Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-04-27


of Il beast Of prey about obo baillr,
out ofits victim than the rcasural.l
expression Of human buEgs. rh
Victim, however, was Surrcndcre,
to tic clutches of an rhumcd an,
victorious party, and the work o
demolition II d ruin was at one,
commenced. From iul'rrt to foun
duiion you tore down tho govern
mcnts of eleven Statcs. You lct
not one stone Gpon another. Yor
rent AL lheir local laws and ma.
chincry into fragments and tram
Piled upon tHe,r ruins Not Il YES.
tigo of their former constitution
remained, Their pillars, their
beams, and all their dccp-laid cor
ncrs, fhc work Of wise and devo-
ted gcfferatien 6i,ilfe past, wore all
dragged away, and the sites where
they once sto,d left naked for the
erection of new aud different struc-
lures. You removed the rubbish,
pushed the Army into the vacant
ground, established provisional gov
ernmonts as you would over terri
tory just acquired by conquest from
a foreign Power, and clothed briga,
dicr and major generals with ex-
traordinary functions as Governors
| This was the beginning of the
present organizations those odious
and unsightly fabrics which now
cumbcr the earth, and which stand
as the open, rocking, and confessed
shambles of corruption, pollution,
and revolving misrue. They en-
brace not one single element of pop
ular consent. They are the hide
GUS offspring ofyour own unnatu-
raj and unlawful force and violence,
The great body of tho people of
that unfortunate section had no
more share in the rebuilding of
their local governments than the
sepoys Of the East Indies have
in the affairs Of the Brit
ish empire. They were excluded
from all participation by the most
elaborate and minute schemes Of
legislative prescription of which
history makes any record.
The first duty of the provisional
governments which you establish
ed was to call conventions to frame
new constitutions for these old
States, and to prepare them for re.
admission into that Union from
which you had sworn SO often and
so solcmnly that no State conld
over withdraw. These conventions
were provided for by laws enacted
here. The number and the quality
of the delegates to them were here
specified. Who should be eligible
and who ineligible was your work,
and not the work ofthe people who
said said wlio, t#;hI6tinIid Sc elected, but you
likewise determined who should
elect them. You fixed the qualiii
cations and the color of the voters.
You purgcd the bullot-box Of the
intelligence and the virtue on which
alone popular liberty can be safely
founded, and you admitted i'll their
stead the suffrage oftho most igno-
rant and unqualified race now in
habiting the globe.
Mingled with this dark and tur.
bid tide Of dense ignorance came
all the vices ofthis lower race. to-
gether with the crimes Of II more
powerful and II more prohigatc class,
with pale faces, from the North,
now and then receiving their worst
recruits from the apostatcs of the
same complexion in the South. You
winnowed the thrcshing floor,
but you rejected the wheat. You
accented the tarcs and sowed them,
and now you curse the SOL because
you have rcapcd nothing but tarcs
for your harvest You built upon
II foundation of shifting sand, and,
now you rail at everybody but
Yourselves because the house has
not resisted the winds and the rains
that have beat upon it, When these
conventions met they represented
the wrctchcd constituency which
spoke then into existence, and tiey
went to their scrvilc tasks with tho
bayonct Of the Federal Government
at their throats. They sat in every
instance within point,blank range
of shotted cannon. The delegates
crept about and framed constitu-
tions with the eyes of military gov
crnors upon them. The sword
rested lightly in its scabbard, and
was ready to leap forth at any mo-
ment and upon the slightest pre-
text TO assist in dcvising fundamcn-
tai laws for a people said to be free.
The State constitutions that were
thus created and thrust upon the
country could not fail to partakc
of the dcpraved nature of their lille
gitimatc origin. They sprang from
the loathsome union OF Ignorance,
vice, and despotism and they have
inherited many OF the uglicSt fca-
lures of each one of their progcni-
tors. The despotic principle is
strongly marked in them all. It's
there in obedience to the mandates
of Federal power; as well as IN &C
cordancc with the character of the
instruments who were used TO FAST
en- il upon American citizens. Pr3
scripli0n aud nsiracism are The
lc ding elements OF every Sta {
government in the South lntel.
lcct and virtue, pablie and private
worth, spot!css character, splendid
attainmcuts, graceful culture. aud
the experience aud wisdom OF age
were all passed by under the recon
slruction oi violence and fraud
Thosc who were ppSscisc.l uf thcs'
traits aud requirements were push
ed aside, and r,ade Ia give place i'
tie most dc,,rad Il classes ~ man
l,iB,l. The people wcro not allowce
t. Scleci iisir official agents from
amorr ti,u.s, who wese qualiiic,