCHER
MiddieJ,p.y Va. Dec. 3. 1868.
Comments by The Tribune.
|. One of the wsest of the minor injunctons
found IN Holy Writ is that which requires us
to "IIoi fast the form of sound words" In
other terms, BE entirely sure of your facts,
and then state them in language that precisely
embOdics their meaning. Mr.. Archer speaks OF
the old magistrates, clerks postmasters, &c,
of the South as disfrdnchised by the XIVth
Amendment to the Federal Constitution. Yet
he has only to read that Amendment to SEQ
that no person rhdterer is disfranchised thereby.
All the Article prescribes with respect to dis
reimbursement is this: If any State shall see fit
to dsfranchise "any of the male inhabitants
"of said State, except for participation in
rebellion or other crime" then such person
shall not be counted by said State as basis
of representation in Congress or in voting for
President. In other words. the XlVth Amend
ment, so far from DISTINGUISHING any one, I'M
poses penalty on Acknowledgement by the
several States or any OF them.
ii. The section which Mr. Archer inaccurate
~ refers TO as DISTINGUISHING reads rs follows
SEC No person shall be Senator or Representative
In Congress ElectOr Of President and Vice President
hold any office cvil military, under the United States
or under any State, who having previously taken the
oath, Member OF Congress or as an officer OF the
United states, or rs member OF any State Legislature
executive judicial officer OF any State. to sup
port the Constitution OF the United States shall have
gagged In insurrection rebellion against the
given aid ana comfort to the enemies thereof Bnt Con-
gress may by vote OF tw0hds OF each House, remove
such disability.
This section prescrbes that certain persons
who in committing treason, have committed
perjury ALSO shall not hold certain Offices until
Congress shall see fit to remove the ban-as it has
already done with regard to very large num-
Der. And the last Republican National Con-
vention, held at Chicago last May,
Resolred That we highly commend the sprit Of
maGnanmity and forgiveness with which the men who
have served the Rebellion hut frankly and honestly
cooperate with US IN restoring the peace OF the country
and recOnstrucilng the Southern State Governments
received back into the communion OF loyal people, and
Jdror the reaordI Of NE dsqdi cdfons aud rtstre
ne spirit ordisoydiiy rH die ont and mag be consistent
piM ne SAFELY OF the loyal people
Surely, this is not hard to understand
The Republicans support any form Of pro-
scrptiOn or exclusion from office only as a
measure of temporary precauton and defense.
Having the staff in their own hands, they pro-
pose not to hand it over to the party opposite
until they can feel a reasonable assurance that
he will not proceed forthwith to break our
heads with it. Isn't this very human2
Was the preCautiOn ncedlessf Just look nj