The Portland daily press., 1872-09-09
The Little Change.

The Democrats claim that they have re-
pented, and that there would be little change
in the poli.y of the government if they were
intrusted with its management. But enough
is already foreshadowed to indicate what that
little change would be. REBELS WOULD BE
INVITED TO THE FRONT, WHILE UNION SOL
DIERs WOULD BE INVITED TO TAKE BACK
SEATS. This seem, like an extravagant state
ment, but look at the proofs. The Democrats
and Liberals lay more stress on the exclusion
of two or three hundred of the most promi-
nent Rebels from the right to hold Office than
on anything else. One would think that
these few Southeners, on whom the punish
ment for great crime falls so lightly, were
virtuous and injured gentlemen, while all the
wrong had been committed by their Repub-
lican oppressors The two parties find their
natural positions reversed; the Republican
is put in the prisoners box, while the Rebel
stands boldly forth as his accnser. To make
the case still more striking Charles Sumner,
who has done more than any other one man
to breathe the breath of life into the Liberal
movement, PROPOSES TO PRESCRIBE AND
DRIVE FROM THEIR PLACES UNION SOL
DIERs AT THE SAME TIME THAT EVERY
REBEL IN THE LAND is MADE ELIGIBLE TO
ANY OFFICE. We have published his own
words on this subject heretofore, so that any
reader can see for himself that we have not
misrepresented him. He is so anx-
ious for reconciliation that he is
eager to place the Rebels heel
on the Union soldiers neck! And to cap TIE
climax HORACE GREELEY PROPOSES TO PEN
SION REBEL SOLDIERS. This has neuer been
denied By Mr.. Greeley, and his evasive an
swer to the charge has only been an additional
proof of its correctness. We notice that
many Democratic papers, in order to show
the "folly' of such a report about their can
sidate, are publishing with great ostentation
the text of the fourteenth amendment.
(which, by the way, was fought, inch by inch
by every Democratic paper in the country
forbidding, as they allege, such a pension.
Now in the first place the fourteenth amend
ment does not appear to forbid pensioning
Rebels, and in the second place Democrats
do not believe that it is part of the
constitution, though they accepted" it
in their platform, that is they recognized
its existence until they could get into power
But let it be remembered that at the very
last session of Congress every Democratic
member uoted against q resolution affirming
the udtidttv Of the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments. They believed then, ard they
believe now, that these amendments were
never legally adopted by three-fourths of the
States, and consequently that they are null
and void. They have never protested that
they have changed their opinions on this
point Consequently HORACE GREELEY,
BACKED BY A DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS,
WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY PENSION REBEL
SOLDIERS. What the real animus of the
Greeley movement is, the proceedings Of that
party in West Virginia well show. If at the
present stage of proceedings, when circum-
stances place them under the strongest pos
sible bonds for their good behavior, when
their cue is to Glove the niger" and "clasp
hands"-if under such tremendous pres
sure as that they are unable in given local
ity: and that one of the least infected with
pro-Rebel and pro-Slavery opinions. to resist
the temptation to strip the freedmen of their
vested rights, in bold DISREGARD of law and
Justice, THEY WOULD, UNDER FAyoR1p,p
CIRCUMSTANCES, UNDERTAKE TO REsropp
SLAVERY ITSELF.