Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-06-12
The South and Its Condition.

II Is the misfortune of several Southern
States that they are the victims of law.
less disorders and the prey of ignorant
and INSCRIPTIONS politicians. Arkansas
has just escaped-only through the Presi-
dents wise and decisive action-from a
disgracefui conflict which has left train
OF revengeful purposes and murderous
passions behind it,. Louisiana has been
involved for nearly two years In an unfor-
tunate political squabble which has i'm
peded her whole prosperity. South Caro-.
lima has suffered under the ignorance and
rapacity of rulers who have swollen her
taxes to an inordinate extent Mississippi,
Alabama, Texas and other States have
been the scenes of troubles of similar
though less aggravated character.
OF course, all this is deplorable. OF
course, everything within the bounds of
law, reason and possibility should be done
to rescue the States from this unhappy
condition. Upon that point there will be
no dissent. For our own part, we con.
cede the seriousness of these troubles and
deprecate them as strongly as anybody
can. But we insist that they shall not be
ascr1bed 10 the wrong source and shall
not be charged upon the policy which is
entirely guiltless of their existence and
their consequences. The Democratic pa.
pers talk as it, by different course on
the part of the General Government, they
could have been avoided, and as though
the reconstruction legislation were re-
sponsible for bringing them into being.
But in reality the evils lie back of all
that, and reconstruction is no more re-
sponsible for them than il is for the diff
ferences of skin or the temperament of
men.
What else was to be expected? From
the foundation of the Government these
States had maintained a system of slavery
which not only denied all political priv.
lleges to nearly half their population but
made IT. crime even to teach them to
read. Through all this period they were
treated not as men but as things At
length, in order to perpetuate this institu.
tiOn, which was menaced by the growing
public opinion of the world, the South
plunged into rebellion, of which the re.
suit was the destruction of slavery and
the Introduction of this great black pop
ulatlon as new free element of society
1t was the breakup of the whole political
and social foundation of that section. 1t
was complete overturning of all that
entered into its organic structure. Is it
to be supposed that wrong of so mon.
strous nature could so long tear the
minds OF masters and PROSTATE the man.
hood OF slaves, and that a revolution of
so tremendous a character could take
place in such way without any penal
ties?
Remember the situation. On the one
side you had four millions of beings
lifted out of Ignorant bondage continuing
for centuries, and made part of the State
On the other side you had white pop
ulation lost to a sense of the principles
OF law and order and 1mbued with the
very spirit -tof disorganization by a
rebellion which was itself the wanton de.
fiance of all law. One element had none
OF the training for citizenship; the other
had long disregarded every obligation
upon which citizenship rested. The one
was ignorant; the other violent. 1t GER
tainly cannot be pretended that recon-
struction was responsible for the condi
ton or the temper of eitLer. 1t neither
made the blacks free nor made them ig-
nerant. 1t neither drove the whites into
rebellion noR undermined their respect
for law. Before reconstruction was at.
tempted the two elements were there-the
one degraded through generations of
slavery, the other demoralized by war,
and both placed by the course of history
side by side as parts of the State-and
yet there are those who talk as though all
lulS COulu occur ana no evils follow! 10
every rational mind the troubles under
which the South suffers now present them
selves as the natural and inevitable penal
ties of this long course of wrong, war and
contempt for law.
AS for reconstruction, that may fairly
be condemned when it shows what other
course could have been taken, and only
then. From the moment slavery was de-
stroy ed it was evident that the blacks
must enter political society as compo.
nent part 1t was necessary for them
selves and necessary for the nation. That
was practically all that reconstruction
undertook to accomplish, and it is note.
worthy that those who criticise it do not
attempt to show what else could have
been done. Albany EOentng Journal.