Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-10-16
Nulihral.
Nine Years of History.

If instead of ending the war in 1868, when
their great armies surrendered, the Southern
people had continued to struggle with despera-
ton, obstinacy and ferocity--if they had shown
spirit of uncompromising hostility, in guer-
rilla warfare, in local outbreakes and other de-
monstratons of luminosity, individuals among
them would have been put to death for treason,
and others would have suffered in proportion :;
but as body they would have been far
better treated than they have been and would
be to-day infinitely better off than they are.
Had they continued in arms and in hostility,
their conquest by military force would I'M
doubtedly have been signal and severe but af
ter it was accomplished they could not have
been in any worse condition than that of sub
jugated provinces held under military govern
ment administered by military men according
to military rules. Armies would have been
maintained among them to presrve order and
repress sedition, but while they would have
been governed sternly, it would have been an
honest government. Avarice would not have
been its one inspiring passion, and its victims
would have had to endure tyranny but not rob-
berry or fraud. They would have been sub
jected to the operation of regular system reg
ularly administered. They would have had
no political existence, but there would have
been no plundering addition to their public
debt and the taxes they would have been COM
PEELED to pay would not have gone into pri-
waite pockets of Governors, legislators, and
Judges, holding office through cheating cleo
lions and exercising power for the one sole pur-
pose of robbery.
Instead of keeping up the war, they submit
ted patiently and sincerely to the Government
against which they had revoted. They had
been beaten in the prolonged struggle; and
they honestly desired to live as citizens, and
not as enemies, in the land where they were
born. During the war their efforts had been
SO tremendous and so unanimous that it is not
too much to say that they remain without a
precedent in history. Their paciication was
equally astonishing and unparalleled, The
war disappeared as if by magic. Its spirit as
we'll is its manifestation utterly ceased so that
we who were conGuerors were enabled at once
to disband our own armies, and of the million
men that we had enrolled for their subjugation
hardly a corporafs guard was retained under
the standards to defend our conquest through
the whole enormous area of the Confederacy.
With the submission of the South began a
new drama as inhuman and revolving as slave
~, and more subtiy terrible than the worst
evils of war. Peace was asked and promised,
and the forms of civil government; but while
this promise was kept to the ear it was broken
to the sense. We did not call them conquered
provinces, but States and we proceeded to let
loose upon them an Unsuitable swarm Of plum
derers whose like was never seen The carni-
val of speculation, fraud, and public plumber
which has prevailed in North Carolina. South
Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Ar
kansas, and Louisiana for these eight years
surpasses belief, and cannot be justly appreci-
ated at the present day. Georgia and Texas
have been saved by the early overthrow of
the Republican party within their limits and
the transfer of their Governments into honest
hands; but in the other States vill,iny has run
an incredible riot, and legislators, Governors
Judges, have outdone all previous conceptions
respecting the potentiality of theft. The peo-
pie are stripped; their property is worthless
that il will not sell for the taxes and vet the
rapacity Of these official brgands is unsated
A crushing load of public debt is heaped up
on each Of these States but the proceeds have
been stolen, and there is nothing to show for
what the citizens are called upon to pay. And
to crown and perpetuate these wrongs the most
ingenious devices are pnt in force to keep the
robbers in authority and TO deprive the people
OF even the possibility of turning them out By
means of the ballot
Such is in brief the history of reconstruction;
such is the present condition of the Southern
people and such are the reasons why, in 1874
when portion of them are driven TO utter des-
peration by eight years of ndless exortion and
hopeless fraud, it is necessary to stretch out the
military arm and send bayonets among them
once more. The facts are patent and unaues-
tionable and the Northern people cannot pom
der them too wisely or too well .-Ner York
Sun