The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-03-30
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercial.l
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The ARLINGTON, March 16, 1870.
RECoNsTRUCTIoN.

anu threatening on In6 parB OF JlS ma
jority in Congress. And when we sift it
down to real definition, reconstruction
means voting the Republican ticket.
We have given the negro the ballot
We have expended vast sums on his edu-
cation and for his support, and yet the
legislation in his behalf has no limit. It
IS the hopeless legislation of vengeance.
Some fellow writes Senator Sumner let
ter full OF lamentations and direful fore
bodlngs, and Massachusetts elongated ag-
ony-the animated personal pronoun "I"-
rises II his place, has the letter read, and
then moves an enactment looking to the
annlhilation of the disloyaI element of
the South. Well, gentlemen, it can't be
annihilated in that way. This disloval
party, as you call it, is the growing ele-
ment in The South, and cannot be sup
pressed unless we are willing to give up
our theory of government and wipe out
the State lines, and substitute military de-
Tendencies IN their stead. Let us see
where we are.
After passing the most stringent enact
ments, after driving the disloyal element
from all political power, we find that it
yet exists. 1t makes up the majority in
numbers, and the vast prepohderance of
brain. 1t controls the press, makes public
sentiment and holds the property It is
more dangerous to our Government out of
office than in. Oppressed, insulted and
abused, 1t grows in deadly antagonism to
our best interest, and sooner or later will
come up and take control to our injury.
When the war ended, had we, like any
other Government, situated as we were,
seized upon the leaders and hung them,
contiscated pl operty right and left, and left
our armies to occupy the lands they had
conquered, We would now be at peace.
But recognizing our old theory of Govern
ment. We hung no one, confscated no
lands, withdrew our armies, and so sought
to restore the States as the fathers had de-
signed. Under this state of fact concilia-
ton was our policy, and after settling by
law the issue that grew out of the war,
we should have treated our Southern citi-
zens as If no war had ever existed. We
have done neither one nor the other, and
now find the evil of irritating and aggra-
waiting the element we are forced to leave
IN power whether we leave it in office or
not
know of nothing more childish or pu-
erlle than to hear Charles Sumner or Pu-
rItan Drake reading anonymous letters
and shaking their Senatorial fingers at a
power that has to-day more brain, more
pluck, and far more craftsmanship than
these our impotent lawmakers.
have no question but that Sumner,
Drake & Co. are honest in this. But one
IN saying so Is forced to compliment their
morals at the expense of their intellect.
But back of these and urging them on,
are! certain other Lawmakers not so
honest. As the matter stands, neither
the brain nor the material interests of the
South are represented in Congress. New
England and Pennsylvania represent that
region. The scalaWag or carpet-bagger
slJs like monkey on a hand-organ,
watching with keenest eyes the whip Of
his master. The immense moneyed inter
ests, the accumulated and accumulating
capital of few, own and possess and oc-
cupy the South. Hence it is well never
to be done reconstrueting.. We have
doled the South along as a farmer does a
stupid OK, with nubbins of corn, until the
poor beast finds that it is the yoke and moi
the feed that he was to-get.
THE LATE INDIAN MASSACRE.
One Of the best Illustrations of our pe,
cular moral condition is to be found in The
way We receive and treat the horrible
butchery OF men, women and children in
the late Piegan affair. To realize this, lei
one suppose for a moment that instead O.
Indians these sufferers were negroes
What fearful howl we would have sem
up. While the wires were trembling with
the first accounts Of the infamous deed
Senator Sumner was reading letters from
unknown people telling of the insults
not outrages on American
citizens Of African descent in the South
and he poured out perfect diarrhea o
words IN windy wrath over these wrongs
Not word comes from him or Wilson o.
Drake, or from any hot gospeler, in be
half of the Indian On the contrary, tht
deadliest enemy TO the red man is t OBJ,
| found in the Indian ring, composed o
such pious leaders as Harlan and Pom
eroy.
I have little inside history of a Ger
tain Emigrant Aid Society and the Chero
! kee neutral lands that I propose printin,
one of these days in illustration of our in
tense zeal and pious procliVities. l hav
been delayed by an effort to get the name
of the association. The story would no
be complete without them. So far hav
been bafied. l never knew before such
/ AAASASob oCb VI E3CA4tlCulCll. luGlI CudIlLd
bic efforts were scriptural inasmuch q
they were secret. The right hand ma
seems to have been eminently successful
IN keeping the left hand fellow in the darE
There is question, that when the new
of the Piegan butchery reached dWashingto
there was general expression of horror
The striking out of the clause of the Nil
ltary Bill transferring the Indian Burea
to the War Department is in evidence {
this. But the feeling has since subsideC
especially since gallant little Phil. Sheri
dams congratulatory order has been pub
lished. It is now considered Sentiment
to express horror. Wa are called upon t
recollect that Indians are savages. and nc
only kill, but torture women and childrel
In other words, we are to consider retalia
ton and utter annihilation as the onl
policy for a Christian people.
1t strikes me back of the ewes that W
are winning for ourselves upon the pae
: of future history the character of ii
meanest and most cruel people since tI
!, days Of Moses. Carlyle said of US one
that We were thirty millions of bores wit
the only boast that We could double OIL
J population every twenty years. We hay
added something to that since in the wa
, of official corruption and military cruelt
Not half tentury ago, French general
} Alglers brought upon himself univers
! cry of horror and disgust for that he su
: focated tribe of Arabs in their cave
; We regard such expressions as sickly sci
7 timentallty, of course, after gallant lit
2 Phil.'s commeudation of the cold bloodt
, murder of women and children, dow
when killed, with the smallpox. The sit
women were put cut of their misery, al
, the innocent children went direct to hea
en-, while the blasted Indians received
t blow that taught them we were as cru,
I savage and unforgiving as they dare be-
I We can't all of US swallow that. We t
:. hard. But if a just God lives and reign
D a fearful punishment will overtake L
Even Forney's Chronicle gags and sicker
r l take back all that have said again
+ the two dailies. Ipromise never to revi
them or their editor again. The EDITOR
= headed "Shall murder be arrestedY' was
: noble protest, and all the more efecti
coming from that source. Sheridan W
never more ride down to fame in popul
y ! favor. He appears to US as Death on t
s pale horse tramping remorselessly up
n the CHASTITY forms of sick women al
: children. OF course, this is sentimental
o very sickly at that, But suppose we t
d a little consistency, and cease how'll
Lo oo,, JvoE e I