Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1868-02-05

iuaSmucn as they secure TO a dISlOyal pODu-
Iatlon nearly double as much power in the
federai Government as the same amount of
| loyal population in other States possess,
and lnasmuch as they Were rejected by near
| ly three fourths of Congress, and that action
indorsed by the people, | come to the con-
cluslon that they are not governments which
any man is bound by law or Justice to res
| pect.
! But the gentleman from New York EMr
| Brooks thinks the decision of the people in
| 1866 Is not conclusive. He infers from the
elections of 1867 that public sentiment is
changing, and that in 1868 President and
| Congress will be chosen whose political opin-
| ions will cOncide with his own He is kind
enough to inform us what will then be done.
The enactments of the last six years, SAYS
he, shall be repealed" p" Humanity, Justice.
and equality shall be dethroned and the old
slave power, unchristian, intolerant, insolent,
and cruel, shall reign in their stead. Sup
pose your dreams were realized; suppose the
people in an evil hour had put. you in pos
session of all the departments of the Gov
ernment; suppose the gentlemen who dur
ing the last six years have wrought such
terrible ruin in the South and brought such
deep sorrow to the North and all the land
We're to aid or leTd your efforts suppose the
servlle code rest0re!. fugitive slave Jaw and
all; suppose the demolished slave prisons
rebuilt, the rusty manacles reburnished, and
the overseers engaged, how viii the gentle
man secure his victims? Has Legislative
work will then be ACCOMPLISHED; his servi-
ces will no longer beHeeded here. Imagine
the gentleman then leaving his place and
going home to ask his Christian constituents,
learned through his instructions in the mrs
terleS and measurement OF sinus and heels,
to arm themselves with lassoes and hand
cuffs and follow him in one grand hunt for
emancipated bondmen. The gentleman and
his party, IN great patience aud meekness,
have long labored ior the disloyal masters
but when this heavy task Snail be imposed
upon them 1t will be one hair too much even
for their unconpIaining backs This utter
auce of unattainabe hopes brought to the
gentleman seat many admiring friends |
could not hear the congratulations but can
well imagine they were much like Falstaff7
address to his prince Thou wilt have no
back seats for traitors and no free niggers
IN America when thou art king wilt thou,
Hal?
Having shown that there are not now and
have not been since the close of the war, any
legal constitutional governments in these
States, | proceed to inquire who should O.
rlginaten new ones. l. | correctly understand
NiIC SSIIiCIIill Oll tiIC OIuCE sue lhty CidIsii
that new governments ought to originate
with the people of the States. Very well,
sir; how long shall we wait for these people
to move? 1t Is more than two years since
the war closed, and no unprompted move
ment III that direction has been made by
them to this hour. Oh no | mistake They
did eject a convention In Louisiana, and it
will be recollected that there was great joy
among the anti-progressive and back going
politicians when 1t was known that the del
egates were mobhed and murdered, the con
ventlon dispersed, and the popular move
ment crushed out. Suppose tie people Of
South Carolina, for instance, would under
take to construct government The dis
loyal people might originate one, the blacks
another, and the loyal white men anoJher.
Congress must determine at last which Is
the real government Of the State, and this
determination involves the exercise of the
same power necessary to the passage of our
reconstruction acts. But as said before,
the people have not moved in this matter
at all. There is, therefore, no alternative.
Congress must call upon and authorize the
people to reconstruct their governments or
leave them either under military rule or reb-
efanarchy forever. On the ID of March last
Congress passed an act for this purpose.
And what was it Simply this: it author
ized a major general in the Army to make
a list of all the legal voters in a particular
State, and call upon them to assemble on
day fixed to elect delegates of their own free
choice to a convention which should frame
and submit TO them form of State govern
ment. That, sir, was our reconstruction, |
and that was all of it. That is what is now
pronounced unconstitutional, revolutionary, !
and despotic. | forgot sir; that is not
quite all. 1t authorized the officer, in the /
absence of governments, and III the midst |
Of vindictive and lawless men to preserve f.
the peace until the new governments should |
come in power Our opponents have found |
a few things to be mad at even in this sim
pie formula. They charge that we omitted |
from the list OF voters large number OF
persons, simply because they waged long |
and bloody war against Government not !
only the BEST but most lenient and munli-
cent in the World. | deny it. Not one man
was left off the list for this cause alone and
only small number was left off for any
cause. Those who committed treason, and
in order 10 commit this crime first commit
ted perjury, were left off, and no others.
The number was comparatively small. The
number of white voters now registered un-
der this law is only 10000 less than all the
votes cast in these States in 1860, and Is
just about double the number of voters that
in the johnson Seward cleo
tions of 1865. When it is remembered that
large numbers of those who voted in these
States in 1860 have disappeared in the war,
and thousands more have moved to north
ern and western States, it will appear that
the number of perjured traitors omitted
from the list Is quite too small to justify
such deep griefamong their northern friends.
Again, it has been alleged that we impose
this plan upon the southern people against
hni II nt oil rir Thn Inw 1rn- |