The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1868-02-21

changing their opinions and reversing
their policy, we haye only to point TO
the able Senator, from Indiana, him
self, once among the most powerful adj
VOcates of the LincOln-JohnSOn policy
of restoration upon the white basis,
now bound hand and foot, and dragged
i'm chains at the victorious chariot
wheels to grace the triumph of Wen
dell Phillips and the Senator from Mas
sachusetts. Even his great mind now
lends its powerful influence to favor
the establishment Of governments bas-
ed upon universal negro suffrage, to
hold, it may be, the balance of power
in this Republic under the control of
the bayonets of the regular army.
Again, sir, if it were true that the
whites were dislOyal during the rebel
lion, they are not rebelliOus now. Re-
belliOns cannot exist or continue with
out real or supposed cause. Slavery
the cause and the preteXt for the late
rebellion, il gone forever. 1t can new
er be revived. Nothing can incite an
other rebellion at the South, for they
have no power-tO organize one against
the Government, and will not have for
many years to come.
And why, sir, why should they not
desire peace? For that rebellion. into
which in an evil hour the Radicals of
the South plunged them, they have
been punished already by the sacrifice
of all their slave property, valued at
three to four thousand million dollars;
by the sacrifice of more than three
fOurths of all other personal property,
probably two thousand millions more !;
by the sacrifice of their public and pri-
vate credits-at least thousand mil
lions more; by the depreciation OF the
value Of all their real estate at least sew
enty-fivn per cent-amOunting proba-
bly, to more than two thousand mil
lion dollars mOre-making in all a
sacrifice of property, credits, and val
ues in the Southern States alone OF at
least nine thousand million dollars.
But there is another bloody and ter
rible page in this accOunt-a page in
account with death. 1t is estimated
there have perished in battle by dis
ease, exposure, or other cause incident
to the war, at least three hundred thouS-
and able-b0died white men Of theSOuth.
| take no account Of the unutterabie
anguish of millions of crushed and
bleeding hearts. No language can eX-
press, no figures measure that! For
that rebellion the white man Of the
South has heGn most terribly punished
| Nine thousand millions Of values are
gOne-lOst forever! Three hundred
thousand able-bOdied white men Of the
flower and strength of the South now
lie there ia bloody or prcnaturegraVeS
Great God! Is not this punishment
enough? Must we go further? Must
we now punish the white men of the
| South by placing them under the DOM
! inatiOn of half-ciViliZed Africans p
| And in order to do that shall we pun
| ish ourselves by giving over to stolld
| and british ignorance the political
control of One-fourth of the States, and,
| it may be to the control Of the ar
| my the balance Of power iii the United
| States? Shall we Africanize the South
| and MeXicaniZe the whole Republic?
| know these measures of Congress
! have done much to wound, nothing to
| heal. Yet, Notwithstanding all that
! Congress has done to einhitter their ha-
tired toward the Radical policy, there
! is neither thought, nor wish, nor hope
| to restore slavery, nor to separate from
the Union, nor Of rebellion against the
authority OF the government; all eVl'
denCe proves the contrary.
In the whole rebel army which sur
rendered, challenge any senator tC
point me to single instance in which
the rebel officer has violated his parole
or to a single man, of any position OF
prominence at the South, who after ta
king tie oath Of allegiance has violated
his plighted faith.
No man can more deeply feel than
Go the great and monstrous folly and
crime of that rebellion, whion brought
so much of agony and of blood upon
all parts of our beloved land, which
robbed us of our sons and dearest kin
dred, and threw shade of sorrow over
our hearts which will never pass away
until they cease to beat. But now thai
blood had ceased TO flow; now tha
three years of peace have elapsed now
that the whole south haS.SurrendereG
and every interest they have or cal
hope for is to be found under the Con
stitutiOn now that they have in gOOt
faith pledged anew their allegiance
and desire to join with us in rebuild
ing the waste places Overrun by this de5
I'Olating war; now that they have in
fact, ceased to be rebels, why shall VIZ
continue to denOunce them as rebels
and do all in our power to compel then
to be rebels, and to remain rebels an(
enemies forever? is that the way Il
restore prosperity? Il that the course
Of wise craftsmanship? Will tha
bring permanent peace?
What do the great examples Of his
tory teach us in dealing with rebel
lions, if not that, after force has beer
subdued by force, magnanimity i
more powerful than rev enge; tha
love cOnquers what hate never can
the hearts and affections Of q peQple2
! When Latium, one Of the Roman pro
vinces, revolted, and the revolt wa
put down by arms, the question arose
4 In the Roman Senate, what shall bt
done with Latium and the people o
Latium? There were some then who
! cried, 'disfranchise them; :" other
said, "pnnflsoate their property -
There WerB none who said, "su2Jec
them iii vassalage their slaves"
But old CamilluS, in that speech
which revealed his greatness, and made
his name immortal, said: SENATORS
make them your felloW-citizens, anC
thus add to the power and glory o
Rome" II this high place, in thi
Senate Of the great Republic of thu
world, the outgrowth Of the civilization
0fali the ages, cannot we, Senators, rls'
to the height of this great argument?
At present, what do we behold ?
Now that the war is over, row ina
every rehel mas laid down his arms
now that the people of the South have
unanimously agreed to abolish slavery
forever, to obey the Constitution, ant
discharge every duty aa oiti2ans ct IN