Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-12-18
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER IS, 1878;
UNIVERSAL AMNESTY.

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The problems that were thrown upon
our hands by the collapse OF the rebel
lion arc many, and in fact, most OF
them, happily settled, and there remains
10 be considered only one or two more
that cannot be as well disposed of now
as at any time Early after the close OF
the war general amnesty was declared
by Congress to all those people OF the
South who were not considered particu-
larly criminal in inaugerating and carry
ing on the REBELLION by reason of their
official power and influence. The eX-
cepted classes have been gradually mar
rowed down, and individuals OF all par
Ties have had their disabilities removed,
until the number of disfranchised rebels
now In the country are very few. And
there Is now pending before Congress
proposition to remove every disability
and restore every person who partici-
pated In the late unpleasantness to all
the rights and privileges he would have
enjoyed If he had not committed that
at of treason against the government.
The writer of this has always been in
favor Of universal suffrage and general
amnesty in a qualified kind of way.
We would only qualify it by seeing that
Justice was fully done to all classes, who
have been affected by the war. We
have no feelings of revenge against the
rebels, and when they laid down their
arms and promised to again obey the
laws, we were glad to extend to them a
brothers hand and forgive the great
wrong they had done us but this for
giveness must he coupled with due re-
gard to the welfare of the negro, who
was one of our strongest allies in uphold
ing the integrity of our institutions. We
must also retain in our own hands the
power to protect the Union soldier and
northern man, who may desire to make
his home in the genial climate of that
sunny land his valor and suffering has
helped TO save to the nation, and unless
1t can be made apparent that the recon-
structed States are inclined to acquiesce
In these first requirements, the granting
of additional power and privileges to
the now excluded few, would be grave
injustice to those who have right to
appeal to the government for pro-
lection.
The rebel should be compelled to ac-
knowledge the justice of civil and polit-
ical equality for all who live under the
same government, before he is restored
to full political power. BY this is SIM
ply meant, equality before the law and
in courts, and an equal chance In the
race of life. The Constitutional guar
antees now extend to every citizen, with
out reference to race or color, or previ-
Gus condition of servitude, and it is the
province of government to enforce those
guarantees and while negroes are de-
MED political equality, and are not adj
mitted to the full enjoyments of their
civil rights, 1t is clearly bad policy to
add to the power and privileges of their
oppressors. The Democracy of the
country, of whom are nearly or quite all
of those now DISTINGUISHED, are as deep
in the interest of aristocratic distinctions
as they ever were, and although the
politicians of the South, while restrained
by the strong arm of law, will not seek
TO enslave the colored man, they do in
most every State throw obstacles in the
way of his enjoying his new found lib
critics and rights, and make his life as
uncomfortable as possible, and we are
in favor of making the advancement of
civil rights to the negro condition pre-
cedent to the granting CT universal am
nesty.
A few days ago President Grant said
TO the delegation of colored men from
Louisiana, You have certain rights by
virtue of your enfranchisement that are
yet withheld from you" He said that
he thought the present Congress would
consider this question, and we hope his
Excellency is right about it, and that
the strong arm of military power will
keep the South in state of subsection
to law, so long as they refuse to recog-
nize the political and civil equality of
tho negro, and murder, intimidate and
drive away the industrious northern
men who see fit to settle among them.
We hope Congress will consider this
question, and that civil rights and am
nesty shall go hand in hand, and that
the political disabilities of the white reb-
els will disappear with the concession of
all civil rights to the colored man, and
protection to the Union white man in
every community. Let us cease to think
of the bloody chssm of the last campaign
as capable of being bridged over, and
look not for peace and full return of
friendly feelings SO long as there are any
people any where in the nation, who can
ask to be re-enstated in the rights of
citizenship without according to all 9TH
ers the same rights. He who asks
equity must do equity.