Year: 1869

construction Iu1lY IN the I8Ct5 AuON tAHAS
| these laws, known as the reconstruetlon
laws, are now "Gu fat dcc0mpH." In nearly
all the Southern States, and our citizens Will


see TO it, that Mississippi. also IS desirous OF
soon marching in line to the old music OF
the Union. The question Is not. ''is this re-
construction Just such one as the majority
of our people desire :" but, ''can we hope 70
gain any better terms by farther 1nactlon.
The irrevocable fiat has been thundered
forth, and no decree of Olympian Jove was
ever more immutable than the pronnncia-


mento that bids US reconstruct. The sword
has been appealed to. and its verdict given
Congress and the Judiciary have spoken,


and powerful though rash executive. VINO
alone espoused the interests of the south
has been thrust from the helm of power, and


the ballot box has Joined its confirmatory
thunder, to the others which preceded IL,
telling us We must reconstruct--and SIN
cerely trust that our people will no more
despiSe the warning.


But there is something more for the citi-


zen TO do than simply for him to say, Il am
] in favor of reconstruction There are sew
eTal lines of policy that loom up around US,
when we examine the portentious word, re-
construction, and it is very proper, that
man should say what particular policy he
is in favor of when he advocates it.


As the President hal not yet told us what
points of the late Costitution he intends to
submit to Us for our consideration, our lines
OF policy cannot yet be closely drawn. nor
can we decide it in detail what Is best TO doi
but in the interim, we can think OF the main
leading features, and consider them In our
minds.


Universal Suffrage is most certainly inev-
liable. and as this is already on US, our OPP
position to it would be entirely useless
Consequently our sense of duty TO all the


material interests of the State Will not per-
NIT our opposition to this measure TO lnJure
our coming prospects Inc Io.n Aunenu-
ment practically does not affect our status
in any respect, and / cannot see how or
VIII at we can gain by its opposition


sincerely trust that with universal sui
I frage we may obtain general AMNESTY, an
entire removal of all our political disabili-
ties so that our unfortunate though misgui-


ded brethren may be restored to their fuIl


political Stdti, as held by them in the OLD an
ii belLum days. This is very important re-
quirement for us indeed, and we can only
obtain it Del Grdtid aud General Grant, and
l sincerely trust that no conduct upon the
part of our citizens, will block up our road
to this desirable consummation. If this and
the abolition of the test oath Is removed,
we shall have gained two most desirable
con6uests for our people. We are however


so unfortunately situated that no immediate


action of our own can insure US these desl-
rable privileges. Myself l cannot person
ally beaffectcd by them, but it is for my
brethren nows down deep in the waters of


affliction that / feel, and sympathize, and
labor, and most willingly would sacrifice


any personal consideration, only once more


to see my friends, my felIow-citizens,


throughout the State, all restored to their


anti-bellum privileges.


Now how are these desirable things to be


obtained for our friends? We cannot get


them by force, we cannot get them by any


direct action of our own, but still we can
get them by indirect action. Friends, We
cannot get these most desirable things in a


day or perhaps a year, but we can begin


TO work for them Just as we begin to work


for our crops, and they will as assuredly
come. The first thing we are to do. we must


see our impOtency, our utter inability to get


ourselves out of this slough of DespOnd,


and then. if we cannot work ourselves, we
must hold up the hands of those who can,


and when YOU see man working tor you


do not abuse him or wound his feelings by


heaping cOntumely upon him, becauss he is
a Unionist. Let abusive terms alone, and


try those unfailing measures of redress that


reach the heart. Fighting a windmill like
the Knight Errant of old, will not pay
Use diplomacy and good sense. not opposi-
ton and abuse. While we are talking re-
construction we must also act it out in all
the fullness of It's meaning, and this can be
effected without any sacrifice of principle
on your part, and without one modicum of
the stultific9 tion of your manhood. L ask
our people only to look calmly at the situa-


tion, and then wisely lay hold on such helps
as are in reach, to relieve themselves, and
the very surest way to do this is to disarm
the prejudice of the North.


Then let us begin to act reconstruction
and let us try the following:


1st. When in Company with strangers,
where we suppose Northern men are, let us
not interlard our conversations with cOntin-
ual abuse of Northern men, women and GUS
toms. Let the terms, "blue bellies" &C.
not be found in our conversations where
Northern men are; and when there is gross
violation of law among us, let us see that its
perpetrators do not go unwhipt of justice,
but above all things let us set at once about
exhibiting the National Flag upon our fes-
tive celebrations. Let us bring back the
old custom at Our barbecues, and public con-
vocations, of tossing the old flag to the
breeze, of giving it again its ancestral
place its old free home on high. The flag
is not responsible for any of the evils under
which you suffer. 1t is not the emblem of
the North, it's yours, tbs mine, It's ours,
the one common property OF every brave
man, and every bright-eyed woman, from
Erie to the Southern Calf. 1t is our COM
mon heritage-the gloI 9ous bond of our ma
tiOnality. Are you aware OF the friends We
can make to ourselves simply by honoring
our fathers flag! Are you aware OF the
strength that mind attaches to such things
as these? Sir Walter Scott in his beautiful
story, called the Heart of Mid Lothian"
gives us a simple though powerful instance
of the influence of national costume. When
Jenny Deans had performed her journey
from the heather-covered hills of Scotland
to London to intercede with royalty for the
pardon OF nef DeauIllui InOuEn misguided
sister, Ellie Deans, she, after reaching that
metropolis, first called upon the powerful
Duke Of Argyle, who was Scottish noble
man. and in order TO make her suit the more
successful, appeared before him clad in the
native tartan of his country. A dress so
unusual on the streets of London. made her
an object of imprudent, almost of imperti-
nent curiosity. When asked by the Duke
why she made her appearance in such wild
dress, she remarked, in her simple style,
Sha xx-ich to his i,fin in
soliciting her sisters pardon, and to do this,
dressed in her native style. For, said she,
Il thought the heart of McCallum More
would not fail to warm towards his native
tartan"


The words went to the heart of the chief
tain, who told her that while life-warm
blood continued to animate him. his heart
would never fail to "warm to the tartan.'-
He espoused her suit and was sgcccessful.
And thus will it be with our people, when
they come among US and visit our citizen
convocations, and see the old flag restored
to its old free place, their hearts IN the sim
pie language of Jenny Deans VIII not falI
Ito warm to the flag and when IL warns 20
the flag it will warm towards US, and ours
viii warm towards them, and thus will re-
construction be more than half achieved
simply through the agency OF a kindred
nationality.


have not room to pursue this subject fur
ther now, but let us all work that ere the
iiCn green leaves OF THIS glorious spIihS
shall have been withered and scattered upon
earth by the autumn Zephyrs, that we may
hnd ourselves travelling with more than
veiocipede swiftness, along the broad macad-
amized road that leads to harmonious and
genuine reconstruction A reconstruction
that while it gives the boon of suffrage to the
black viii not ban the white man for polit-
lcal afiliation that came upon him resist
lessly as the Sirocco of the desert and
whose power he could no more have success
fully withstood.


Give us equal chances in life. ] am not
afraid of the dominance of another race
The hoary eracles of more than 1000 years