Year: 1868

II
Arkansas journal, in the words following:


Colored voters would come from the plantations In
squads Of i5 90 or 25 Of whom from three to five only
would get the polls 70 vote the rest DenS pulled OF
driven IRON the polls by threats Of Violence" &C.


II this be the condition OF Affairs at the oouth no"'
while there are soldiers stationed here 70 Keep the
and especially protect the Blacks what Wh DO tne
atate of affairs when the soldiers are Withdrawn The
peonle in the southern States will live in peace so
long "a they are subjected rule of the negro and
II they ever get power 1t Is twenty years hence
they will take away the Right OF Suffrage from the
Blacks.


You contend that the way In which the South is being
reconstructed leads TO peace and quiet and that Johnson
nv his acts has kept the South in riot and turmoil tell
you the Reconstruction acts lead to war and bloodshed
You know that there Is antagonsm between the races
worse at the North than at the South AS soon az the
United States soldiers withdrawn, there VIII 10 no
election unless accompanied by riot and bloodsheu
which will finally lead TO eXtermnating war Det"eeh
the two


why does the Congress of the United States put the
people Of the South to the trouble and expense OF
holding Conventional Why does not some member
write out Constitution such suits their views have
them adopt It, and admit the States to representation
The people are very poor aud Ill able TO pay the
OF holding these Conventions, and the manner In whcn
"a done is mere farce The Congress leaves It TO the
people to decide whether not they will ratfy the Con-
suon made by these Conventions but II this decision
ia adverse TO the wishes OF Congress the State is recon
structed anyhow, In the case Of Alabama The0 why
not make the Constitutions themselyesi


Tho Convention members in this State have voted them
selyes $40 per dem and 1t will cost the State half mil
lon which, for all the good that will be done, could as
we'll have been saved and the Congress make the Const
tuition for IL is omnipotent any matter comes up


likely to interfere with their acts they make law di-
reotly TO suit the Witness the McCardle case The
Constitution Of the United States entirely lost sight Oh
In their efforts to retain power in their party.


The South msy be governed by the bayonet as in all
despOtic govanmentsas now is but there VIII be
no peace or voluntary union until the right OF the states
to bestog suffrage on whom they please acknowledged
by tho General Government


You call the Blacks loyal There is not one in thou
sand that has any idea Of loyalty than horse;
and know II fact that, If JEFF Davis had called on
them for volunteers he could have raised an army Qf
100000 Black soldiers. know that any popular t6ung
man could have raised company OF 200 volunteers In
this nelghborhood They had no ideS Of the principles
for which the two parties 1Stng and would have
followed any leader on etbr side who would have taken
them out OF the cottonSed They do not like to fight
much but would rSher fight than work. and this is the
reason why yopi army had so many Black volunteers
You may tbnk that this is all prejudice but assure you
they arc sober truths.


You think the people OF South disposed to perse
cp.e and trampe the Blacks. This is not so, as
general thing They rather disposed 10 befriend and
protect them and TO grant them many rights and
liberties as they capable OF enjoying There are ex-
ceptions to this rule Others but the Congress had
not nterfered between the two 1t would haye been
better for BOTH and they would now be living In peace,
harmony, and prosperity with each other


so plain are the indications that the interference Of
Congress will only result in evil that the intelligent
negroes are seeking leave the country They that
likely to be end to the troubles on the Suffrage
question and every who has the means emigratng
10 Liberia Six hundred about to sail from
Savannah and three thousand have pettoned Con-
gress for means TO 90.


lam no pOlltican-never have been. am an old, gray
headed farmer with foot in the grave; and sincerely
desire that could be devised that could spend
the few days that have to live In peace and quiet but
am fully convinced that all Of the Reconstruction acts
passed by Congress- and the laws TO carry them into
effect, will only result in evil Yours respectfully,


THos p MILLER.


Winston County Miss, April %, 1865


Comments By The Tribune.


We have printed the foregoing letter rer-
bdtim because it speaks the sentiments Of a
numerous and powerful caste at the South, and
because it shows, more cOgently than any
statement we could frame, what are the real
sentiments of that caste, and why it is that
the South is not pacified. Having thus given
our unrecOnstructed friend full hearing, we
will thank him and his class to listen to US as
patiently while we review his positions as
follows


/. You tIiumphantly quote to u.s. Mr. Miller,
the fact that your folks in Arkansas bullied
and browbeat part of the Blacks from the
polls, not allowing them to vote, as proof
of what2 That your set will let no Black
vote if they can help it3 We fully under
stand that You say that you will disfranchise
the Blacks if you ever achieve the power to do
SO. No d0ubt-and that is just why you will
never achieve it, Stupid and servile as you say
the Blacks are, they will never vote for you,
or with you, until you have learned to respect
their rights as men; and, as you mean not to
learn this, they are certain to vote dead against
you, and so prevent your achieving power.
Your threats, therefore, can have but one eff
fect-that of precluding your ever gaining OPP
portunity to give effect to them.
II. You say there will be no peace till your
set gain the ascendancy and disfranchise the |
Blacks. So you think but you are in error. |
You thought, few years ago, that there |
could be no peace till the independence of the |
Southern Confederacy was established and |
acknowledged; but you now see that it was |
otherwise ordered You thought there would |
be twenty years of guerrilla warfare after the !
Rebel armies were driven from the field, if |
they ever should be so driven yet you now
see that yOu were mistaken. Let us forbear
prophecy, while we all live and learn.


III. AS to your threats that, after the U. s.
soldiers are Withdrawn, there will be no election
at the South not unaccompanied by riot and
we regret them; because the spirit
that dictates them may compel the continuance
Of Military force at the South, when we
should much prefer to have it withdrawn and
disbanded Still, if you make il necessary