Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-04

were still dark, we should see the
stealthy grayness which runs before the
dawn. Do we intend ever again to live
with these people in peace and harmony?
If we do we must stop the process OF
reconstruction, for it is making people
who cannot live with US. II we mean to
make Dahomey and Congo Of the
fairest half your land, your black gov
ernments are just what you want. But
il. you ever expect that white men shall |
resume their natural ascendency, do not
prolong such dangerous experiments as
this. If you mean to transform our ma
tional system from q confederation of free |
and equal States into Northern people |
domineering over Southern people, the
Republican plan is working well. Ifyou
ever look to a return to equality and ira
ternity, it is destroying the road behind
you. But you want peace, and so we all
long and pray for peace. But what KIND
ola peace? That is the very question.
Peace may come from fear, despair and
desolation, or it may spring from content
ment and happiness. You cannot wiring
peace from reconstruction in the future,
except by absolute subsection and sur
yeilance which in that country would be
intolerably burdensome. This country
cannot afford to keep one-half her States
under guard it will require five hundred
thousand men. There is not State in
the South where, by ITSELF the carpet
bag government can protect itself or pre-
serve the peace 1t is the support, or at
least the quietude, of the Rebels which
alons prevents every one Of them from
falling back on United States soldiers.
Look at Louisiana to-day; one OF the
most thoroughly reconstructed of all the
States, and at the very first jostle of a
mob the feeble fabric fops over upon its
support of bayonetS. In fact we may as
well face it at once. IfyOu intend to re-
tain the Radical plan you must soon come
down frankly to open force. This black
veil which has been used to hide the
shocking scene of arbitrary rule, which
reconstruction is holding from the peoples
eyes during the election must soon be torn
away, and then we shall realize the enor-
nifty of our situation. Why look at
the state Of the South to-day. 1t has
grown steadily more disorderly since this
policy of negro sovereignty was imposed
upon it. The men in office have no hold
upon the people, are hated and detested
by majority Of the whites, and how car
YOU look for peace 1t is not too late
now. There are men enough. and good
men enough now at the South dislran'
: chised to make that country as orderly
and peaceful as this State, if you will
give them the chance. Ibelieve that the
: men who led the armies of the Soutt
, still possess the secret Of commanding
those people, and am persuaded further
r that there are no men to-day so well dis
posed to the United States government
no men who have so frankly renowned
secession, so utterly abandoned slavery
, and who are so entirely opposed to any
whisper Of war, as these very pOwerless
DISTINGUISHED, and abused Rebel chiefs
r am convinced Of their honesty, sincerity
/ and good faith when they say that they
have conceded all the results OF the war
and never will attempt to disturb oul
title to them. I am sure they may b'
trusted and believed when they tell yor
that all they ask is restoration oil the
} Constitution and the Union. l belleV'
, that the best thing that could be done TO-
day for the whole country would be t.
J remove all this unconstitutional bill o
attalnder disability, and restore all TIT
: people of the South, from Tennessee t.
Texas, constitutional governments, anC
all these much-abused leaders to bring
order out of chaos. l think it would b
done, and done cheaply, and well done