The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-20
Amnesty and the Republicans.

| e'0 hoW SredIly CoHcerueu GuaC the RepuDll-
cans in Congress should open anew the
wounds of sectional strife. The former talk
as fiercely as they did in 1868. 1t is as great
crime in their estimation to forbid political
rights to Jefferson Davis as it was in 1862 to
issue an emancipation proclamation. As for
the namby pambies, any bold and decided
| policy shocks their delicate sensibilities and
skaters their poor nerves. When Jefferson
Davis was running separate government
| they deplored war to subdue him; when be
| was using the millions of slaves to keep up
his commissary department, namby-pamby
was thoroughly shocked that President Lin
| coin should declare them free, and all through
the war they never quite recovered from
| their disgust at the removal of the
King of Spades from the command of the
Potomac and the cashiering of Fitz John
Porter for a disobedience of orders that made
| defeat certain, cost hundreds of lives and was
better than fifty thousand soldiers to Mr.. Jef-
ferson Davis cause. At best namby-pamby
is cowardly goody-goody without a particle
of iron in his veins.
Bat while however, these people denounce
and deprecate the debate which the PROPOSE
tion to restore perjured Jefferson Davis to
the rights of citizenship gave rise to, the
every day people who carried the country
through the war do not regret it. On the
Republican side it was confined to matters Of
history. There was no denunciation of the
South, no expression of hostility to the peo-
pie of that section growing out of the late un-
happy struggle, but on the other hand all of
the speakers on the Republican side took
occasion to express the kindest feelings for
them. Everybody who is honest with him
self and knows anything, knows that the Re-
publicans of the North harbor no ill will
toward their brethren of the South. On the
other hand they rejoice in the prosperity of
that section and desire to unite with the peo-
pie of that section in making the nation all
that it can be. This side of Mason and Dix
on's ]ine there are no heart-burnings, no
smoldering fires of hate, no unworthy relics
| of revenge against those on the other side.
We speak only for the Republicans.
But because the Republicans have fully
and freely forgiven the past, they have not so
| entirely forgotten the blood-written history
that they can shut their eyes to the action of
the Southern leaders. With Gen. Sherman
they say that all is forgiven but not forgotten,
and the South must not repeat the crimes of
the past or by indirect methods attempt to
restore the cause which was lost at Appomat-
tox. The past treachery and perjury of the
Southern leaders are not calculated to inspire
the highest confidence. The general ten
dency of their policy in the states where they
have come to the control of state government
in the South is calculated 10 awaken suspi-
cion and anxiety. Already in states where
the Democracy Of the South are in full power,
the colored voters are of no political account.
All of the legislation of that party looks to-
| ward the practical disfranchisement of the
race. In some states the payment OF an
excessive poll tax acts as perpetual bar to
their voting. In others, every possible diff
Guilty is put in the way of their free exercise
of the ballot. In some states, like Georgia,
for instance, it is a fact known to those who
are familiar with the way in which matters
pertaining to elections are managed that the
most outrageous frauds are perpetrated in the
counting of votes. In some of these states,
the most trivial offenses against the law are
visited with heavy fines and Imprisonment
till such fines are paid, and while these fines
remain unpaid the labor of such persons are
sold to planters for the benefit of the state,
thus reducing them to condition of servi.
tude. In those.state, such laws are made fol
the colored race alone. In addition to the
abuses named, the ex-confeGerate leaders
have overthrown or nullifed such free schoo
systems as were established by the radica
governments.
| These and many other evidences of the
purposes of the ex-confederate leaders are
not calculated TO inspire confidence in the
utmost good faith of those gentlemen. Straws
indicate the way the wind is blowing. Ir
the South everything tends to show that thu
old leaders by peaceable means are bringing
political affairs to the ante-war status. Or
this ground alone there is reason enough Il
pause awhile before admitting Jefferson Da
Wis, whom a Southern Democratic paper pro
nounces "the chief representative man of the
South" to all the rights of citizenship.
But there is another reason why Mr.. Davis
should not be restored to citizenship; ant
that is, that in two years after his politica
disabilities are removed he will appear il
Congress if alive. The men who still desir'
to vindicate the 'slost cause" before thu
world would esteem the seating of Jefferson
Davis in the United States Senate a grea
triumph. Repentance has not so far come tt
them that he has ceased to be their "repre.
sentative man." Now there are hundreds o
thousands of men and women in the Nortl
| who do not desire to have that man, who's
name is synonym for perjury, treason, bar
barity and cowardice, to make their laws
He is not only the chief of political sinners
but he has been guilty of the most fendisl
offenses againt the common dictates of hu
manity. Northern Bourbons in Congress
may as well understand that this feeling j
not confined to Republican politicians. Th
aversion TO the possible spectacle of Jefferson
Davis in Congress making laws for the rela
tives of those who died in his prison pens, i
widespread and deep among the great mas
of our people. The average people regard thi
man Davis as an illustration of all that
mean and malignant. In the Democrats
party in the North his pardon will be haile'
with delight only by that reasonable faction
who would have rejoiced if Gen. Lee ant
not Gen. Grant had triumphed at Appe
mattox. The great mass of the people VIII
were loyal to the Union in the war say: II
is enough that this man Jefferson Davis b.
allowed to live unmolested; ask no more
ask not that the man who has not only beel
the most ungrateful of traitors, but the mos
conspicuous violator of all the laws of hu
manity, be restored to the glory of Ame-i
can citizenship which he has forfeited b.
treason and shown himself unfit for by hi
crimes against the civilization of the age. w
bear no malice against the man; we would lie
him go down to his grave bearing the brand Q
Cain as much deeper and more ignominiou
as his myriad crimes exceed those of the frs
| frafricido but in fba name of iustice IF rp