The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1868-09-23
VOL UME EIGHT-NUMBER "a.

| South Dy military coercion 10 the 90
mination OF the recently emancipate d
slaves, less fitted to exercise the right
of suffrage than the women and half
grown children of the North, and led on
by adventurers who seek to use then. ..as
their instruments to secure Office aud
riches, the radical leaders fill the country
with the cry, "Let us have peace" Yes
with their feet upon the necks and
their bayonets at the breasts Of the
white people of the South, they cry,
"Lct US have peace. 10. - Let US have
tame submission to all the measures Of
our party to secure their own ascendan.
cy, however unconstitutional, unjust and
oppressive. And if any of their victims
eviuce disposition to resist their usur.
pations and expressions and seek relief,
even by peaceful means, they denounce
them as unrepentant rebels, seeking a
renewal Of the civil war.
Has any man, worthy to be trusted in
public life, read so little of history, or
studied human nature so unproftably as
to believe that the white people of the
South are pacifed by being thrust out
of the pale of the cons titution and sub
ject to the absolute power of their lately
emancipated slaves ? Has ages of op.
preston made Ireland love England !?
Has oppression and massacre reco1.
oiled the Poles to the domination of
Russia Human nature is the same
everywhere. Reduced to despair by
oppression, the oppressed will resort to
desperate remedies. Nay, where all
hope is lost, they will sooner rush on
death itself than live degraded and dis
houored lives. IF there be any people
in the world who will not submit to
hopelass oppression it is those who have
been raised under the free institutions
of the United States. Let each voter
of the North ask himself how he would
feel, and what he would do, if an usurp-
ing Congress were to deprive him Of the
rights of freeman and subject him in
life, liberty aud property to the absolute
control of ignorant and penniless negroes
As he would answer that question so let
him act. Let him not wonder that
notes such as he himself might utter
under like circumstances reach his ears
occasionally from the South and let
him ask himself whether he is prepared
by his vote to reproduce on this conti-
nent the conduct of England towards
IrelaLd and OF Russia towards Poland
No man of sense aud in ligence can ex-
pect in the South SO long as large por.
ton Of the white population are exclu-
ded from all participation in their own
government, and exposed to be plum
dered aud oppressed by their own slaves,
led on by adventurers from the North.
They laid down their arms in good
faith they gave up their slaves they
surrendered the principles for which
they had fought; they accepted the
poverty to which they were reduced and
they sought only to be allowed the
privilege of free und loyal citizens un-
der the old flag. This President Lin
coin, and President johnson, following
in his footsteps, desired to concede to
them. The former fell by the hands Of
a rebel assassin the latter has been
ferociously hunted by an other class of
assassins. The policy of the two Presi-
dents was identical; and yet our radicals,
with singular inconsistency, defy the
dead Lincoln and cruelty the living
johnson. Why is this {? Lincoln is
out of their way, and they would profit
by his virtues ; johnson is lion in
their path, and they would destroy him
for his fidelity in attempting t, protect
the constitution.
What sort of peace is to be expected
in the South go long as white people are
prescribed and negroes allowed to gov
ern may be safely inferred from the
condition Of those reconstructed States
Louisiana aud Tennessee. Their
Governors and Legislatures are calling
for military aid, aVowing their incapa-
city to maintain Ieace and enforce the
laws by the civil authorities. If this be
so, it is conclusive proof that Congress
sional reconstruction, as : means of
tranquilizing the South, is failure,
The road to peace is in an other di.
rection. Let Congress retire within the
limits Of the constitution. Let them
abolish their test oaths and remove all
their disabilities. Let them restore to
the President his legitimate functions,
and allow his pardons to have their con.
stitutional effect. Let them strengthen
instead of weaken the judiciary, and
sustain il in its full exercise Of its pow.
ers for the protection of both the white
and the black.
Wipe out as with sponge all youl
er post fdcto legislation, and restore Il
all the States their constitutional rights
Do this and you will have peace. Thc
men whom you now hold disirauchisec
and have pushed TO the verge of despair
will become your surities for the pres
ervation of peace and the restoration o
orler,