The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-05-17
Fair PAY.

~ EG1I i lay = sssss
49, ,yuchburs Press thinks that y sees
). sa.fa;n recent utterances Of the Dsspatceha
. h,a, TO the southern peeple that It. they
will keep quies and help soeiecs . Demo-
cradle President, the streactionary policy
advocated by the Bourbons may in the e g.
be successful. The Press mistakes us we
are acting In good +faata. We do NOT Io p :
nose 10 disturb tho 18th and 10Th al amenu.
n,ents. They are, Of course, no more s'.cls ~
thar other provisions Of the Federai Coa.
stitnsfoa. and May at any time oe sti,oAei'
out HAT instrument In the manner t lug
IN nr,escribed. But this could be done ohly
by The action Of the Legislatures o. su
Sourths Of the States, or OF au.y-1u.ao
izets national convention. we 40 no ',' On.
~. svar 60 see such aetion taken, ana
ara rnt al al! anxious on the subject.
Car.a;nlys we do: not desire. TO nave
tso neace of the whole country am-
nar;,,ad nv an attempt. on the part soi
Congress to declare these amendments nun
and void. There Is only one other way IN
which they could be got rid OF and that
wo,,,d be by the action of the supreme
Court of the United States-a body wsaich
is and will probably always continue 10 DC
conservative, and disposed rather TO nno
reasons for sustaining the acts oil the otnef
departments OF the Government than 10
cause the country trouble by reopenans
questions which those other departments
have declared to be settled. Acourt wh'ch
comb decide that the counties OF Jefferson
and Berkeley properly and lawfully belong
to West Virgins can scarcely be expected
to decide that the new amendments are not
part and parcel of the Constitution.
When, therefore, we advise the Demo-
cratic party to recognize the validity OF the
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments, we
do so without any design to mislead the
people or to take advantage of power
gained under such policy to accomplish
an object which might be deemed desira-
BILE one. We have our opinion, of course,
as to the modesA which those amendments
were proposed and ratified. We cannot
help knowing that they were forced upon
the southern States, and that they were not
ratified in the manner contemplated by the
trainers of the Constitution. But we also
still hold that the war upon the South was
unconstitutionally commenced and prose-
cuted, and that slavery was unconstitu-
tionally abolished. These are mere opin-
ions, however, upon which we do not pro-
pose to base any action. We are glad
that slavery is at an end. We would
not restore it if we could. lit is much
better for the South that 1t no longer
has an existence amongst u.s., :; 1T was
growing evil, and one that would lin
time have developed itself into an uE'
comfortable monster Of iniquity. The
manner in which it was abolished does not
concern us now. 1t was not the Southern
people that violated the Constitution and
robbed the slave-owners.. Our skirts are
clear. 1t Is enough for us to know that
slavery is dead. So as tothese amendments
They were proposed by a Rump Congress,
and ratified for the most part BY carpet-bag
Legislatures. But Congress and the Presi.
dent-the Legislative and the Executive de.
partments of the Government, which are
authorized to pass upon such questions
have solemnly declared that they are parts
of the. Constitution, and we are not dis
posed to dispute in any other form than by
the mere holding or assertion of our own
opinion, that such is the fact. We
desire to see peace and prosperity
restored to the whole Union. We would
be rid OF. Radical rule. We wish to put
down the most corrupt and wicked party
that has ever cursed the country. We are
for universal amnesty, retrenchment in the
expenses Of the Government, reform in the
civil service, and for whatever will tend to
the prosperity, the glory, and the perpetu-
ity Of the. nation. We believe that the
northern people are willing to aid us in
these undertakings, and we know that
they are not willing to aid in expelling the
new amendments from the Constitution.
So, in good faith, we propose to them that
II they will assist us to put down the Radi-
cal party we will recognize the amend
ments as valid. We have no concealed pur-
nosoc 49,. '"