The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-10-08

y.
honestly accepted the situation and submitted
like men to their fate and to the results of
the war they had forced upon the country,
in the pienitudc Of its mercy the Govern
ment would have permitted the leaders oil
the rebellion to become again leaders in shap-
ing the march OF the States from the chaos
which their wickedness had brought about,
to that prosperity and peace which 1t is the
wish of every true lover Of his country that
all should enjoy. But the end Of the war
and the proclamation of peace found them
unrcconstructed rebels still, and while they
continued pandering to their spirit OF rebel
lion the North spued out its hords OF vam-
pires who, making use Of their opportunity,
inflicted the evils under which the South
now groans Can this state of the case be
truthfully gainsaid? AsSuredly not for 1t
has become history. With what face then
can the troubles of the South be laid to any
other cause than the war, and to the acts OF
those Democratic leaders, now SO lauded, and
who were leaders of the cohorts of rebellion.
There never was an effort made to interfere
with their influence over the freedmen or
their rights to vote Nor was an attempt
made to pass a single reconstruction act, un-
til it was seen that unless this was done the
grandest of all the results of the war, the
striking of the shackles from the limbs
of the slave, would prove nullity.
The old masters by their deeds proved that
they could not forget the relation Of master
and slave, and their cruel conduct towards
the latter convinced the government that it
vas its duty to teach them the lesson.
What our ncighbor says further in this re-
lation. with the light Of this statement Of
facts before us becomes bosh and nonsence.
In the reconstruction ana rcadmis3ion Of the
rebellious states the government could only
treat with those whom it found in authority.
The leading rebels refused to assume author
ity, and the reigns Of power were left to float
into the hands OF whom could be found to
hold them The submission cf the South
Of which our neighbor speaks has hardly yet
began, and in the interim, from TIE proclaim
ing Of peace to this day, those who should
have submitted nine years ago and taken the
control Of affairs into their own hands have
suffered strangers to the manor to hold their
places, to exercise their influence, to superin-
duce poverty by means Of inordnato taxa
ton, aye, and to rob them. They once held
the preventative for all this evil in their own
hands. They yet hold the remedy. But the
evils which have been growing for nine years
cannot he wiped cut il : day. Nor is
revolution a means for wiping them out. An
honest submission to law, and detormina-
ton 10 apply the remedy under the law, Is
what alone can start the ball which must be
kept rolling on and rolling on until the last
yestage Of corruption Is crushed cut Of their
high places. The Government cannot inter
fera save to secure republican form Of
government and to secure obedience TO law.
Let the oppressed people Of the South act
within the law, and work and vote for the
suppression Of the evils which curse them,
and none viii be more rejoiced than the Off
GERS Of the government over their redemption
from thcir present iniQuitous thralIom.
We have done with our neighbor and his
brief history Of reconstruction" As an
exercise OF the imagination his account of
the causes Of the troubles Of cur Southern
brethren may be called a success, but as 4
setting forth OF historical facts in relation
thereto, We regret to be compelled to say
that it lamentably lacks the au-importaDt
clements oftruth. We cannot, however, for
bear congratulating him over his grand ef-
fort 1t was mastery in its way though the
way was poor enc.