The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-06-12
SOMERSET. Pa. WEDNESDAY. JUNE 70, 1878.

! est and the sympathies created by
: produced al irresistible current to
r ward the cataract Of disunion b.
which they were swept down.
: have no denunciations for the pas,
, The hand of friendship and affection
, which recently gave my old maste
on his death-bed | would cordial,
extend to all men like him. Speak
, ing for my race as well as for myself
can 'rlthsully say that neither be
fore the war, during the war, no
J since the war have the colored peo
pie of the South shown malice or re
sentiment toward the old slaveholdiDI
class, as a class, because of any Of
all the wrongs inflicted upon then
during the days OF their bondage
On the contrary, whenever and
wherever this class has shown anv
disposition to respect the feelings ant
Iprotec. the rights Of coloreG men
colored men have preferred to sup
port them. No men from the East
West, North, or from any other
quarter can SO readily win the hear,
and control the political action of the
colored people of the South as car
the slsveholding class, if they are in
the least disposed to be just TO them
and to faithfully carry out the pro
visions Of the Constitution. They
respect the old master class. but they
hate and despise slavery. The world
has never seen more striking exam
pie of kindness, forbearance, and fidel
lity than was shown by the slave pop
ulation OF the South during the war
To them was committed the care oi
the families of their masters while
those masters were off fighting TO
make the slavery of these same slaves
perpetual. The hearths and homes
of those masters were left at their
mercy. They could have killed, rob-
bed, destroyed, and taken their liber-
ty if they had chosen to do so, but
they chose to remain true to the trust
reposed in them. and utterly refused
to take any advantage of the situa-
ton, to win liberty or destroy prop
erty. No act of violence lays to their
charge. All the violence, crimes,
and outrages alleged against he ne
gro have originated since his eman-
cipation. Judging from the charges
against him now, and assuming their
truth, sudden, startling, and most
unnatural change must have been
wrought in his character and compo-
sition. And, for one, l do not be-
lieve any such change has taken
place. If the ex-master has lost the
affection of the slave, it is bis own
fault Men are not changed from
lambs into tigers instantaneously,
nor from tigers into lambs instantan-
eously II the negro has lost conf.
dence in the old master class, it is
due to the conduct of that class to-
ward him since the war and sine,
his emancipation. What has been
said of the kindly temper and dispo.
sition of the colored people of the
South to the old master class, may
be equally said of the feelings of the
North toward the whole South.
There is no malice, ranking here
against the South-there was none
before the war, there was none dur
ing the war, aud there has been none
since the war The policy of pacif-
cation of President Hayes was In the
line of Northern sentiment No
American citizen is s.igmatized here
as carpet -bagger," or "interloper,"
because Of his Southern birth. He
may here exercise the right of speech,
the elective franchise, and all other
rights of citizenship as those to the
manor born. The Lsmars, the Hills,
the Gordons and the Buffers of the
South may stump any or all the
States of New-England, and sit 10
safety at the hcarths and homes
made desolate by causeless rebel
lion in which they were leaders.
without once hearing an angry word,
or seeing an insulting gesture That
so much can not be said of the South
is certainly no fault OF the people of
the North We have always been
ready to meet rebels more than half
way and to hail them as fellow citi-
zeus, countrymen, clansmen, and
brothers beloved. As against the
North there is no earthly reason for
the charge of persecution and punish
ment of the South. She has suffered
to be sure, but she has been the au-
thor of her own suffering Her sons
have not been punished, but have
been received back into the highest
departments of the very Government
they endeavored to overthrow and
destroy. They now dominate the
House of Representatives,, and hope
soon to control the United States
Senate, and the most radical of the
radicals of the North will bow to
this control, if it shall be obtained
without violence, and in the legi,i-
mate exercise of the constitutional
rights.
DISTINCTIONS THAT MUST BE PRsERv-
Nevertheless, we must no be asked
to say that the South was right in
the rebellion, or to say the North
was wrong. We must not be asked
to put no difference between those
who fought for the Union and those
who fought against it, or between
loyalty and treason. We must not
be asked to be ashamed Of our part
in the war. That is much too great
a strain upon Northern conscience
and self-respect to be borne in silence.
A certain sound was recently given
to the trumpet of freedom by General
Grant when be told the veterans OF
Ohio, in letter written from Milan,
Italy, THAT be trusted none of them
would ever feel disposition TO apol-
ogize for the part they took in the
late struggle for national existence,
or for the cause for which they fought.
admit that the South believed it
was right, but the nature of things is
not changed by belief The Inquisi-
tion was not less q crime against hu-
msnity because it was believed right
by the Holy Fathers. The bread
and wine are no less bread and wine,
though to faith they are flesh and
bInod admit fnrfher that ui.uad |