The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-06-22
Gen. Grant on the Suffrage Question.

Hooker said
.The people have watched his cam
paign throughout its course with the
proudest satisfaction They have sym
pathized with his labors, his perils, his
privations, and they have gloried in his
unrivalled victories and successes. But
for still greater reasons this people have
cause to be proud of Gen Grant. -No
man tires ,cho has been more faithful 10 his
Gorernment, and TO tte principles cf human
ity. and the sucred principles inrOloed IA
tits rebellion thar this 5rare officer, Wto IS
now presented TO you for tie first time.
Gen. Hooker never uttered n truer re-
mark and the loud shout of endorse
ment that followed proved its truth
Gen. Grant has kept fully up with the
people on the great ideas that underlie
the late terrific struggle. When the peo
pie at an early stage of the war began
TO call for severe treatment of rebels,
Gen. Grant was not slow to act in that
direction. When they denounced the
Mcclellan Buell. policy of making our
soldiers negro catchers for malignant in
surgents, ana employing them in stand
ing guard to protect pig pens, chicken
( coops and corn cribs for guerrillas, who
bushwhacked them when occupied,
/ Gen Grant was among the first to set
aside this rose water and kid glove mode
of dealing with the traitorous villains
and to refuse to return contrabands to
! rebel claimants, and was also among the
/ first of our Generals to quarter his men
on the enemy. When the President is
sued his proclamation the pro slavery
officers denounced it; some of them re
signed and left the service for their coun-
trv's good But Grant sustained the
President and enforced the proclamation.
No slave came within his lines but re
ceived protection, and no slave came
within his reach but was invited to con
slider him or herself free and act accor-
dinghy. And when the cap stone was
PUT TO the anti slavery policy of the Ad-
mlnlstration, in clevating the black man
to the honorable rank of an American
soldier, Gen. Grant gave that crowning
abolition measure his cordial sanction
and support For the last eight months /
of the war-and especially since he be
came Lieutenant General, he has used +
all his powers and influence to recruit
colored soldiers, and when fighting was /
to be done he gave them chance to do .
their full share of 1t. One of the regl- 4
ments which stood guard at City Point. 4
last winter, where the General had his I
head quarters, was a colored regiment, /
and when the final assault was made on .
the rebel lines, it helped to storm them. I
Now comes another and the last of tue .
negro questions Shall the Feedmen
be allowed to vote? One General of
great deeds and high in public favor, de
clared in a speech in this city made to
some soldiers, that 1.-The negroes were
not lifted for the exercise ST the fran
chlse, and that he was opposed to their
having the right to vote.
Gen. Grant, more prudent and far see
ing, commits himself to no such position.
He Is too true TO the principles of hu
manitv and right involved in the war to
take such grounds. He SAYS in substance
what Gen. Sherman said when enveloped
in the smoke of the battle: +
If you admit the negro to this strug
gle for any purpose, he has a right to
stay in for all, and when the fight is over.
the hand that drops the musket cannot
be denied the ballot
Gen. Grant in conversation with his
friends, says, that it is too soon to de
clare that the loyal blacks in the South
shall not he allowed to vote Aside from
the abstract right and the legal problem
of what authority can confer or withhold
the franehise-whether it be Congress
or the States-the question may assume
the shape of political necessity. The
Government and people may have TO
choose between keeping a standing ar
my of lO0, ,0Oo, at an expense S1oe, ZOO, ,0o0
q year to the tax payers, to support the
white minority in the South against the
white rebel majority, or of enfranchsing
the blacks. and thereby enabling them
to support the white loyalists General
Grant forsees that the suffrage question
may take this form. If the loyal whites
of the South are unable to sustain them
selves and hold the political control Of
those States, they must be reinforced by
the votes of the loyal blacks. or suppor-
ted by the bayonets of Northern sol
diers. To maintain troops even in time
of peace, cost Lot far from $1,000 per
man The people Of the Republic of
America may conclude with Gen. Grant
that it is better and cheaper to let the
loyal blacks of the South Offset the votes
of the white eN-rebels, than to maintain
8 large standing army to keep them in
subsection to the laws, and preventing
them from committing mischief, which
they will most surely do if they are per
mitted to obtain possession of the State
governments of the South.
We think the Northern Union Demo
Gratis are premature in committing them
selves to the negative of the suffrage
question at this early day. 1t is natu-
raj that the rebel sympathizing Copper
heads should declare in advance and un-
conditionally, for total exclusion Of the
colored men of the South from the bal
lot box. but il is too early for those Dem
ocrats processing TO be Union me TO as
sumo such grounds. And we think the
gallant Sherman has leaped before he
looked where be would land The cool
er. more circumspect. better poised Lieu
tenant General makes no mistakes. He
waits patiently till the proper time ar
rives for deciding a great question, and
then ats promptly and decisirely. and
thereby avoids the disagreeable necessity
of choosing between taking the back
track or remaining exposed in the wrong.
-Chieay0 Tribune
[gt Life holds its own rewards and