Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-05-14
0blo Statesnrarr,.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
The Ohio Statesman Company.
SATURDAY MORNING, - MAY ID.
MR.. COX'S SPEECH CONTINUED.


republican form of government. All who
do not agree to that are excluded. Allwho
do not agree to the pestilent theory of State
death are also excluded. Hence, this plan
would allow any recent rebel who takes the
oath to make a unit in the one-tenth, and
excludes the Union man, who has not for
sworn his faith in the vitality of the States,
and who will not swear to support policies
and laws to which he can never adhere
What becomes Of the many thousand loyal
men of Tennessee, of Texas, of North Caro-
lima, of Arkansas, of Louisiana? They are
set aside for those whose oaths will bind
them long enough to vote, and who, to save
! their lives and property, will swear with
facility. The oath is rendered to men of
patriotic probity, who will and ought to
spurn the test oath of the traitor. Going
upon the doctrine that all the rebelliOus
| districts are unsound, assuming the ground
that the territory South being belligerent,
outlaws all, whether loyal or not-the Pres
ident applies this bitter cup to the Union
men who have never flinched in their love
for the flag. The men who have stood the
brunt of this red tempest, whose homes have
been blackened by fire and whose families
have been destroyed by sword, whose ties
of natural affection toward brothers and
sons in the rebel army-never made them
swerve in their patriotic devotion; who
| have even WithstoOd the fear of death and
destruction, and in spite of the teachery
and unkindness of this Administration have
kept the standard of stars high advanced
amid swamps and caves and mountains
these men must quaff the cup of bitter
waters before they can stand before the
world as the builders of the new temple
proposed by the President If they were
worthy of association in this great cohOrt of
States, they would scorn re-enfranchise-
ment by such a plan. If there were no
other reason to reject this juggling scheme,
justice to ''the faithful found among the
faithless" South, would demand its rejec-
| tion.
ii. AS to the republican form of govern
ment to be made by this plan. Republican,
ism is founded on the will of the people
How does the plan work out this will !?
| Suppose Tennessee tomorrow should regis
ter one-tenth of her 145,348 voters in
| 1860, viz: 1851. They make an anti-slav-
| cry constitution; majority of the 1854
| adopt, to-wit: 7,26S citizens. They may
have all been rebels; no matter. They may
| the day after the constitution is adopted
change its free clause into a slavery clause,
or the State into rebellion again; no matter.
There may remain 130,S04 voters who do
not agree to the constitution, who took no
part in its manufacture. They may be
mixed of Union and rebel proclivities.
They, however, seek to return to their old
allegiance. The spirit of Jackson and the
fire of patriotism illumine their wasted
hearthstOnes, and they-the nine-tenths-
agree to restore the old Constitution of
Tennessee under the Federal Constitution
as it is; or they may even abolish, as they
have the right slavery in their midst; yet
the President binds himself to hold them in
forced submission to the Il, ,534, or its major
ity!
The truth is, test oath to require citi-
zens to support his policy as to slaves is,
not an oath of allegiance to republican gov
ernment, but to the Republican party. 1t
is an oath of fealty to Abraham Lincoln.
He sends out heralds to proclaim: ''Ho We;
all who will prepare to forswear your sem
timents and enter into an arrangement to
make new States with one-tenth over nine
tenths, and thus form electoral colleges
to vote for me, l swear by my army and
navy, that you, though you are pardoned
criminals, shall be the corner-stones in the
new State, and shall have the shield of the
Executive and the protection of the flag!"
In vain we search Spanish American annals
for so shameless pronunciamento for rev.
olution and anarchy. 1t is thus, Mr.. Speak
er, that your party seeks to unhinge the
massive portals which lead within the
chambers of reserved popular power-those
doors which. for so many years on golden
hinges turning, opened so readily to the
States as they entered within the sacred
adytum of our political faith.
There is one answer to these propositions
always on the lip of the anti-slavery devo-
tee. He holds that no slave State can be
accounted republican. This would be news,
indeed, to the Jeffersons, Washingtons,
Madsons, and Adamses, who established
these States as republican, twelve out of
thirteen being slave at the outset. This
would be news, indeed, to the pioneers of
the Northwest, to the early settlers of Ohio,
who remember the deed of cession of Vir-
ginia, whereby our sovereignty was forever
declared to be equal to and inviolate as that
of the slave State of Virginia!
But what sort of republicanism is that
which builds State from small minority
of its people? The majority of people,
expressing its own will, forms republic.
A minority, or even majority, following
the will of despot, forms monarchy.
One-tenth of the legal voters ruling nine
tentbs, is an oligarchy. Reconstruction of
republican governments on such basis is
as absurd as the structures built by the
architects in Gulliver, who began their
houses at the roof in the air Tie Presi-
dent quotes the guaranty of the Constitu-
tion as to republican State Governments;
to the pseudo-republics But he forgets
that if the Southern States are deceased, or
out of the Union, there is the third section
of article fourth of the Constitution, which
provides for the admission Of States. Does
the President, in his theory, propose to dis
regard this clause? Unless Congress con-
sent, all these scatfoldings, erected by his
own will, will tumble to naught. If States
can be declared dead, or burned out by the
fires of war, perhaps New England may
some day find her theory come home, in
reconstruction of her six States into one,
and the reduction of her twelve Senators
Into twol Lines of longitude, as well as of
latitude, may sometimes reconstruct States.
The basis of our Federal Government is
States, having constitutions and laws-the
emanation of the popular will. This will is
expressed through suffrage. This suffrage
in States is regulated by their own constitu-
tion and laws. State voters thus qualified,
and they only, can vote for members of
Congress. When, therefore, the President
undertakes to breathe into State the
breath of life by a new code of suffrage,
even if the State were defunct, he usurps
power never granted, and q sovereignty be-
longing solely to the people. II these
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