The news & observer., 1905-11-05
SOUTHERN RECONSTRUCTION
BONDS MUST BE EXCLUDED
FROM TREATY.

be up in the Senate again for consid-
Grafton. The Mohonk Conference,
which has been agitating with zeal for
arbitration, has issued a circular letter
in which it says:
" 1t is not likely to be very long be-
fore the problem of negotiating and
ratifying arbitration treaties will again
be considered at Washington, and
while there has been during the last
few years in this and other countries
a rapid growth of public sentiment in
favor of arbitration, there is still ur-
gent need for further increase of
that sentiment, and for the adoption of
methods by which it can be given ade-
quate expression, and the effective and
decisive influence to which it is en-
titled in national affairs
There is no doubt that public senti-
ment has grown in favor of submit
ting international questions that
threaten war to arbitration, but the
treaty must be so drawn as to limit
the consideration to real differences
and not open the door to making the
fraudulent claims. The presentation
by spectators of Reconstruction
bonds, issued by irresponsible and
thieving legislatures in the Southern
States, to Venezuela is a menace to the
Southern States that is grave and Sc
rious. The treaty as it was presented
last year had a yelled clause by which
Venezuela could have submitted the
question of payment of such bonds to
the Court Of Arbitration. They be-
but are given to that country in order
to secure a chance to force their pay
ment by some such method as the
Court of Arbitration. To permit such
a matter. fraudulent on it's face, to
go to that court would be to use the
Christian sentiment of the world as a
cloak for enforcing a fraudulent claim
against the States of the South. The
Mohonk Conference has no such aim
and the honest men pressing the arbi-
tration treaties would doubtless be
perfectly willing to insert a clause ex-
cepting by name the submission OF
any Reconstruction bonds issued when
the Southern States were in the hands
of carpet-bag and scalawag thieves.
But unless these bonds are specifically
excepted in terms no Southern Senator
could afford to vote for the treaty,
however much he is in sympathy with
arbitration as a means of settling in
ternational disputes, instead of resort
ing to war.
President Roosevelt was quoted last
year as expressing the opinion that
these repudiated bonds could not be
the subject of arbitration under treaty,
but other able men gave it as their
opinion there was a clause through
which they might slip in and then
there would be no redress. The South
can afford to take no chance, particu-
larly since they can be excluded by
name. and if that is not done by the
should be defeated at every hazard
These bonds are inherently dishonest
and nothing short of bavonets can
compel the Southern States to recog-
nize or pay them The men who own
the bonds, bought for a song, are or
ganizing the make sentiment in favor
of a compromise payment. They can
afford to subsidize newspapers, buy
lawyers and purchasable politicians
And they will dc both. But the South
ern people will fight to the bitter end
the success of the attempt to burden
the people with a debt that is fraudu-
lent for the beginning.
The South is beginning to recover
from the losses of slavery, war and re-
construction. Compared with condi-
tions in 1870 it is prosperous and
growing rich, but compared with the
other sections of the Republic 1t is
very poor. It's needs are great. only
last year has it been able to maintain
as much as four months public schools
ir the rural districts. It's. educational
and charitable institutions are small
and Inadequate and yet taxation is as
high as the condition of the people
will warrant. The broadcast sugges-
ton of "Now the South is rich and
ought to pay this debt" put forth by
the owners of bonds and paid magazine
writer's, needs to be examined. Com
pared to New England the South is
wretchedly poor. If by any miscar-
riage of Justice it should be forced to
pay any part of that fraudulent and
dishonorable debt, the South would
be compelled to deny its children edu-
cation and to properly care for it's in
sane in order to pour money into. the
pockets of a lot of spectators who
paid nothing except song for these
evidences of Reconstruction Wrong
and Robbery.