Year: 1869

bnat the Llme mas come when there
should no longer be a prescribed
class before the bsllot-box. The
growing prevalence of the same
spirit in the Northern political
cOunsels is manifest to every OBJ
server. s.s..... ,. b.. /


The fact is that the first intense,
impulsive, indiscriminating heat
against the rebellion and all con-
cerned in it has given place with
the lapse of time, to cooler, calmer
thinking. The treatment of the
conquered Rebels is now weighed
with more regard to the true inter
ests of the whole country. Opin-
ions upon it are shaped less by pri-
vate feeling, and more by consid-
erations of sound public policy.


Among the Union men of the
South-even the Radical portion Of
them--there isa perception of a bad
anomaly in a state of things under
which the highest prerogative of
citizenship is denied to thousands
of the most wealthy, intelligent and
virtuOus, while it is freely exercised
by tens of thousands who have
lived all their lives until very lately
in the most debasing slavery and
benighted ignorance. .P I
The Radicals of the North, too,
are growing more sensible Of this
incongruity. 1t is hard for them to
keep up their old cry Of "manhood
suffrage, and. make the application
stop short of the white race. If
their principle is worth anything
at all, It's validity is absolute, and
its application must be universal.
1t has come to this-as every think
ing man foreknew from the outset
that the Radicals cannot nourish
their resentments against the South
ern white man, except at the ex-
pense of the Impartial equal right
platform, the abstract justice of
which was all that ever gave them
any standing place in the politics
Of the country, Thus it is that the
very class of Northern politicians
who have been most implacable to-
ward the South are preparing to
yield something, from the sheer ne
cessity OF keeping a square and
clear position before the people.


Withal, there is something in
this permanent prescription that is
calculated to make it unpopular,
without any reference to party d.
visions. 1t is essentially un-Ameri-
can-opposed to the whole spirit of
our institutions, and to the fundas
mental principles of our govern
ment. There is not mOnarchieal
rule in Europe which has not its
long list of pr0scrits-men who
have been outlaWed all their lives
for some kind of insubordmation.
This persecution is in perfect har-
mony with system which lives and
has its being only in brute force,
and knows no such thing as an in
herent personal right. But we live
in a republic which processes to be
sustained purely by the consent of
the governed, and which declares
certain natural rights "inalienable." ="
That can not be called a govern
ment of the people from the privi-
leges of which q considerable frac


tion of the people, for any cause


are excluded. To impose taxation
and all the other burdens of govern
mont upon any person, while de-
priving him of representation and


all the benefits of government, has


been to the American mind, from
the beginning, the very essence Of
tyranny. The very love for consti-
tutiOnal law which impelled the
great majority to fight the rebellion
with such good heart, makes it all
the harder to follow up the con-
quered rebellion with pain and pen
alties so alien to the constitution.


1t may be allowed that disfran-
chisement, with its attendant iron
clad oath, for a time served some
good purpose. But that is really no
argument for their continuance.
There is no reason in persistently
keeping up an extreme medicine in
advanced convalescence, simply be-
cause it did some good at a more
dangerous stage of the disease.
Every body knows that the time
must come when the extreme resort
must be discontinued, or hepatient
be the worse for it. For a while,
after the overthrow of the rebellion,
the Southern temper was so hot
and vindictiye with disappointment
that it was easily moved to evil by
its old leaders, and reconstruction
thereby was greatly hindered, until
it became palpable that these lea-
ders must somehow be hampered
and disabled, or disorder rage in
definitely. Therefore these temper
ary disabilities were temporarily
imposed and with good effect. The
irritation of the masses, left without
this stimulus, presently gave way tC
sober thought, and it gradual
| ly became clear to the whole
Southern mind that it wa:


best TO forget the past, anC


be ON good terms once more


with the old government. This


feeling grew until the rebellion


was no longer spoken of or thought


of by any class, except as "ThC


Lost Cause" And to day scarcely


trace of the old rebelliOus spirit


ventures to show itself anywhere


Practically, the South is now just


as clear as the North of any pur.


pose to organize resistance against


Federal authority. The suspension


of Aa6eas corpus, which the North


erp people were made to feel during
| the war, would be scarcely more


out of time, if revived now, than


are these civil disabilities, still


visited upon the South. The re-


bellion has forever passed, and


with it should pass forever away


from both parties Of the country


the last glimmering Of its crue


necessities.


If there was any significance il