Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-04-19
The Harrisburg Patriot and Amnesty
What Forney's Press thinks Of Am.
Penysville, April 10, 1871

nesty.
The Harrisburg Patriots good news
paper. 1t is extensively read, and, as Il
Democratic paper, stands high. What
the Bible is to the christian the Patriot
is to the Democrats in these parts. 1t
has versatile editor, who writes with
considerable force indeed. oftentimes
with more force than smoothness or po
politeness. Most likely if be had turned
bis attention to fnanciering, he would
have financially been governed by the
principle that is expressed in this, Get
money honestly if you can, but get
money" He seems to write under the
inspiration of the principle, Write hon.
estly if you can, but write" A late ar
ticle in the Patriot. styled Amnesty"
comes fearfully near being embraced by
the principle just expressed. An amnesty
bill for the removal of political disability
imposed upon certain rebels, has been
presented to Congress. This bill the Pa
triot opposes, and in its opposition takes
occasion to misrepreseni, and it will not
I've saying it too strongly TO say, to write
dishonesty of the intentions of the Re-
publican party. According to that paper
the amnesty bill is "sugar coated fraud,
intended to cover up the designs of the
Republican party to overthrow the liber
ties of the people of this country and
raise up a strong government on the ruins
of the present free one. How miserably
dishonest such articles, but how like the
pretensions and talk of the Southern men
about freedom, when they themselves
were the most despotic, exacting, slave
masters in the world. This very amnesty
article of the Patriot, which processes so
much zeal for liberty and freedom, is
nothing more and nothing less than an
apology for the Southern rebels, who
sought. to the extent of their power, to
destroy only in this government the ex-
istence of liberty and freedom. 1t was,
AS all readers know, the boast of the
rebel leaders that the constitution of the
Confederacv differed but little from the
one which they had violated and put
aside, and that difference was in the in
terest of slavery. Freedom never made
a narrower escape than when it escaped
the clutches of the Rebel Confederacy.
There is nothing more certan-not even
existence itself-than had the confeder-
acy been established, the poor white
people within its borders, and most likely
throughout the North, too, would have
been put into slavery along with the
blacks. Slavery stops not at color when
strong. This amnesty bill is not the
scalawags aad carpet-baggers' sugar
coated fraud, TO cover schemes of despot
ism, but it is the peace Offering of the
freemen of the North to the Southern
men who made war in the interest of
despotism and slavery.
The Pario! objects to the amnesty
bill. We do not approve of it. The
Southerners, like the Patriot, would not
receive it in the proper spirit. We are
more inclined to the bill enforcing the
Fourteenth Amendment" commonly
known as the "Kuklux bill" Forney's
.Press says of the amnesty bill:
We cannot look upon the PROPOSE
ton at this time with favor. The Repub-
lican party has already made the most
liberal concessions to the South. but all
their profers of peace and good will have
been spurRed, an armed insurrection ex-'
sts in many localities, and no Union
mans life ia safe. These are by many
the natural fruits of an undue
nagnanimity to toe not capab BILE of ap-
oreciating il, and these many have very
rood grounds whereon to base their opin-
on Amnesty in this light and at this
unciure would be confession of oiisa-
fity to repress rebel outrages, and an
to repeat them to greater ex. =,
ent than ever before The bill euforc
lg :he Fourteenth Amendment is our
eIaeoy for the ills of the South. and If it t
esul.s ia restored order we shall ckeer-
lily gsaat amnesty to the people who q
are not shown themselves deserving
it."