The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-08-13
Ex-Attoruey General RIack Sneaks

Ex-Attorney General Black who has re-
Gently declared in letter that he proposes to
take the Greeley, writes a letter that will
hardly find place in our gushing Liberal
organs. He takes Mr.. Greeley as he says be-
cause from his stand point of pro-slavery
feactionist, che is the least bad" Mr..
Black treats the Cincinnati platform in silen.
contempt He even goes further. He has an
opinion and proposes to express it, SO that it
may be correctly understood just what he
means. In the most unequivocal language he
denounces the reconstruction act as an in
famous bill of attainder, and then follows up
this step by an unqualified reputation of the
Constitutional amendments, as having no
authority in law, no sanction in justice or
right
In view of so conspicuous a reputation of
the Cincinnati platform-so palpable an at
tempt of a leader among the Pennsylvania
Democracy to ignore the existence of any
covenant" to respect the declaration of
sentiment accepted at Baltimore-we ask hon
est and considerable Republicans to decide
what measure of respect is due to the pre-
tense that the Democracy have become con-
verts TO Republicanism, and accept the con-
stitutional amendments as a final settlement
Of the matters in issue? Is it not clear as the
sun at MONDAY that if the Democracy tri-
umph in the coming election, their first work
will be to set afoot a movement TO annul all
that has been done in the way of reconstruc-
ton. whether in the Constitution or out of
e? The final result will be the secession of
the late slave States, or an addition of $780,
100000 TO the national debt 10 pay for the
slaves and the degradation of the latter to
state Of semi-bondage.
Hear Mr.. Black:
'rhe reconstruction act of 1861 was bill of
attainder more deliberately cruel, and with
pains and penalties more compendiously UNI
just than any British bill that was ever passed
But its authors were conscious that il could
not stand and they must replace it with some
thing else, for sooner or later the courts would
lie sure TO pronounce il void. Besides the OBJ
jet being 10 put the Southern people under
the domination of greedy Adventures from
the north, with unlimited license to Cypress
and plumber. then, the officers of the army
were not very good agents in such q nefarious
business. The negroes would be instruments
of tyranny much more easily managed. But
an act of Congress DISTINGUISHING the white
people for ofenses real or imputed, and hand
ing over their State governments TO negroes to
be run by them in the interests of carpet-bag-
gers, would be merely another bill of attainder,
or rather modification of the first one, MAX
ing it much worse, but equally within the reach
or judicial correction. In this strait they re-
sorted to the expedient of converting the Con-
stitution itself into bill of attander.
THE fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
were frauds upon the spirit and letter of the in
strument, 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-by shameless
deception in the North and by brutal violence
IN the South May this be washed in Lethe
and forgotten" Certainly net as long as any
portion of our people are compelled to bear the
lntolerable burden of the yoke thus fastened
upon them. 1 need not say how much they
have suffered already, nor try to conjecture
how much they will be called to endure here
after, but 1t is certain that any ordinary despot
ism would have been visitation of mercy in
comparison. When we reflect upon the num-
Der 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 afro
clous as 1t was, for universal confscation.
The pernicious consequences of this rule are
felt IN the General as well as the local govern
ments. The legislation of Congress is largely
controlled by fit representatives of the carpet
bag interest, and the worst acts of the Execu-
tive Administration are done 10 please the
power which cOrrdLs the negroes at the meeting
places OF the leagues, and drives them thence
20 the polls.
'Mr. Greeley's election will not do all that
We could wish to free us from these evil t
VIII not even be popular condemnatio the
base means by which they were inhict upon
US, but II will begin the process of their gradu-
al extinction. Ii will give the white people a
reasonable hope that the heritable qualities of
their fathers blood may some day be restored"