Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-02-20
MOVING ON.

The rulers Of this country have no III.
tantion of recognizing condition oil
nooce There is the same bitterness IN
Congress now that eliminated about the
time Andrew johnson attempted, as
president to protect the Constitution
and defend the South. Peace is not
profitable. 1t is only in turmoil ana
hate and fierce contention that revolu-
tionists and political pick-pockets flour
;sb Mt their trade. After the termination
Of bostilities in Virginia, there was no
;mnediment to an immediate peace but
an irrepressible longing to plumber the
South through form Of government
How faithfully, how unfalteringly that
business was carried on is best known TO
the taxpayer. Deep down into his pocket
the robber' hand went. For five miserable
vears the arm of Southern enterprise has
been lifted, but these same years saw the
fruits Of its stroke seized and carried on
to enrich the political swell-mobs OF the
North the robbers of the public domain
and the lords of the loom. To these
classes it is profitable to maintain hos
tilities with the South, because it affords
an opportunity of running taxation up
70 blood heat and effecting confscatlon
under the forms of law.
Two years since, a better feeling in the
North was imminent. The old feud
really began to show signs OF decay.
Rut that would not do. Peace would
ruin the dominant party, and there
must be no peace Congress became
alarmed. The South was recuperating'
because the Southern people had gone
into the fields and workshops, and
genial soil had responded bounti-
fully to their industry. And SO,
the Northern heart was again fired,
and the old feeling begotten OF the
war came rushing back. All through
the ranks of the party of hate ran joy
The war could be kept up, and fortunes
could still be made. That was policy.
Its authors knew the Northern heart
had played before upon the Northern
nerves. and could count the strokes OF
the Northern pulse without putting their
fingers on it. They knew also the tenn
per of the Southern mind, how prone 1t
is to resent injury, and how easily it
might be provoked to rashness. Every
thing was calculated, and everything re-
sponded to the touch Of the magicians.
And still the work goes on the same,
with but here and there variation. 1t
is now pretended that there are in the
South organizations designed to resist
the authority of the United States. The
charge, though through perjury it may be
proved is utterly, scandalously
false. Those who make it know
it is false. They will prove it. But
how2 By making the ignorant negro
sweat lie at every pore of his skin, and
tell lie whenever he opens his mouth.
The testimony of respectable men is
not desired, and not to be credited. The
testimony of the Governors of all the
Southern States is before Congress upon
the subject of the execution of the laws
in the South. That testimony is conelu-
sive as to the fact. There is no resist
ance to the laws but in exceptional
cases, and the civil authority is compe-
tent to dispose of them. But that is not
what is desired. That does not answer.
Terrorism is wanted. Bloodshed is
wanted. Resistance to the United States
is wanted to afford Congress a pretext
for measures for the overthrow of the
rights Of the States and the personal
liberty of the citizen. Plunder is wanted
Everything is wanted except peace.
There stands the witness to prove that
There stand thousands to prove any
thing There is a black cloud of wit
nesses to pile the huge lie.