Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-03-05

Heruiciuus, aud none To accept what utl
n8trly might not be demanded ~ thcm.
or our resistance g., Recon structinn, tina
decision was, IN my opinion, the App,m ~
OK As here, G n Lee, TO save the u,
le fusion { hiuod ans prolonged calami
ues ol var, yielded, without dishn or, I.
irresistible force, the contest for SJuthet
Independence" So may--sO should, 10 M
piti0n Virginia now, IN the presence ut
ke NECESSITY, abandon a hopeless stiugyl
against negro su1ag.', in order that $
nay be saved fiom uther and greater evils
Trich further prniurg ,tion of her resist
nee Co II would eXp.'>c her to- As IL WI
2 &C 'Ssa to attain his end that Gen. L.,
should communicate his determi alton I
Gen. Grant, who welded the force thsi
.,vercnme ant stood ready 10 destroy him,
s. here il Wa proper to express 10 COu
.rT~S cur submission 10 the in. vitabie, &c
theratiug, AZ they were at the moment, o..
,ur future political destinics.
A submission 20 declared, and acceptanc,
of assured results, neither prnieSses nor i'm
plies ady change of opinions or wishes, bu,
means simply an agreed end of practical
rtsistahce-of hostile acts against the prr
waiting party. This end Of T, stance nigh
qnally, indeed, be reached 10y fighting 10
determination IN the one case, or resisting
20 eustavement II the other. Bnt the agreeu
alb tndoument of hostile opposition is t.
avoid just tn S. calamities. In his circum
stances, Gen. Lee saw his duty, which j.
ever lust parable from honor, in surrender
ug to the inevitable, and declaring that h,
did 80 and thus saved bis army from de.
struction and his country from further desc
latiou.
The Virginia Of which, and TO which,
N cnaak N w bilss f1Anrla al fri.
should, in my Judgment, under similar cir.
cUmSlanccs, and for similar considerations,
act only now cease hostile resistance to
what they can no longer hope to escape,
bnt express their submission 10 it--in that
sense accept it, and say they accept it,
in order that political peace may now tnsue
as military peace before, aud political dis.
orders cease nov, as the ravages of war did
then,
Such acceptance is equally Ear from all
afirmsnce, as from resistance. 1t does not
import or imply concurrence. IL means
yielding Of Tcsistance-nOt the rendering of
support. In means, in this case, that we
will not vote against State constitution for
the reason alone that 1t contains a provision
tor negro sullrage-nOt We will vote for IL b..
II implies further, that VIC will obey it as
law SO long as unchanged. The effect,
admit, would be so far the same as voting
far /, NJ that tbe ,vhitas NOT vn,iar .oe;r.s
IL it, adontjnp nv The co,or,6 and ASSET .,.d
yoie wmld f,.lIuv. inst az m rpcnr stil 10
tbe n.rallal hova bafore A,awn tho srr.
r.nd, or Can la. .rmv wss ,,,sI ~ !,
all tho SAN. az ~ /, "a ta-nad lie am
against itself; but was there no difference
between thus surrcnderipg and the going
over To the opposite partyf 1t seems to mt
the distinction il alike plain and lust. In
both cases Won accent defeat The ones,ion
il the sam, ia both. whether the war here
of resistance ty votes. az there by arms
should be ended or prolonged.
The n.cessity for this sacrifice was. as
fairly comprehended- reonired
from ns-in the surrender At Aunamattox
and consequent dissolution of the Conted
crate Governnent-an equally. whether The
case be viewed as one OF pubic war or Of
domestic rebellion. In The first view I
presume everything not expressly reserysd
in the capituiation-subject only 10 the
Limitations impoSed on conoaorors bv in,er
national law was given up. In the other. II
vas nome the lass. in the absence of ressr-
vations of State or personal rights. left Ia
The couausrinC party TO impress on the con.
test the one character or the other Al
nnc,. and firm, the bsOinninv all the TTni,od
States authorities treated the States and
p,oyle OF the South as a GONNA, ST and
thrit demands were MT contested They
demanded our slave uropertv-jt was y;al5.
ed our social .vs,pm il was visldaJ. on,
nautical liberties and civil go6ernmtnt
ware demanded and military Sovcrnman,
out over us without resisteDceeapd finale
ttey deman led negro suffrage. aad II was
Welded.
An these demands were Welded wi,bor,
AMI properly because wbe,hsr
or NOT. thew had in fact h,an
in the surrender leavina
necrssarilv az II did Ia ,ha nravs;I;,',
Marty the Instrumentation of ia scone "a
tG.ct "A VET there had hesn no noad 81
apgbt bnt silent acouiescencp G,r .o f,r
the right n,jlness of this theory M cnponss,
as.ert,.d hv the RAconstrnrtinn Laws ~ -
United States vas still TO be pss.rd upon
by the constituent body, aud there was no
reason why we should not refuse to accent.
aud vote against, uegro Suffrage or any other
feature OF those laws, whenever permitted
TO vote upon them. Practically, II was for
the constituency of Congress alone 10 de-
terminr whether they should stand or no as
laws of the United States, for, being ulti-
mate masters Of all d plrtments Of the
government, they cOuli easily conform
them to Their VIII. Constitutional or
-eApeulcns OF hVt-opora'Fe OF not
-Ie'oiu''ohaIy OF n"t- was ,heis 10 de
eide, not ours "heh decided, ihey were
laws 10 DE Cd you, OF o.net"lSe maze void,
even py Tue o'ates ana peopIe admittedly
IN the Union, an1 under the Cnstltution-
how much more oy US In point ofiact, out
side OF both. Not bare submission to them,
as before, rs to unauthorized orders Of Con
gress-hut acceptance OF them as valid laws
OF the United States Government, whatev
or our Opinions OF the eonsututionallty or
Justice of either, became thenceforth, In my
lndg' ment-ui the one should be repealed,
or the other reformed or sn6yerted-the
dictate MT only OF )licy, but Of duty, un
der the terms Ot our surrender, the effect