Text from
"Reconstruction and How It Works," Thomas Nast Illustration:Left Side:
Iago. The Moor is of a free and open
nature,
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so;
And will as tenderly be led by the nose,
As asses
Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me,
For making him egregiously an ass,
And practicing upon his peace and quiet
Even to madness. Tis here, but yet confusd;
Knaverys plain face is never seen, till usd
Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains,
Yet, for necessity of present life,
I must show out a flag and sign of love;
Which is indeed but sign
Then devils will their blackest sins put on,
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,
As I do now
I humbly do beseech you of your pardon,
For too much loving you
I hope, you will consider, what is spoke
Comes from my love;But, I do see you are movd:
I am to pray you, not to strain my speech
To grosser issues, nor to larger reach
Than to suspicion
O grace! O heaven defend me!
Are you a man? Have you a soul, or
sense?
God be wi you; take mine office.O wretched fool,
That livst to make thine honesty a vice!
O monstrous world! Take note, take note, O world!
To be direct and honest, is not safe.
I thank you for this profit; and, from hence,
Ill love no friend, since love breeds such offense
Work on,
My medicine, work!
Othello.
Right Side:
"I have been accused of being inimical to the true
interests of the colored people but this is not true. I am one of their best
friends; and time, which tries and tests all, will demonstrate the fact
I once said I
would be the Moses of your people, and lead them on to libertyliberty they now
have
I have been blamed for vetoing the Freedmens Bureau Bill, and have been
also represented to the colored people as having done it because I was their enemy. This
is not true
The ordinary course of judicial proceedings is no longer interrupted. The
courts, both State and Federal, are in full, complete, and successful operation, and
through them every person, regardless of race and color, is entitled to and can be hear.
The protection granted to the white citizen is already conferred by law upon the
freedman
.It can not be expected that men who have for four years been made familiar
with the blood and carnage of war, who have suffered the loss of property, and in so many
instances reduced from affluence to poverty, can at once assume the calm demeanor and
action of those citizens of the country whose worldly possessions have not been destroyed,
and whose political hopes have not been blasted, and the worst view of this subject
affords no parallel in violence to similar outrages that have followed all civil
commotions, always less in magnitude than ours. But I do not believe that this
to-be-regretted state of things will last long." Andrew Johnson.