The New York herald., 1874-09-15

peace money value for its slaves, or wnerner 10
tion OF the Union. From the very foundation OF
the government 1t had been source OF trouble
and ANNOYANCE, Its followers threatening bully
ing demanding fresh concessions. growing
stronger year by year. until at last IT thought 1t
sell powerfu. enough to overthrow M the Union ana
party that in the field had beaten slavery mad no
alternative out 10 make ihat victory secure In legs.
1atlon. Hence the CONSTITUTIONAL amendments ana
the reconstruction measures and the enforcement
acts with all their good and evil their satisfactory
and unsatisfactory consequences. The HERALD
sees in them only the spirit OF Genghis Khan.
never was people treated so cruelty and SO
to-day is not what we could wish it to be the VOL
hme OF the statutes OF reconstruction Is not as
sweet and pleasant volume as could be desired;
put IL Is what II Is because Of the SOUTH Had
.ne Attlia spirit prevailed in the North as some
times 1t appeared it would prevail as 1t again and
Mr. stevens, OF pennsylvania, that volume would
To-Day contain cnapter confscating the estates
vi every southern leader ana giving forty acres OF
land ana mule to every negro
WHAT THE REBELS WOULD DO WITH RECONSTRUCT
TION.
We do not think the south ought to be happy
and contented and feel reconstructed because the
grim ideas or the great commUner who was the
Incarnation OF the rancor and bitterness OF the
time, who was 10 radicalism what Iorauemada
was TO the lnquistion. what Cromwell was to the
Puritan party were not embodied IN ieaslatifon.
That they were not only shows that really mod
crate policy prevailed that the Northern legislators
endeavored to be as just and generous in peace as
they were in war. The history OF the reconstruc-
tion OF every southern State shows that this idea
was upperrnOst in the minds OF the leaders IN
Congress. Take the case OF Georgia. What
was the FIRST act OF her first reconstructed
wSo hea seat IN IT, WHAT coaa @ be SS0e doSe
with sucn a people Somewhere in the Northern
skies the Georgian statesmen and poh icians saw
the faint light which 10 them ptesaged the Seturn
OF the democratic party to power and the fist
exercise of their authority was to trample upon
the political rights OF the people upon whose
human rights they had tramped tor so many gen.
eratlons. Is 1t TO be.wondered at that the party
nteA nod khnrnn aenhln
Georgia from Atlanta TO the sea, whose batfaliOns
Mashed freedom from their bayonet points, should
have resented the outrage and sent back to the
Empire State of the South the Senators and Rep
resentatlves through whom she Knocked for ad-
degree what is true Of Georgia is also true OF the
Carohnas and Mississippi Of Tennessee and Texas
and all the Southland.
THR CONQUEST OF THE SOUTH COMPARED WITH THE
CONQUEST OF FRANCE.
The HERALD points TO Germany and France, and
tells us we imposed heavier tribute upon the
South than Bismarck and King William eXacted
IRON that ruined and PROSTATE Republic There
is parallel between the TWO cases. First of all,
the North and the south were not two countries
and two peoples, but one country and one
people. One was war, the other was rebellion.
Napoleon made war upon Prussia boasted that in
ten days he would dictate peace from the German
capital was war OF aggression OF
sontn was an lnsnrrecton conct ,os be-
hatred OF slavery, her broad philanthropy, her
the world, and especially the Sonth. On the other
there was the South resenting her interference,
resisting her teachings, believing in slavery, be-
cause slavery was Of divine right ana guaranteed
by the Constitution. The one came from the Pur-
tan fathers; The other ooasted OF the hest blood
desmense and crests and coats OF arms, and an
ancestry going back TO tue Conquest Of Cressy and
AglncOurt. In the North the struggle was tor tie
maintenance OF the Union; In the south IL was for
what they called freedom, which was in reality
only another name for the preservation OF
slavery. In main ntaining the Union slavery was
destroyed as war measure ln FtaAce the
nom,nav m at least, il 'Vasss WAS war ar or "'si sell
preservation, to prevent the dismemuerment OF
ner TERRITORY 10 save heG ron becoming @ ane
quered and made France pay the expense OF the
war. The North conquered the South and slavery
was lost; but unlike Germany, who carried Oh to
the Prussan mlnts lhe millards Of francs she had
exacted as a ransom. leaving only sorrow and dis
the task OF REBUILDING what had been destroyed,
the North offered the South her genius, her INDUS
! try, her capital, her marvellous enterprise. She
would till the southern lands; make Lowell ana
Lynn OF every southern city and hamlet. Ana
the Yankee schoelmstress ana mechanic ia, ana ..
meeting the legions returning to Washington
to that last review with peace offerings and love
and friendship to convert the fortresses into lac
tories aud the intrenchments into marts OF trade
and industry. They went, not As conqucrors. but
as brothers, to buy and sell and trade anu teacn
to rebuild what sheridan and sherman, what
Early and Ewen and Hampton ana Hn had shat
tered ana destroyed. How unlike the conquering
German returning from France with his wagons
of Napoleons to he coined INTO Prussian eagles.
BUT how were they metz The mercnanr was
asked as one OF the conditions OF trade what ticket
! he voted, and II he answered that he had voted
for Lincoln and against Mcclellan his wares re-
mained uppurchased the mechanic starved unless
! he denounced the cause in winch he had fought.
aud the schoolmistresS was warned that she should
not teach the former slave ana shot TO death II
she persisted.
LET Us HAVE CONVENTION.
The HERALD may call oil this only the revival OF
the anger and passions OF the war; but 1t Is the
truth. and no other ruit could spring from such y
seed except what we see IN the South to-day. We
conquered the south, but we dld not convince her
that we were right and she was wrong. Ii a
national convention OF peace and reconstruction
Will help her to lear the lesson by all means let it
be held; IL VIII do no harm and may do good. But
let not go INTO It with the idea that the South
has been treated as the Huns treated ancient
Rome, as the Caesars their defeated ioemen, Tor
that would be a ialsihcat.on OF history and In the
end only add to tho heartburntng and the strife
! and animosity OF the time. Let us enter into
| 1t with tie understanding that perhaps neither
side is wholly right or wholly wrong; tnat there
! are duties to be performed by the one party and
the other, TO the end that peace may prevail and
the Union be made secure forever.