Year: 1877

THE NEW UNION.


There are political troubles which time only
aooravotes there are others which 1t assuages
and alleyiates nor is it difficult to see when a
nation which has been sick is upon the mending
hand. The speech just made by Mr.. Wade
HAMPTON at the White Sulphur Springs in Vir-
rinia is remarkable for a certain urbanity,
and passionless retrospect which indicate
anything but eternal hatred. We do not see
what Mr.. Hampton could be expected to say
which he did not say. He made an absolute
surrender of himself to the Constitution,
amendments and all and what more could he
do7 Those who expect leading Southern clti-
zens to say that they are extremely sorry Tor
what they have done, and to protest pite-
ously that they will never do so again, must
be little over-fOnd of seeing their fellow
creatures in humilating attitudes. We ought
to be so far satisfied when Mr.. Wade Hamp-
ton declares his loyalty TO the Constitution ana
the Union. 1t is true that he makes reser-
walton. He bargains for equality in the en-
"forcement of the laws by the General Gov
"ernment in the North and the South" Is
there anybody at the North too "loyal to
agree with him ? What more can he say


The truth is, it has not always been SUI
ficiently understood at the North that amnesty,
accepted under certain conditions, means con-
donation. and substantially an oblivion OF the
past. 1t would be of little Use technically to
restore men to civil rights which have been
forfeited, if a repetition of the errors and OF
fences which rendered such restoration neces-
sary is continually to be looked for. There
must be confidence until it has been forfeited
by some new treason. Whoever is readmitted
to his citizenship must be regarded as a citi-
zen: while those who are always upont the scent
for n relapse, little comprehend how dstrust
NAV drive a man into acts of folly which other
wise would not have been committed


Mr.. Hampton said in the course of his speech :
"The people of the South have surrendered In
" good faith, and intend honestly to carry out
"their pledges" He himself represents a
State almost ruined, first by the rebellion and
afterward by bad government which was
forced upon it partly, it is true, through unfor-
tunate conditions and circumstances. If he
can say so much as this for South Carolina
and say it with applause and acceptance even
in Virginia. who is there dsreputably suspl-
cious enough to go behind his words, search
ing for mean motives and the indications of
treacherous self-interest But whether they
satisfy us or not, such declarations, accom-
panied and verified by thorough peace and
good order throughout the South, are all which
il is i'm the power of the best class OF Southern
citizens to give US. We may distrust them
if WE see fit. We may take it for granted that
they are hypocrites and time-servers; and when
a few of our public men shake their heads and
say that "they don't know we may shake
our heads and indulge in similar expressions
of profound dstrust. Perhaps it is unmanly,
foolish. desperately imprudent to believe, when
Mr.. Hampton and Southern men like him de-
clare themselves "loyal to the Constitution
that they mean what they say. But II
oaths are nothing, if protestations are nothing,
if good conduct is nothing, we must wait for
a whole generation of Southern men to die out
before we can, with any prospect of success,
attempt the restoration of the Union. We have
not waited Upon the contrary, we have
formally declared the Union to be fully and
completely restored to the status quo. If this
means anything it means the perfect rehabil-
itation of the States The North must accept
the situation as well as the South. Massa-
chusetts has 10 more right to doubt South
Carolina than South Carolina has night to
doubt Massachusetts,. There must be a begin
ing of confidence-something must be forgot
ten something forgiven-if the Union is to
have future. And as soon as the States are
together, the respectability, the good repute,
the prosperity of each is a matter of common
concern. Therefore, when Mr.. Hampton says
that South Carolina once more stands erect
"and proud as i'll the days of former prosper
city who is there unforgiving enough to be
sorry, even though the future should prove his
words TO be words of truth