The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-04-27
lFrom the. Cincinnati Commercial. April II 4
FIVE YEARS or RECONsTRUCTION.
Hts EGeeGs set FeEsh BY =, s,ReplhIiean
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FIVE YEARS or RECONSTRUCTION |
Hts ERscss set FeEth BY . sjRePzbIicsa
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Blackstone defines suicide to be the act
OF self-slaughter by a person of mature
age and sound mind. The Republican
party possesses the necessary daalifea-
tlons, and IN some respects seems. bent on /
committing the crime The present dis
cusslon IN Congress on the pending meas-,t
uFes for the suppression of the Ku-Kluxi
Troubles in the South has revived some Of |
the questions which were prominently |
before the people Of the nation four years |
ago, when the suffrage amendment was |
beng discussed, Being of those who adj |
yocated the extension of the elective fran |
chise at that time, WE agreed with the |
party oraoles who urged that 'the DIS
franchised becomes discontented, and by
banding with others of the same class,
naturally assumes threatening aspect
toward the Government, endangering its
pessce. We also urged the extension be-
cause we thought it would prove notenly |
means Of educating the class to be beRe- !
htted by 1T, but would afford the most
reliable means Of protection from imposi-
ton and outrage. We still firmly believe
that those positions were correct, and that
their correctness would have beeN yindi-
Gated before this but for the fact that at
the same time the suffrage was extended
lnone direction it was restricted IN another
The negro was enfranchised and the white
rebel was disfranchised.s The ignorant
ioya1ist was elevated, while the intelligent
rebel was degraded. 50 90 2 2ri4 --1a-A
Now, If our arguments Of four years
ago were worth anything then in behalf
OF negro suffrage, they are equally appl-
cable now IN favor Of rebel enfranchise-
ment g The situation of society in many
OF the Southern States offers striking proof
OF the tact that the disfranchised becomes
dlscontented, and naturally assumes q
threatening aspect toward the Govern
ment Many leading and trusted Repub-
hcans deprecated the action which made
such wholesale Acknowledgement in the
Sorthern States, but the impulsiye major
| lty IN Congress, flushed with recent xicto-
| ~, Iost sight of the cardinal principle Of
Repubhcanlsn1 and undertook the opposite
course-attempting to ooeFce and punish
men INTO Tepentanee.u0ZAe result pfLke
GdoPtlo1l OF Htls poticylrGS to retire tke IN
teLt1geht classes, The properly ol0ners en-
ttTety from at pdTIicipdLion IN pubic
affairs, aud TO deIsUeT IN tIs control of ne
GoveyzlSneZlt e7ltirekyvto iIliterdte negroes
aud ialnscTup1tlozls Gduerttrers from t1e
| 1vorh. The latter, of course controlled
/ the ignorant coiored men, and moulded
legislation to suit their own corrupt and
selhsh ends. The pEeteKt for this policy
BY congress was that in no, ether Tway
could the late slaves be protected in the
enjoyment of their newly acquired priyi-
leges. 1t was hopeless task to endeaVor
to point out=the falaey such a course
under our political system, which almost
anybody 3 knowledge Eof human nature
might have told hira. l,r 4
40 We still witness the apparent infatua-.
tlon Of Congress in listening to the COM
plants of the fleeing eulored men ofsthel /
South, who unanimously agree that, their
only hope of safety at home is in the
strong arn of military power to crush OUT
every histlle sentiment This is the nat
nrai remedy for ali forms of hostility, and
there 1st are are few Of us but would be glad to
see applied to onr enemies, IN the first
IMPULSE Of passion ( but for rtnnately sober
and thinking communit ties soidom, resort
to II. These poor, frightened ereattires
still enter tam the, belief that the white
men OF the South are di8efsnt hoim Tie
men OF any other section or rade. in that,
they are so totally depraYed as to be no
longer amenabfe to any of the influences
Inch affect other men 70 that they prefer
the. life OF the outlaw that mundeE and
raplne IS a pleasing pastime.g, Gongress
seems TO have had the. same theory with
regard 70 the South for the past six years,
iand to have shaped its Legislation. accord
lnngly. TIE RESUnRloFSrHfsl TREHTaxEEr
is thA Heo E0llthes7E Statesg are in s5or5e j
eo4ld5io1m % day than tbese hdte Ibesao ht
Fzslg; tiSne N de last siz yearSS9di 0.8E Il
rGSo1thsrn men, may bof differentin many
trespects fromsthe men that constitute the !
Pms5ontyd 6mgTessa Tbs institutioa Of
bslaVerto and the crime iof reEelhotp taay
have lnn1hbinedz1to9 enlbittsr doward all
Northern influences and oinsti itutzons bht
1ean Inot-hage,soifaf changed their naturepl
as to have placed them 0utaid the pate Of
humanity, B and beyond those 5nh huences
which have never failed2te prQdhesdesira-
bic resulta.z he1- -ans-iltallas desirolGs Of
enjoying peaceful bonles as, zoe are, and
they are no more bitter in Lheir resent 4
meats than zee s00lEISz b elf IN their 5llsces.
and srnarting nn6lerzresl Gor fancisd aop-
preston or inppsitlDnaey 10 pa51cslo =
These ideas were advanced four years
/ ago. z Then they were simply theOres .
now they have been demonstrated BY &C.
f1ab app flinationr throuRhouD thaSouth +
TIE JGlklge Of prescription as % means of
peacettA EeconstJtEctioR has been eonPLele.
! The disfranchised class, 50 far from having
become feconeiIed TO their humil iliation and
repenhant iofs their omauifoId3 sins have
sunk to greater depths Of crime, resogted
to murder as daily occupation, and seem
Aow to have almost succeeded in Destroy
ing society itself Congress still shuts ia
/ eyes tothe plain teachings Of the past Six
l3yeaEs, and seems about to repeat its q Old
Jolly s.t agIl veq - q ggiIovEab | !
There is but one remedy under our form
/ Of Government for this class Of political
troubles: Gf5ea DE gopeT511lezlt Of tke
Southern States into tlte Hands Of thS pSo-
Pts Of those Statss- mot to the Unienists
alone, nor to- the ex-rebels alone, but to
THE WHOLE PEOPLE. Any other course at
the present 1uncture viii produce q similar
state of affairs or, rather, q worse ucondi-
\ ton of things than We have sheretofore
had. Military power has utterly failed to
! produce harmony, and must fail The on
ly change it can produce Is 70 render
stronger military force necessary.
! ~ We do not wish to be understood as de-
Tending or excnsing the prevalent laWlessss
ness IN the South. We simply recognize
It's existence, and would apply what We
believe 10 be the only efficient remedy -.
The plan now under discussion has failed
i to produce the desired effect in the past
I'VE years, and 1t has in that time had q
fair trial at the hands of Its own friends.
Let that experience serve in. the present.
crisis to lead Congress to adopt the exper-5
iment of universal amnesty. II is worth
the trial, and NE believe that nothing else
a0iU succeed IN iz1aasgtITdtilg a PEACEFUL
order of things Sss tlsS S0a1ihsTTs States. 4
The Republican party must bePrepared
to shoulder the responsibility OF its acts
in this behalf, and the result Of its action
now must exert a powerful influence on
its standing with the country two years
hence. 1t may be suicide. 1t might be
peace and order and new lease Of power.