Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1872-08-20
Judge Black on the Situation.

letter to the Baltimore Gazette, says:-
In England, after every civil commotion,
the victorious party vented its rage and graft
fled its rapacity by passing bills of attaindcr
and bills of pains aud penalties against their
fallen and helpless opponents. The best and
greatest men of their respective ages were
the victims of these legislative DEGREES. In
all the most notable cases subsequent Parlia>
ments acknowledged the wrong, reversed the
attainders, and made what PREPARATION thew
could. Our fathers determined that no such
thing should ever be done here, and so thew
put their solemn interdict into plain words.
and made it a part of the fundamental law
that neither Congress nor any State Legisla.
ture should ever pass bill of attainder.
The reconstruction act of 1867 was bill
of attaiuder more deliberately cruel. and with
pains and penalties more compendiously IN.
just, than any British bill that ever was
passed But its authors were conscious that
1t 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 the southern
people under the dominion of greedy adven-
turers from the North with unlimited license
to Cypress aud plumber them, the officers of
the army were not very good agents in such
a nesarious business. The negroes would be
instruments of tyranny much moro easily
managed. But On act of Congress dsfran-
chising the white people for offences real or
imputed, and handing over their State gov
ernments to negroes to be run by Thorn in the
interests OF carpet>baggers, would be merely
another bill OF attainder, or rather modif-
cation OF the first one, making it much worse.
but equally within the reach of judicial cor
rection. In this strait they rosorted to the
expedient Of converting tie Constitution itself
into a bill of nttain,1er
The fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
were frauds upon the spirit and letter of the
instrument, inasmuch as they effected the
worst outrage which it was made to prevent
They were carried against the known will of
nearly every State in the Union. nv shame
less description in the North md by brutal
violence in the South. "AIay this be washed
in Le.he and forgotten 2" Certainly not, as
long as any portion Of our people are COM
Peied TO bear the iptolerable burden of the
yoke thus fastened upon them I need not
say how much they have suffered already. nor
try to conjecture how much they will be called
to endure hereafter; but it is certain that any
ordinary despotism would have been visita-
ton OF mercy in comparison. When we re-
tect upon the number and rapacity of the
thieves that have been upheld in their pillage
by means OF the negro governments, we can.
not help but regret the non adoption of Mr..
stevens, atrocious as it was, for universal con.
fisca.ion The pernicous consequences of
this role felt in the general as we'll as the local
governments. The legislation of Congress is
largely controlled by fit representatives of the
carpet>bag interest, and the worst acts of the
Executive administration are done to please
the power which corrals the negroes at the
meeting places of the leagues, and drives
them thence to the polls
Mr.. Greeleys election will not do all that
we could wish to free us from these evils it
will not even be popular condemnation of
the base means by which they were inflicted
upon us but it will begin their process of
gradual extinction. 1t will give the white
people reasonable hope that the heritable
qualities of their fathers blood NAV some day
be restored. ln the mean time, if it does
not reverse the attainder, it will at least insure
mercitul execution of it. Democrats who
disliked Mr.. Greeley's nomnatin have refect>
ed well, and l think will support him with
almost perfect unanimity The thought that
victory will not give us everything at once
may diminish in some degree "the rapture of
the strife, but it will not impair the eff.
cheney OF their support, for they are impelled
s'un0'' eAeftious py profound con-
viction that nothing but his election will save
the country from long period of misgovern>
ment and perhaps the total destruction of our
free institutions.
ES"No distinction shall be made between
resident aliens. and citizens as to the acauisi-
ton, tenure, disposition or descent of prop
erty."-Ne,o Constitution ART. 9, Sec. 5.
Let every old countryman read the above
and vote for the new Constitution. Remem.
bering tina. if it is ratified, and his brother or
friends comes into this State from the Old
Country and purchase property, and loses his
liEo h,r a;saa.. -.