The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-03-15

WAY il il that after more thaa q
decade has elapsed since the Wal
ended. tue South. enriched and iber
ated under the principles aud meas
ures Of be Republican party, is sill
a source Of irritation To the national
Communicable and hinderanee to
the country's S peace? WhaJ was the
object u the rebellion, and why was
il put down by tae North az such a
fearful sacrifice of life If devotion to
the crime is made a test of SOulhern
responsibility and qualification u
serve the Southern Statesy While
Abraham Lincoln lived patriot sat
in the char OF ID, Chief Magistrate
oi the Nation Treason vas made
odi0us for the simple Reason that
1 President Lincoln regarded the union
of the States as the grandest work OF
our fOrefathers; aud the attempt 10
destroy the Union was, therefore, the
olackest crime Of the age Mr..
Lincoln lived up 10 his idea; and
there was no danger with him of con-
Ifuundiag treason with loyalty. The
assassination of Mr.. Lincoln by the
bullet Of "a rebel sympathizer made
Andrew johnson his successor, Il
man Of great obstinacy of disposition,
but accessible to hattery as a South
C man His birth in Southern
STATE, his early poverty, and the in
lluences of slave life aud slave own
ing by which he was surrounded pre-
pared the way for Just what occurred.
The commencement Of his Presiden-
tal career was iuauspicious. His
mulishuess was bis notable weak
ness. He knew he terrible struggle
through which the country had
passed; and be kaew that bloOdsbed
aud death had made mourning IL
almost every household But even
before be haJ become accustomed 10
the occupancy Of the rooms in the
White House which had witnessed
the vigilaut anxiety of his martyred
predecessor, he was willing to treat
for the destruction Of that sentiment
the sentiment Of the Republican
party which preserved the Republic
can party which preserved the Re
publie--and for the admission OF the
rebel enemies of the Union to a1
equality with the men who bad
elected Mr. johnson and who were
true to Republican principles aud are
true to-day J0hnsOn's rebel friends
unrecOustructed, with all the treason
Gus enmity 10 tue Union strong in
their hearts, with no effort 10 deJach
them from tue pursuit of a disl1yal
career, career which the issue OF
The war bad rendered Infamous, were
taken by the hand aud instead of be-
log required to prove that they were
worthy Ot II, were petted and pam
pered aud made the recipients of ben
eiits and privileges under laws
through The lnstrumentality of Mr.. /
johnson which the grace of the Re
publican party had passed aud in
tended tor men who admitted their
wrong-dOing and were anxious to do
right. Those benefits and privaleges
we're obtained by rebels utterly un-
worthy Of grace or amnesty, espec- !
tally from Republicans. They had |
fought to destroy tie country; and /
before the wounds bad heaied which |
rebel bullets bad Inflicted upon the |
MdImed and mutiiaIed bodies of Fed |
eral, soldiers e5els in large numbers |
had secured advantages aud prOtec- /
tion aud the exercise of rights which
only to men Of honor
" no had been mistaken aad who
were resolved to show that the mis-
stakes Oi The past should not be re-
in the future. Would any
rlght-thiuking citizen imagine that
men Subdued in the act Cf rebellion,
aid whose lives were spared which
had beeD forfeited, would apply for
grace or amnesty with living treason
in their hearts by which they were
untitled to receive ii? Did the curse
Of slavery, even where the institu
tion went down in blood, continue as
a curse in the heart. and mind, and
of the Southern Demo
cratic leaders? And does it strip the
Southern Democratic character Of
every vestige of truth, and honor,
and manliuess, and leave the amnes-
tied Democratic rebels, whose num-
Der has increased since the time OF
president johnson, in all their naked
deformity as self convicted enemies
of the country, true only to the
revolving instincts Of the slaye-owner,
laboring to bring into the sutjection
Of serviLlde the colored citizens OF the
South, who remembered old days, and
whom they had and would shoot in
their traces ifthoy dared TO think for
themselves!