The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-10-18

y by concession. They are a willfu
= passionate people, made so not onl
q by the influence of the climate, bI
q by the institution of slsvery, whic
7 tended to render every white msn
!, tyrant. They can not brook contrs
? diction. What they want is thei
! own way, and that entirely. T
3 give them their will in part, and no
: wholly, were only an aggravatior
To commence conceding for tn
avowed purpose Of conciliating, ,woulC
J be to revive every old desire of thei
. hearts, which nothing could sstiatr
but return to their condition betor,
, the war. The only way to finisl
our work, and crown reconstruc
tion with reconciliation, is to hold
on steadily and firmly until tht
Southern people grow out Of theil
discomfort, and comprehend and &C
knowledge the benefits Of the UnioI
ss it is under the Constitution q:
amended. Then will they be recon
ciled in their hearts to US and tC
what we have done. Four years
more will suffice II the Southern
people have travelled from Seymour
to Greeley IN four years where viii
they be in four years more? How
can they find a candidate sufficiently
radical for them then? What the
South needs is continued peace, as
sured by hand firm and kind as
that of Grant.
PROSPERITY.
Since the war the South has pros
pered wonderfully, and is now ad-
vancing at an ever increasing ratio.
There is no subject on which our op-
ponents are in greater error than
that OF the condition o. ne lste re-
belIious States. They seem to have
persuaded themselves, and would
persuade US, that these States have
been impoverished and ruined by re-
construction. There could be Moth
ing further from the truth. These
tervent orators mislead themselves
and their hearers by comparing the
condition of the States before the
war with their condition now, and
finding a decrease of property valua-
tion, and an increase of debt and tax,
they attribute the change to recon-
struction. They omit the effect OF
rebellion and four years OF the most
destructive, desolating war. They
overlook the loss of slave property,
which, though no loss to the commu
nifty reduces the assessed value two
billion dollars. The true comparison
is between the condition of the States
at the close of the war and the condi
ton now. II our opponents would
make this comparison they would be
amazed at the results. 1t shows that
from 1866 to 1870 the value of prop
erty increased more than a billion
dollars. And il we deduct the
valuation OF slaves in 1860, then the
value of property in the rebel States
in 1870, exceeded that OF 1861 by
sc, ,000, 900. Since the census OF 1870 |
three crops have been added, and it
is safe to say that the value of prop
erty in. the States Ia: ely IN rebellion,
is two billion greater than it was at
the close of the war. 1t has more
than doubled, in. seven years. BIT
this is not aR The real estate of
the South is undervalued. Slavery |
the sale of lands. Plant
ing required large capital in slaves;
apart from enslaved labor land had
little market value. A few years of |
peace and free labor will bring South
ern lands nearer their intrinsic value
than they have ever been. There is
no part OF the country where farming
lands are so low in proportion to
their products. The annual crops
Of many Southern States are worth
fifty per cent. OF the valuation of their
improved lands. Bat who cares 10
purchase property where life is not
safe and liberty can not be enjoyed?
Let peace prevail for sufficient
period to assure its continuance, and
population and capital will seek the
South in tides unprecedented. And
with prosperity will come good feel
ng, and before the centennial Of the
birth of the Republic we shall be
,ne people in deed and IN truth.
United in hand and heart, peaceful,
and haDOY.