Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-08-22

Legislature should ever pass bill O
attainder. The reconstruction act 0
1867 was bill Of attainder more deli
berateIy cruel, and with pains anC
penalties mere compendiously unjus
than any British bill that ever wa
passed. But its authors were con
sclous that it could not stand, anC
they must replace it with something
else, for sooner or later the court
would be sure to pronounce it void
Besides, the object being to put the
Southern people under the domination
of greedy adventures from the North
with unlimited license to oppress ant
pIunder them, the officers of the army
were not very good agents in such {
nefarlous business. The negroe,
would be instruments of tyranny much
more easily managed. But an act OF
Congress disfranchising the white peo.
pie for offences real or imputed, and
handing over their State governments
to negroes to be run by them in the
interests Of carpet-baggers, would be
mere Y another bill of attainder. or
rather modification Of the frs. one,
making it much worse, but equally
within the reach ofjmdicial correction.
In this strait they resorted to the ex-
pedieDi OF converting the Constiu-
ton Itself into a bill of attainder. The
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
We're frauds upon the spirit and letter
Of the instrument, in as much as they
effected the worst OUTRAGE which it
was made to prevent. They were
carried against the known will of near
y every State in the Union by shame
less deception in the North and by
brutal violence in the South. "Mav
this be washed i'll Lethe and forgot
ten?' Certainly not, as long as any
portion of our people are compelled to
bear the intolerable burden ofthe yoke
thus fastened upon them. I need not
say how much they have suffered al
ready, nor try to conjecture how much
they will be called to endure hereafter;
but it is certain that any ordinary des-
potism 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 re
gret the non-adoption of Mr.. Stevens
proposition, atrocious as it was, for
universal conhscation. The pernicious
consequences Of this rnle are felt in
the general as well as local govern
ments. The legislation of Congress is
largely controlled by fit representa-
tives for the carpet-bage interest, and
the worst acts Of the Executive Ad-
are done to please the
power which c0rrois the negroes at
the meeting-places of the leagues, and |
drives them thence to the polls.
Mr.. Greeley's election will do all
that we could wish to free us from
these evils. 1t will not even be
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 people Il reasonable
hope that the heritable qualities of their
fathers blood may some day be re-
stored. In the meantime, if it does
not reverse the attainder. it will at
east insure merciful execution of it.
Democrats who dislike Mr.. Greeley's
nomination have reflected well, and |
-hink will support him with almost
perfect unanimity The thought that
l victory will not give us everything
1t once may diminish in some degree
the rapture of the strife, but it will
rot impair the efficiency of their sup
'ort, tor they are impelled to their ut
most eXertions by a profound convic-
ion that nothing but his election will
ave the country from = long period
If misgovernment, and perhaps, the
otal Obstruction of our free insttu-
ions. am with great respect, yours, ..
Sc., j. S. BLACK.
York, Pa, August B. 1872.