The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-05-20
Dan P;att on Reconstruction.

Don Piatt, the Radical correspon-
dent of the Radical Cincinnati Com
merciM, thus writes to that paper in a
letter dated .'The Wilderness" April
%, 1869.
"Phere is certain sort of majesty,
a sense of completeness about this
river, below Washington, that i'm
presses Western man, accustomed TO
see i'll the rivers of his country huge
bitches, constructed to carry off sur
face water, and therefore only full at
fiood-tinie Yet there is nothing
about it in the way of scenery. The
banks, although broken and varied,
are too low, and seem to frame in in
adequately the wide mirror of quiet
waters. At least, so [ thought and
felt as the steamer Keyport snored as
it fioated down with its freight of hu-
manity, bound South. A subdued lot
of humanity it was, we'll whipped, but
far from reconstructed. And nice
mess we are making OF it i'll the way
of legal enactments, as a little obser-
yatioA of, and talk with, the assort-
ment on board would coIfYince one in
brief period of time.
We complain that these Southern
people no not accept the situation and
look the inevitable in the face. Are we
not guilty of the same error? The diff
ferences sofnationality led to bloody
war, in which we laid waste wide
fields, burned the homesteads, and
killed the best beloved, and yet pro-
pose, bya few crude statutes, to wipe
out the deadly antagonism, and make
the people, so punished, patriotic
peaceful, loving body of citizens.
Had we attempted this in good faith,
we would yet be fighting the inevita-
bic, but feeling the impossibility of
such result, we have, in fact, used our
power to benefit ourselves. Our so
called reconstruction acts serve New
England, and not the South. The net
purport and upshot of the business is,
to have a body of men i'll Congress
from the Southern States who repre-
sent the moneyed interests of Yam
keedom. We call them carpet-bag-
gers. 1 met one, at the opening of the
holidays, last winter, carpet bag in
hand, making for the depot.
/" Whittier bound ?" cried.
" Home, for few days."
What, going South?"
"Devil bit. 1 am making for Con.
necticut, to see my family"
He did not call the land OF his con-
stituents home. Of course not; mol
does he consider the interest of his
political locality, but votes steadily
with the manufacturing capital of hi:
old home. -tF"@ ''.
{" MA, make Bob have hisself; eve
cry time l hit him with the hammel
he hollers." asr
| had, sitting near me, full-stom
ached, heayy-jawed specimen of ole
Virginia. He was reading Rich
I mond paper, and broke into heart!
laugh. He thought the matter tina
contained the laughter too good. t.
/ keep to himself, so looking over hi
gold-rimmed spectacles at me, hi
nearest neighbor, he said:
ssDid you read that? Now 1 sa.
that's id good" - -.
AS he pointed to an extroct from
one of my letters, of course 1 HEARTH
concurred in his appreciation. But t
save my conscience, I said that
was from one of those paid CORES
pondents that hang about Washing
ton, and write sensational stuff.
GA magny set of ours, I expect,
was his complimentary response, bu
that Teller puts it in about right, thi
time. These id Yankees are run
ming the Government to hell, on
down grade, without brakes"
l 6 Don't you think you are to blam
for good deal of this ?"
"What the devil can we do, sab ?"
, "Accept the situation. Recogniz
the negro as citizen. Go on quietl
under the law, and try TO create a ms
terial prosperity, instead of fightin
: over political differences"
My friend removed his spectacles
y evident wrath; his brows corrugate'
: and he crumpled the journal he ha
4 been reading into ball, as if to ca
i it at me, and then roared:
) {" Look here, stranger, what you sa
: is like licking man when he's dow
We fought a bar fight, and when "
were whipped we owned up like me
;, and all that we've got is to be disfral
4 chised ourselves and then have the
: id niggers made citizens, to sen
: cursed carpet-baggers to vote aws
Fl our bread and butter. That you Ca
accepting the situation. All vel
le well for you, who may be carpe
a. bagger for anything / know"
J. If | were, it would be more in a
r cordance with old Virginia politene
o TO restrain your persoual remarks.
Il But I am not. On the contrary, a
a., the author of the extract you SO ma'
l. admired just now. For five Eer S
a. years have been striving to withdra
$. from these heated political contes
t. so as to look calmly on both sides.
e. -Ieonsiderethe so-called acts of reco
struction unwise not on your a
k count. for you are wrong-headed, o
" istinate and violent, and deserve
3. b that has come to you in the way
ne punishment,-but on account of t
IN entire country, for Ican see that til
b. will not bring about the peace al
tie, harmony that are necessary to 81
IS. cess."lJ 5=s aga. 81 ~