The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-03
WEDNESDAY. APRIL ., 1873.
T.rtner reflections on the Pres
idsni,s southern Policy.

and II was not in the nature Of things that
,hey should feel very amiable towards
their copquerors. But there was more
this, for they were not only con.
auered. but their boosted institution Of
had been taken from them.
The whites Of the South we're conquered,
and their negro slaves were emancipsted
BY tbs act Of their oOnquerors. The negro
slaves whom these sOutherners had CON
,ideted a. belonging to q degraded race,
emanGipAtsd and clothed with equal
privileges With their former masters.
This was all right In the eyes OF human.
i,y generally, and by the world wss
s measure Of just ret.
ributiSn for the great sin OF
rebellion. But these Southern rebels did
no. recognize the great wrong Of their re-
bellion, but on the other hand they pur.
.uaded themselyeS that they were right.
They did NOT view matters from . loyal
standpoint, nor from the stand point OF
the world. fDuringithe four years exist
once Of the war, the bitterest feelings had
been eugendsred against their adverse.
ries, and, finally, when they were forced
10 yield 10 their conquerors and give up
their slaves, 1t could not be expected
that they would have any great love for
their oonquerors. Thousands OF the N
stood upon their honor aud accepted the
situation with as good grace as they
could command, while many malcontents
organized themselves into ku-klux bands,
and carried out a system Of oppression
and intimidation towards the negroes
and white Unionists. This necessitated
the sending Of a military force among
them to suppress their lawless acts.
Many military arrests were made,
and many Of the lawless South
erners were punished. This kept
up the spirit Of strife, aud this
feeling was aggravated by adventurous
men who went into the South from the
North TO reap the advantages offered by
the times. Native white s%outherners
were laboring under disabilities and could
not hold office. Northern adventures,
by i%ugeniou.ly manipulating the negro
vote, could &c. themselves into posision'
and hence q large body Of the most intel
lipent Of the Southern population found
themselves under the rule Of carpet bag
gers and their former slaves. However
mild and proper this rule might have
been il would have been CALLING to these
Southern people, but when ii is taken
into account that unworthy men very
often obtained ascendancy, 1t is no. to be
wondered at that many Of the Southern
people enyinced a disposition to disobey
the laws and resist the authorities
I. was found necessary by President
Grant TO enforce obedience to the laws
with the bayonet. This kept up the
strife. The better elements in the South
Welded obedience to the laws, though
they deemed them oppressive, but the
Southern people, like all other people,
are not wholly law .abidipg. Society IN
the South, as everywhere else, Ia composed
Of good aud bad elements, but owing to
the anomalous condition in which the
war lei. the South the developments Of
the bad element we're widespread, and In
many instances disastrous to the peace
aud safety Of communities. Riots took
place which had to be suppressed by the
military. Owing to public opinion in
many localities the trial by jury, in cases
in which the rights Of the negro or Of the
white uniouists were involved, was a
mere mockery. On one hand what was
denomina,ed carpet.bag misrule vas
made The pre,ex. for The mos. heinous
or,m.. while. ON The other, KuKlux
on,rsa,. b,onsb, about ,he necessity Of
bayonet rule. President Grant had
said, alet us have peace" and no doubthe
vo,tad mace. but while adyenturera COZ.
,rolIsd The State governments in the
sa s,,.1 ass hv imnoli,ie legislation, and
- .an. ,-n.,.ncs. corrupt admipistra.
- a... nrenso n l.wles, sou,herpers
W." ,sadisncs 10 the laval. was i'm.
n...;b,s ~ nave mace.
na.;,s n. sivbt wears Of presiden.
Gu, ,sai,,r,,ion a ,tanlinp army
s.s l ss.msd nscs.ssry in the Southern
C.. w., 1s = IL ,hs Mean ,,n,s come Of these
aa..ad trom ,bs ,nle AZ politf.
~ ss..n,nrsrs and ,be white natives Of
!. s...insa oon,,ol. srob was
Nv, NV 'o o.,s a II Tsnpes.ee, Alabama and
a u ~ Tha.. sls,os had become com.
nas.,;"s,v ,nis.. This neople were de-