Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-03-26

we're Whemed IN common ruin. The
people, distracted with the evils of agita-
ton, uncertainty and bad government, ca
gerlg sought rest and protection under the
imperial despotism of Napoleon.
The same spirit disturbed the happy
dreams of the Queen Of the Antilles. St.
Domingo and what has been her fate p
Read it in the unprejudioed pages of ALI
( SOM" Nominally free. the blacks have
remained really enslaved Compelled to
labor by the terrors Of military discipline
for small part Of the produce Of the soil,
they have retained the seventies, without
any Of the advantages Of servitude: the in
dustrious habits, the Furnishing aspect Of
I the Island, have disappeared the surplus
wealth, the agricultural opulence of the
/ fields have ceased from being the greatest
exporting Island in the West Indies, il
has ceased to raise any sugar and the in
habitants reduced to half their former
amount, and literally CALLED by their re.
/ publican taskmasters, have relapsed into
the Incidence and inactivity OF savage
! life"
AS fitting commentary on this state
ment, | find in a foot note on the same
page the following table showing what
mighty progress this Negro Republic has
made in 40 years of freedom!
1893 1882.
Population, 49,. ....... 600 900 $50. 900
Lbs. sugar exported. 72.000O0O none
Coffee. SO, O00, 900 80, 600 900
Ships employed in trade, 1884 l
Sallors, ..................... $4,000 167
| Exports to France, ...... e6728, geo none
Imports from . $3.50. S. $50 coo none
From all the information 7 have been
able to obtain, this showing has not been
improved in the last 80 years Are we to
be told that this is not fair Illustration
That these negroes were more ignorant
than ours? If they were in the start,
which is not admitted, ought they not to
have learned something in an experience Of
% years of nominal freedom and spent in
participation III the government, with ey-
cry opportunity to improve? Ought they
not to be far ahead Of ours in the knowl-
edge and science of government And
yet they are an utter failure in all that
makes people great, prosperous and hap
Ply, the sport Of their passions and their
leaders, agitated continually by change,
and perishing year after year in success
sive revolutions.
I'd. The proposal here is to change the
fundamental law of State in mode here
tofore unknown to any Constitution, State
Or Federal, and contrary to all known US
age or precedent from the days of the Re-
volution down to the present hour Chan
ges IN the organic law of State can only
properly be made by q movement from aoitb-
IN and in accordance with prescribed forms,
Or by revolution. This movement comes
from acithoa, from power in certain
sense foreign, and this is its cardinal error.
Congre SIS has interviewed upon the idea that
the State was destroyed and was without
government. This is a mistake. and so
recognized by Mr., Lincoln. and Senator
Morton in his speech vindicating his policy
in Sept 1865.
The manner in which it is done gives
little promise of final and satisfactory suc-
cess. The State was not destroyed by the
alleged rebellion; the agents of her gov
ernment were only removed Her ulti-
mate sovereignty still remained, in abey-
ance, it is true, but ready to be properly
evoked. 1t resided in the people The
President recognized the Alexandria Gov
eminent as nucleus and an agency by
which this power could be called forth and
putinto operation Congress has, howev-
er, chosen to Ignore that and given US the
Reconstruction Acts" by which another
class Of voters nearly equal in number,
heretofore unknown to our system, are in
trod1ced md constituted judges to determ-
Inc whether these privileges shall be con-
tlnued to them by provisions to be incor-
porated III the fundamental law. The le-
gltmate voting power is thus forestailed
the question piejudged ana predetermined
by the very parties, as to whose admission
the controversy exists. Are these new
classes, thus sought 10 be forced into the
body polite by congressional legislation
enforced by the bayonet, qualified to per
forn the high and important functions of
voting? What have always been regard
ed as the necessary prerequisites ! answer,
list. Intelligence. I'd knowledge of and
familiarity with our system and form Of
government. Sd. Experience. 9Th 4
common permanent interest or stake in the
community in which he lives Nave the
negroes III this State, or any large part of
them, these qualifications 1t is idle and
waste OF time to argue such a question
before men who have daily and hourly ev-
idence to the contrary When and where,
| would ask, did they ACQUIRE their intel
lgence? Did they obtain it while in sla-
very? If they did, and it has qualified
th emto be governors, to be sovereigns,
slavery must have been very good insti-
tuition, after all, and yet this | suppose you
will not admit
When and where and how did they ac-
quire knowledge of our Constitution and
laws, the Constitution and laws of the I'm
ion and of the State? When and where
and how have they become familiar with
our history, our traditions, our institutions
In a state of servitude, in which you say
they were not permitted to read? When
and where and how did they acquire expe-
rience IN the affairs Of government? Since
the close Of the war? In what schools
have they been taught !? That holy and