Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-01
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 1878.
The Penalty.


oome of the southern leaders. While |
they believed that some OF these men
were acting under a mistaken idea OF
allegiance and duty, yet they could IN
derstand that they might be honest in
their convictions and course. This was
not true, however, with reference TO
all of these leaders. Alexander II.
Stephens and Robert Toombs, for in
stance, although shareholders and thor
oughly imbued with the idea that the
relation of master and slave was the nat
ural and normal condition OF the whlte
and black, were not honest in giving IN
their adhesion to the so-called "Conted-
crate States of America" Their whole
political training and education was OPP
posed to such course. Their speeches,
in and out of Congress, for long series
of years, demonstrated the fact that they
believed that the allegiance due from
citizen to the United States was superior
to that due an individual State. They had,
declared repeatedly, that notification and
secession were not rights which a State,
or its citizens, could exercise. They
had professed these sentiments time and
again. In fact, the old wing party of
the south was built up upon these ideas.
Hence, when they gave in their adhe-
sion to secession, they were knowingly
and wilfully traitors. So it was with
Robert E. Lee, John G. breckenridge,
and a host of others, who were not, orr
ginally, wings. We do not mean to say
that all persons who, having taken the
oath of allegiance to the United States,
Joined the Confederate army, or became
members of the Confederate govern
ment were not traitors We believe that
each and every one of them were trait
ors. But we do mean to say that some
Of them were honest in their course and,
believing that allegiance was due first OF
all to the State, did not see any other
alternative to pursue than to cast their
fortunes with their State. With their
views, their education and surroundings,
they were conscientious in taking a
wrong course. Among the leaders, so
circumstanced, was James Longstreet
He was trained end educated in the doc
trine that his duty to his State was
paramount to his duty to the United
States. When his State seeded
it being an act which, in his
opinion 1t had right to do
he, in accordance with his honest
convictions of duty, offered his services,
as a soldier, to the State and then to the
"Confederacy" of which it became, so
far as it could, part. He was all wrong
in this course, but he was honest in it.
Hs fought long and well. He was
recognized, both North and South, as
among the ablest generals and best fight
ers in the rebel army. He was always
ready and prompt to take an advantage,
as our army too often had occasion to
discover Having, from early manhood,
been a soldier, he never had any occa-
sion or opportunity to study politics or
constitutional law to any considerable
extent He was, however, a man of
brains. AT the close of the war he
recognized the fact that there was a
changed condition of affairs in the
country. He could see, as the results of
the war. that there could DO no allegiance
to a State as paramount to that due the
general government, and that the doc
trines of notification, secession, etc,
were finally disposed of. He thoroughly
understood, too, the temper of the mass
of the Southern people, and recognized
the fact that there must be some kind of
Reconstruction. The South, at that
time, was made up principally of two
classes, the whites, then lately in rebel
lion, and the former slaves, but just
made free. How to reconstruct" the
South, and what to do with the ''freed-
men" were difficult problems--and prob
lens that required immediate solution.
Fortunately among the residents of the
South were number of old wings and,
also, some democrats, born in the north
ern States, who never believed in seces-
sion or the Southern doctrine of State
Rights-which meant that a State was
sovereign in every respect and was para
mount to the United States-and, con-
sequently, had rendered only a quasi
obedience to the Confederacy, as a de
fdcto government, having power to en-
force its laws and DEGREES. To these
were added some northern men, who had
at the conclusion of the war, emigrated
thither, invested their capital and in
tended to make it their future home.
We do not include in this number those
political adventures who have been, per-
haps otinaptly, styled "earpet- baggers,"
whose only motive was personal and
political agrandizement. This class
of men have been the curse of the South
as they were formerly of the Middle
States, afterwards of the West, and.
more recently, of California and the Pa
cific coast. The men to whom we first
alluded, in seeking for the best interests
of the South, in the changed condition
of affairs, naturally allied themselves
with the Republican party. Longstreet,
as one of the results of the war, was no
longer a soldier and general. He was,
however, southern man by birth, edu-
cation and residence. He intended to
reside permanently in the South, and
naturally desired TO better its condition.
inaugurate a course that would insure
its growth, prosperity and the develop
ment of its resources, as well as bring
about speedy restoration of the several
States to their proper relations to the
Union. Being a man of brains. as we
have said, he could comprehend the sit
uation. There was, as he or any one
else could see, no hope from the old
Democratic party of the South. or even
from the then Democratic party of the |
North. Having taken the oath of allie
glance to the constitution of the United
States and been granted amnesty, he has
determined to abide by it, No Kuklux-