Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1872-09-13
VOL. XVIII. mo. Z.

allies against their fallen and helpless
opponents. Tho best and greatest men
Of their respective ages were the victims
Of these Legislative DEGREES. In all the
most notable causes subsequent Parlia-
ments acknowledged the wrong, reversed
tho attainders, and made what reparatiof
they could Our fathers determined
that no such thing should ever be done
here, and so they put their solemn inter-
diet into plain words, and made til
part of the fundamental law that neither
Congress nor any State Legislature
should ever pass a bill of attaindcr.
The rcconstruetion act of 1867 was d
Bill of Attainder more deliberately cruel,
and with pains and penalties more COM
pendiously unjust than any British bill
that ever was passed. But its authors
were conscious that it could not stand,
and they must replace it with something
else, for sooner or later the courts would
be sure to pronounce it void. Besides.
the object being to put tie Southern ped
pie under the domination Of greedy adj
ventufers from the North with unlimited
license to Cypress and plumber them, the
officers Of the army were not very good
agents in such d ncfarious business. Tho
negroes would be instruments Of tyrahny
much more easily managed. But ati act
Of Congress DISTINGUISHING tho white peoa
pie for offences real or imputed, and
handing over their State governments to
negroes to be ruin by them ii the interest
of carpet baggers, would be merely aho.
Their Bill Of Attainder, or rather fiiodi-
fication of the FIRST one making it much
worse, but equally within the reach Of
judicial correction. In tliis strait they
rcsortod to the cxpcdient Of converting
tie Constitution itse!t into a Blu 9f Ats
taindcr..
The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amends
ments were frauds Upon tile spirit and
letter Dc tile instrument, inasnidcli az
they effected the worst outrage which It
was made to prevent. They wero carried
against the known will Of nearly every
State in the Union by shameless decepa
ton in the North. and By brutal gioleiics
in the Sodt. MAY this be wished in
Lethc and forgotten :" Certainly not, as
long as any portion of our people ard
compelled to bear the intolerable burdoIi
of the yoke thus fastened upon them.
need not say how much they have suffer-
ed already, nor try to conjecture how
much they will be called to endure here's
after; but it il certain that any ordinary
despotism would have been n visitation
of mercy in comparison. When VIC re-
feet upon the number and rapacit5 Of tho
thieves that have boon upheld in their
pillage by means Of the negro govern
ments, we cannot help but regret tho
Of Mr.. Stevens PROPOSITION,
atrocious us it was, for universal confsA
cation. The pernicious consequences Of
the rule arc felt in the general as we'll as
local governments. The legislation of
Congress is largely controlled by fit rep
rescntatiyes Of tho carpet-bag interest,
and the worse acts Of the administration
are done to please tho power which corr
rails the negroes at the meeting places Of
the leagues, and drives them thence to
the polls
Mr.. Grcelcy'e election will not do all
that VIC could wish TO free us IRON These
evils it will not even be . popular con-
domination of the base meaiis by Which
they were inflicted upon us; but it will
begin the process Of their gradual cx-
tinction. 1t will give the white people d
hope that tho hcritable qnali-
ties Of their fathers blood may some day
be restored In the meantime. fit docs
not reverse the attaindcr. it will at least
secure mcrciful execution Of IL. Demo-
Gratis who dsliked Mr.. Grecley's nomi-
nation have reflected we'll, and | think
will support him with almost perfect una
nimity. The thought that victory will
not give us everything at once may di-
ininish in some dcgfce ''ihc rupture of
the STRIFE" but It will not impair the efi-
cheney Of their support, for they arc im-
PEELED to their utmost exertions BY pros
found conviction that nothing but his
election will save the country from a long
period Of niisgovcrnmcnt and perhaps tho
Total destruction Of our free institutions.
! am with great respect, yours, &c.
j s. BLACK.
ToaK, Pa, Aug. s, 1872.