The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1876-11-01
THE NEW CONSPIRACY.
whaI IL Meanr by fhe Restoration OF |
the Confederate Democracy to Power. |


The Vital Issues of 1875 Considered.
The surrender at Appomattox closed the
war and yielded the dominion of the Con-
federacy to the undisputed authority of the
National Government; but in the transfer of
the conflict from the field to the forum the
nation was confronted with consequences Of
| the struggle as grave and momentous as
the war itself. Eleven States were found in
social and political chaos and all form of
civil government therein destroyed. The
highest considerations of craftsmanship and
sound policy dictated that they should be
speedily reconstructed and restored to their
constitutional relations to the Union; but
how was this to be accomplished Four
millions of emancipated slaves and five mil
lions of disloyal citizens may be said to have
comprised the entire population out of which
the proposed governments were to be formed.
In the nature Of things the conduct of the
late Confederate in this new and wholly
changed relation of citizenship became
subject of anxious inquiry. He had surren-
dered the sword of rebellion at home and the
arts of diplomacy abroad, and sworn to re-
new his allegiance; but could he be trusted
to found free and loyal governments on the
basis of complete and veritable freedom for
all, and to aid in securing within those
States the results Of the nations victory
FALSE TEACHINGS.
Unfortunately there was little in his ante
cedents to inspire confidence. The educa-
ton that made secession and rebellion easy
had imbued his mind with the most PERM
olous hereses. The disciple of Calhoun, or
the devotee of Davis, Slidell, and Yancey,
he was indoctrnated with measure of po-
litical poison which the fire of battle intensi
fed and oonsecrated rather than destroyed.
These teachings constituted his very best
conception of the nature of the Government
and his rights and duties as a citizen. The
impractieablity OF maintaining them by re-
bellion was settled but the deep-seated con-
victions which prompted that effort remained
unchanged.
Yet, notwithstanding these embarrass-
ments which attended the experiment of re-
construction and made wise and prudent
men falter in the adoption of a policy, the
sworn enemy, who had just surrendered his
treason with broken heart and had given
no evidence that he could be trusted as
worthy citizen, was promptly restored to all
the rights and privileges he had forfeited,
and the States he was destined to control
were readmitted to the Union with largely
increased political power.
THE VITAL ISSUE.
But there were national considerations
quite as vital as those peculiarly local to the
South. In 1861 the Representatives in Con-
gress from the slave States mum bered "a
against SO from the States then free, while
under the present apportionment they have
106 to 1856 from the North. Thus, soil d
Southern vote, which the Democracy have
determined to secure in the election next
November at all hazards, with only 40 Rep
resentatives from the North, will give the
South undisputed control of that body, while
1t will require only 10 votes from the North
to also give it control of the Senate. Ac-
cording to this basis it will be seen further
more that with the addition of only AZ cleo
toral votes to the 1873 belonging to the South
that section will be enabled to elect Presi-
dent and Vice President and enter upon alb
solute control of the Government. 1t was
this alarming possibility, which now pre-
sents itself in a practical and threatening
form, that made men doubt the wisdom of
any system of Southern restoration which
might ever enable the rebel citizen to gain
the ascendency and take possession of the
Republic. brief experience of ten years
has demonstrated that the fears and misgiv-
ings of those times were indeed well founded.
Not content with the usurpation of authority
in half the States of the South by means
that trample under foot every essential prin-
oiple of reconstruction and hold the laws of
God and man in utter defiance, they propose
now, by the same nefarious system, to usurp
the authority of the nation.
This being the manifest spirit of the COM
bined master element of the South, which
to-day is better organized and more thor
oughly united and determined than at any
time since it surrendered on the field, it is
pertinent to inquire with what temper it ap-
proaches the National Capital.
SLAVERY VERSUS FREEDOM.
1t is we'll known that two distinct sets of
ideas have long divided the North and the
South. The North has ever been jealous of
her institutions of freedom and protected all
her citizens alike in their enjoyment. Free
dom of speech, freedom of political thought
and action under the widest latitude, and
patriotic, paramount loyalty to the nation
have been held as cardinal tenets among her
people. The South has ever been exclu-
sive, intolerant, illiberal domineering, and
sectional. Her inheritance of freedom was
subordinated to the more sacred - inner
itance of slavery, by which every principle
of Government, every right and duty of the
citizen, and every sentiment of loyalty and
patriotism was determined. The National
Government was regarded only as an instru-
ment to be manipulated for the protection
and extension of the divine institution;
and when at last an indignant and outraged
people protested against this high abuse, the
Government was declared failure and its
dissolution demanded.
BoURBoNIsM ALIVE AND DEFIANT.
But we are told that the sad lessons of the
war and the correcting influences of time,
accompanied by a wholly changed condition
of affairs, have worked a corresponding i'm
provement in the sentiments and aspirations
of the Southern Democracy, and that they
ha f,,ll ctaI xrttl, oil fha in