National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-01-17
PRO-sI,AyEHY uoNOR.

uOLOiuulc, anu, luutGNs lil6 Ouly HOlOldult
portion of the United States, they were con-
stantly rosorting to base and immoral meas
ures to extend and pcrpctuate the yilest in
stitutiUn that ever disgraced human So
ciety; and all this they did in the high name
of the Deity aud goodwill toward man.
They endeayored to satisfy themselves and
the world that slavery was lawful and
right, and even for the best welfare Of the
enslaved, and that anti-slayory was q great
moral wrong that should be at least held
in check, and, il possible, eXterminated
from the face Of the earth. This was the
Southern Shareholders honor before the
war.
We know very well that there were many
people in the South who repudiuted such
doctrines while there were also some in the
North who seemingly were rs much in favor
of slavery as the very Southern leaders
themselves; but they were in the minority.
This minority even though small, has all
the while been of sufficient strength and
base enough in purpose to materially aid the
STAKEHOLDER in his unholy attempts TO rule
or ruin the popular Government When the
war came this great pro-slavery honor re-
sorted to such treatment of prisoners and to
such methods Of conducting warfare rs was
reproach to the civilization of the age, and
to forcing even a majority of the people of
the South to submit to carrying on q war
that was only in the interest of degraded
and reasonable ideas and for the personal
ambition of the few. When the war was
over the pro-slayery leaders for a short time
played game of humiliation that was in
direct contrast with their real feelings, yet
it shows what this peculiar kind
of honor will do. Their allies at
the North stood ready to help them at
every step, and their honor held not back
from accepting any aid that would again,
rs minority, create them guardians Of the
Government that they had 50 iiercely and
maiciously sought 10 destroy. But for
their allies at the North they would have
had no opportunity, even though they had
the mcanuess of mind, to seek such return
Of power Their peculiar form Of honor,
however, permits them to accept assistance
| from any class so long as it brings with 1t
aid to acquire personal power They will
accept aid that they despise and will reject
rs soon as it will prove cXpedient for them
| TO do so. This is ever the character of such
honor (?) the world over; and those who
have managed to misguide and misrcp p
resent the South as Il class are good repre-
sentatives of it.
Before the war, MS well rs since, the black
man who was made n slave ut the South
was recognized and claimed by humanity
at large as a fellow man, and rs such as
much entitled to all the privileges of man
hood rs any other class of men. This was
no new idea after the war; it was the idea
before the war, and, indeed, it was the agi-
tation of this idea that finally caused the
slave power to attempt to destroy what they
saw they could no longer control. In this
the right Of suffrage At the close Of the
war this right was given to the eX-slave,
and the old pro-sIayery element quietly ac-
quiesced in the demands Of the General
Government and of humanity. Those who
had put their lives and fortunes at stake for
the support of the Government regarded this
rs the best compensation for the il-treat-
ment of the past ; and it was apparently
accepted in good faith on the part Of the
cx-slaveholder that the black man should
become full citizen Of the United States,
and Us such entitled to the high privilege Of
suffrage.
But IN short time it was evident that
they accepted this measure and We're even
/ glad to have it incorporated in the Consti-
E tuition, not on the basis Of any justice OF
good will toward those whom it would ben
3 eft if honestly carried out, but simply
! because it was constitutional power
p that, when once given, could not be
? readily withdrawn, and that whel
once given to the black man
; that it was only question Of small mo-
ment with the eX-master to appropriate al
D this gain to himself And, as before tn,
| war his power permitted him TO appro
! pirate the black mans labor, SO now, with
T. out scruples, it permitted him TO appropr
S ate his suffrage Highway robbery in it,
( worse form could not equal this And yc
f the men who have manipulated this no
| only claim themselves TO be honorable, bu
+ are claimed so by many worthy people q
| the North.
i Where there is so much honor claimed
one would think that they would have mas
o meetings all over the South and pass rcso
= lutions praying the Government to modify
8 somewhat the suffrage Of those who were s,
G late in bondage on the basis that they can
G not and are not willing to accept any ad
. vantages growing ont of this increased rep
1 resentation that they could not and woulC
o not be willing to grant to the party through
= which it comes But no, we see no sucI
evidence of true honor among them on tn
i contrary, they even boast Of the adyantag,
s of the situation, of the power that 1t put
= into their hands-or, rather, that they hRy
$ seized in a most brutal manner without Law
= or justice. And even more, when il is pro
Y posed to rescind the powers Of the Constitu
+ ton that bestows this high privilege Of ful
4 citizenship, for the reason that i
. is practically null and. void and a
II present not only great disadvantng
IS to those whom IL would benefit
hrt o ,,o,varC,l E,ctop auoipst g. iIap, o,,1 al