The New York herald., 1874-09-15
Semi-Onicial Declaration from
the President.
What an ton
Organ Thinks.
Let Us Eave a Convention to Save
the Republican Party.


the present disturbed and lawiess state of society
In that section is the result Of the reconstruction
policy. IL Is argued that We have not dealt fairly
ana hcnestly by the southern people; that in the
eman clpation OF the slaves. as a war measure, we
have imposed upon them heavier fine Than Ger
many imposed upon France; that now statesman
ship and sound policy, o wise regard for the
future TO say nothing about motives
OF justice AMI humanity, command that
we should call NATIONAL convention
OF peace and reconstruction to consider the
and results Of the war and ascertain how best we
can adjust ourselves to the altered condition OF
affairs in the Union. In reply TO an article upon
the subject in these columns, the HERALD OF
Wednesday last says:-"The National Republican
discusses the argument IN favor OF a national con-
venuon of peace and reconstruction upon the
theory that the southern men should ,ee grateful
that they have not been hanged, and tnat because
there have been no imprisOnments no executions
no trials for treason, no ransoms eXacted, no
sureties demanded for the future and no con1sca-
ton, 1t is an error to compare the southern
States with Poland and Alsace and West
meath 1t is difficult to impress an idea
upon the mind Of journal which really believes
that the Southern people should feel that recon-
structon was completed when they were not
hanged, and which does not remember that Mr..
Lincoln proclaimed emancipation not as meas
OF humanity, but rs an act OF war; that he de-
clared that he deemed the maintenance of the
Union to be paramount to emanclpation-a jour
nal that feels tnat because OF Libby and Anderson
vile the Southern States should be allowed to
DRIFT into anarchy, war OF race with race, and
legislation that means repudiation." The HERALD
misrepresents or misunderstands our position.
The arguments in the above extract were
presented as the proof not that we had re-
constructed the South, but That the North
ns pGcan tns cossS s saea as ne
Austria and Prussia had treated Poland; as Ger
many had treated France or as England had
treated lrelanc at the end OF every irIitiess re-
pelion since the conquest OF the Second Henry.
Again, the HERALD is so unfair as to suppress an
argument which 1t does not attempt to answer,
| that the South Is responsible for the Ills under
which she Is suffering, not because We OF the North
mad made the mistake OF treating slavery
crime instead OF an institution" but because the
Southern statesmen, the leaders Of her opinion,
ner Journalists and her politicians, have been and
are to-day making the mistake OF treating Gree
dom as CRIME instead OF an institution" The
| HERALD's position on the whole question Is SO
stronger-that 1t ought to be honest and fair
enough to give our position correctly or not give
ARE THE HERALD ARTICLES AN ATTACK ON THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY !
The articles or the HERALD an attack on
the republican party. We are not authorized to
speak in any way for that party; bat as a member
or 1t, believing IN Its policy aud giving adherence
| to its platforms, we propose to speak IN our own
| II not IN its defence. Our contemporary asserts,
1--WE have treated the South, not with wisdom and
! foresight, but as Attla and Genghs Khan were
! Wont 10 deal with their conquered foemen." THIS
is mere rhetorical figure, and that is all Every
schoolboy is familiar with the boast OF the bar.
barian Hun, that grass never grew where the
hoofs OF his horses had lett their Iootmarks; every
enacted when the seven. 6illed city saw
the aerce rae up the steep In ~aere @ sae %
the North, was sherman. sherdans When
the last intrenchinent before Richmond was
carried and the armies OF the Union entered the
| r.
| Khan, the conquerors or the conquered foemen
who had given her churches ana factories, her
marts and theatres, her pupAC places ana COM
merce to the names; or the war worn Northern
soldiers, who had suffered SO long and SO much In
upon to save the people OF the Southern capital
nom the crime, the FOLLY and the madness oi their
WAS GRANT AN ArrILA'
Was Grant an AtIla when, on the morning OF
final victory at Appomattox, ms gallant troops
| divided their ratons with tne iamlshed veterans
| OF General Lee Was he an Attila when he gave
back to the hero OF the rebellion the sword he mad
! drawn against his country from mistaken ideas OF
patriotism, and told the conquered soldiers OF the
South to take with them, to DO the spring plough,
ing, the horses they had ridden through loyal
blood to the end or the Long Bridge and
almost to the gates, OF the national CAPT
j and been watered in the Susquenanna, within
tour and twenty hours marcn OF Philadelphia?
Was SHERMAN the Attlia OF me North when vi! n, ne s
In doubt whether Johnston had surrendered to
him or he to JohnstonY These were the closing
were at the mercy OF she conquerors. The history
or all the ages does not present parallel case o.
! magnanimity, generosity and brothery love.
! fhe yictors simply asked the gallant commanders
| and armies who had fought against them to be-
come agan their orothers 70 respect ana honor
nationality; to come back to the Union they had
fought to ereak; TO reb'nd the ties !ney nad
endeavored to sunder, aud rebuild the edlfce they
had sought to deiorm and tear down. The military
chapter OF the rebellion closed without on the
part OF the North, the occurrence of a single act
calculated TO justify the accusation Of the HERALD
that the North has treated the South as The rude
conqnerors OF Rome treated the ioemen they had
vanauished The soldier Of to-day, beaten and
bailed, was asked tobecome citizen tomorrow
ezen 9os q HE9yce or OF sairapy si ens M
aa me gRss Is peAates no exss-an squai sharer
WAS EMANoIr ALTON A MILITARY FINE
| But IS Is in what may be called the egislatve
q chapter OF the rebellion that we presume the
EErALD sees the iron sway OF an Attlla. IL says
ave imposed emancipation as . fine upon the
Souin-a fine that may be rudely estimated IN
money value at from two to lour thousand millions
of dollars, or from two to tour times as inucn as
that imposed upon France by GERMANY adding
thai a people were never punished as severely as
IN that act OF emancipation the southern people
were punished. The einanclpaGion OF lour nu, ml
three hundred thousand gentlemen, tht
number of slave owners In the south ~ i,
was hard upon their return from the marches tue
sieges the battles and the bitter suffering anc
hardship of four years of war, to hnd their ormel
CAattelS clobneu With tnt same
priyileGes as they were; TO be made 10 feel tina
they mad no longer the right to treat them as ser
and moi as human beings The old slave quarter
were all deserted: the heids were untitled; Cuile
In the cabin by the roadside talking about wage
/, and representation In the town council
asking for SCHOOLS and churches, and news
. papers and books; dreaming even then OF seat
; In the state Legislatures aud Congress IL was
sore and bitter morning when the soldier .pantc
!, came back TO his old nome, desoated perhaps by
J the march and the battle, and heard the who
story-how the old servant, when the Yankee ia
came down with Sherman's surging battahons
took leave OF his mistress and the young maste
! with tears perhaps because there were good kin
| masters In the South, and "Cuffee" was not III
= | grateful, and told them, though they were dea
! to him. freedom was still dearer than all. ana !
i the iuture ne would be free. IL was severe an
| bitter moWent and we entirely agree WIN on
| contemporary that in one way or another tus ~
: OF emancipation Is at the root OF all the trouO'
, ! and heart-Durnlng in the south to-day.
, | TIE WAR WAR FOR SLAVERY -
. But SOC, 900 Shareholders made war Tor slavery