Year: 1868

against an abuse, and at the critical moment
vote to sustain and perpetuate it, and in one
act belle all their great phrases.


Brooks document is good enough protest
Limping somewhat here and there. it is, taken
as whole, tolerably well written and correct
in its statement of political principles. But
there is an omission that materially affects its
relation to the case it is intended to cover


1t omits from its schedule Of political causes
and results that important caAse Of many
recent events-the war which ragged in this
country between the years 1860 and 1865. In
considering the present position of the Southern


States and their relation to the other States
and to Congress, and more particularly in con-
sidering law proposing to modify such rela-


ton, writer is very apt to tumble in


gloom if he forgets that there was war, or if


he has some reasons of his own for wishing to


leave the war out of his argument. 1t is easy to


assent to Brooks statements in regard to the
rights of the States in the government as they
existed before the war; but we must remem-


uCA bAut suC OOutuCIu Otutco CluALuCu SuC POWCi


to repudiate those rights and exercised it,


Rights and duties go together, and the Southern


States failed in their duties and 80 forfeited


their rights by necessary implication. Not


only so, but they relinquished them expressly,


spurned them as trash, and Hguratively tram


pied under their feet that constitution which


was the sole guarantee of those rights. Nay,


they claimed to take their stand on that higher


ultimate right Of every people-the right Of
revolution-and this claim extinguishes and


valves all other claims and resorts to the
decision Of force. As consequence of this


and of the failure of those States to justify


themselves by success in battle, they stood


before the nation when peace came denuded


of all rights and holding everything at the


conqueror's will and mercy. As this is the
fundamental fact in their position it is foolish


and worthy only the Congressional democrats


to forget it; for even the Southerners them


selves keep it in mind


We have always urged that resentful and
vindictive policy against communities thus at
our mercy was the worst of all stupidity, and
that the radicals who made such policy the
first postulate of reconstruction were the worst
foes the country ever had to fear. Still, we
claimed then and claim now that it was to the
magnanimity of the North that the conquered
States must owe all, and not that they had any
right or claim that could be advanced without
shameless impudence. Nothing whatever can
justify the establishment of military power in
the Southern States and the ruling by despot-
ism and plundering Oligarchy nor any of the
other atrOcious measures Of the republican
party; but all these are crimes against the ma
ton and the North, not violations of any
rights of the South. Negro suffrage we look
upon as dangerous; but we do not assent that
Southern men have any rights that can be in
vaded by it. The simplest review of these
facts must show how inconsequent and silly is
the democratic protest which regards the
Southern communities as standing in face of
the law just where they did before they thrust
away the law and refused to acknowledge it,
These Congressional democrats are ridiculous
cheats and humbugs. Southern men under
,eauu tueI pOSitiou very we'll anu dCCepJ IL
ully. Even negro suffrage they boldly declare
hey would rather have than lose the repre-
'entation they would be deprived of if they
ieny it. Yet their self-constituted champions
n the House can hardly express their abhor-
'ence of voting niggers; and rather than have
'uch an abomiuation would keep the South
,ut forever, as they indicate by their protest
against Arkansas. If the ideas that are the
taple of this protest are to be worked into the
platform of the Fourth of July Conventional
he democracy is to reason thus in its appeal
o the people on the Presidency-it will imme-
lately array against it the whole common
ense of the country. Ii it cannot find capital
'nough in the blunders and atrocities of the
adicals, but must go to the assertion of things
hat the nation has so often and emphatically
declared against it will justly be voted down
~ the uprising of the whole Northern people.


THE IRISH CHURoH BILL IN THE HOUSE OF
lords. The Irish Church Appointments Sus-
,ensory bill was called to a second reading in
he English House of Lords last night. Lord
moved the measure, repeating the
arguments used by Mr. Gladstone and his