Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1865-09-21
.lsn1naE silagilla

iaide9, rs, in our great -deliverance
What feeling but that of contempt
Imust hif EVERY manly breast for
|eueh . paftyfh Whatever conclusion
Ithe Union party may arrive at as to
Ihow much political power we shall
confer upon the freedmen of the
South we wiz settle that matter
fanaong ourselves in due time, and we
can safely lleavet to these Democratic
seayengers all they can make out OF
their appeals to the. prejudice Of
caste. ,rv .-.,s; 2
Ihave recently is a public speech
Expressed my personal opinions on
tthis subject, and do not care to re-
peat them though unehanged5g 1t is
Isufficiept thatb the Union; party has
wisely, as l think. postponed an ex-
fpfessioh OF opinion until the rebel
States evihceI sehe spirit with which
they will lrIeeeivei1 President j Ohm
sons liberal plan of reconstruction.
In the mean TING, the widest dis.
cussion and Che fairest expression OF
opinion might be invited, tolerated
and respected. 1t seems to me that
muchmor important questions pre-
cede this issue. Are the slaves yet
secured in their freedom2 Ger
tainly not until the adoption of the
constitutional Amendment. When
this is secured, as it must be, then
who shall exercise the political
power of these, emancipated lslavesi
Or shall they have no power in this
Government? Their masters have,
heretofore, much to our national in
jury, exercised it for three -flfths of
them. What right have they to dc
$50 longer? And especially upon
what principle can these amnestied
rebels claim to vote for the Other
two fifLhs .sof 5theiriE former slavesS
And yet, l know that by the Con-
stitutiou, which appoTtions repre-
sentAtions among the States accord
Ting to population, they will have
this increase Of political power, un-
Hess either the rebels are disfran-
ehised for crime,r or slaves allowed
to vote, ] know also, the great
difficulties of changing a provision
of the Constitution, which can only
bedone by theassent of three-fourths
of the States--a may be sure
that. every Democratic and former
slayeholding State VIII refuse its as
sent to an amendment which con-
fines the political power of the re-
CONSTRUCTED States solely to their
white population, or extends 1t to
the freedman ,Smaneipation con-
ffers upon no the same weight
IN estimating re5fesentation as ouI
white population. How to over
come this difficulty is the great
lproblem of our times. sT a.. 90 "a.
/ The palpable Injustice Of allowing
three hundred thousand white reb
els in South Carolina to exercise as
much political power as six hundred
l thousand white loyal people in Ohio
is an anomaly to which VIC can no
patiently submit. 1t is far worse
than the rotten borough system Ol
England, which has Lperpetuated in
equality of REPRESENTATION for gene
rations. Ifthe freedmen are coun-
ted, as they must be, as freedmen
and their old masters. are allowed tc
vote for them, the result OF the wal
is simply to increase the political
power of those rebels and that toe
when they plainly show by the re
cent elections in Tennessee and a
Richmond; and by the general spiri
manifested IN the South, that they
will use this power to renew il
another form their attempt to sub
vertrthe Government. -lgU1e