The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-09-06

COL. DEM. -. VOL. XXXVI.. NO. 20.

el, and with pains and penalties more
compendiously unjust than any British
bill that ever was passed. But its au-
thors were conscious that il could not
stand, and they must replace it with
something else, for sooner or later the
courts would be sure to pronounce IL
void. Besides the object being to put
the Southern people under the domina-
tion of greedy adventures from the
North with unlimited license to oppress
and plunder them, tho officers Of the ar
my were not very good agents in such
a nefarious business. The negroes
would be instruments Of tyranny much
more easily managed. But an act of
Congress dlsfranchiing the white peo.
pie for offenses real or imputed, and
handing over their State Governments
to negroes to be run by them in the in.
terests of carpet-baggers, would be
merely another Bill of Attainder, or ra
ther a modification of the first one max.
ing it much worse, but equally within
the reach of judicial correction. In this
strait they resorted to the expedient of
converting the Constitution itself into q
Bill Of Attainder.
The Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments were frauds upon the spi.
rit and letter of the instrument, mas
much 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 by
shameless deception in the North, and
by brutal violence in the South. SHAY
this be aoaShed IN Lethe and .forgo ten P"
Certainly not as long as any portion of
our people are compelled to bear the in
tolerable burden of the yoke thus fast.
ened upon them. L 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 visitation of mercy
in comparison. When we reflect upon
the number and rapacity of the thieves
that have been upheld in their pillage
by means of the negro governments, we
cannot help but regret the non.adoption
of Mr.. Stevens proposition, atrocious as
1T was, for universal confscation. The
pernicious consequences of this rule are
felt in the general as well as the local
governments The legislation of Con-
gress is largely controlled by fit repre-.
sentives of the carpet-bag interest, and
the worst acts of the Executive admin
istration are done to please the power
which corrals the negroes at the meet.
ing places Of the leagues, and drives
them thence to the polls.
Mr.. Greeley's election will not do all
that we could wish to free us from these
evils. 1t will not even be a popular
condemnation of the base means by
which they were inflicted upon us; but
it will begin the process OF their gradual
extinction. 1t will give the white peo.
pie a reasonable hope that the heritable
qualities of their fathers blood may
some day be restored. In the mean.
time, if it does not reverse the attain.
der, it will at least secure merciful ex.
ecution of it. Democrats who dislike
Mr.. Greeley's nomination have reflect.
ed well, and think will support him
with almost perfect unanimity. The
thought that victory will not give us
every thing at once may diminish in
some degree "the rapture of the strife"
but it will not impair the efficiency of
their support, for they are impelled to
their utmost exertions by profound
conviction that nothing but his election
will save the country from a long per.
iod of misgovernment and perhaps the
total destruction of our free institutions.
1 am with great respect, yours, &C.,
j. S. BLACK.
York, Pa, August 8, 1872.