The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1865-08-29

so stipulated. The Constitution of West
/ Virginia contains a denial of the right of
secession as well as of slavery; ans that
glorious youngest daughter OF the sister.
! mood, born in the midst of rebellion, and
| seeing the necessity of guarding against
| that which had endangered it's lite in it's
very cradle, has written down in her Con.
stitution that neither slavery nor secession
| is to ho regarded as permissible. Aud Ma.
rylaud, my Maryland" who has come out
as through fire from the midst of this evil,
when she came to modify her Constitution,
abolished the one aud prohibited the other
az fruitful sources Of mischief and danger.
The oath article in her Bill of Rights CON
tans the following language, glorious aud
familiar to you all as the words of the Or
duauce of 1857, Incorporated into the Con
stiluton of our own State;
cart. 25. That hereafter, In this State, there
shall be neither slavery nor involuntary scrvitude,
except in punishment of crime, whereof tho party
shall have been duly convicted; aud all persons
held To service or labor us slaves are hereby de-
| clared free"
Maryland thus wiped out slavery, and SGT
up an impassable wall to prevent her peo-
ple At any future time from re-estabishing
it.
But here is something that not even our
own Constitution contains
"Art 5. The Constitution Of the United States,
and the laws made in pursuance thereof, being the
supreme law of the land, every citizen of this
State owes paramount 'cgiance to the Constitu-
ton and Government Of the United States and is
not bound by any law or ordidnnce Of this State In
contravention or subversion thereof" iH
Had the doctrine contained in this article
been one of the fundamental principles of
the Southern States, we shoul mover have
had rebcllion-a provision fairly to be iu-
ferred from the language of the Constitution
of the United States, and from the laws made
III recognition of this doctrine. But because
the mad politicians OF the South have, in
the face of this legitimate Inference, con.
tended for a different doctrine, it is pro-
posed now that this provision, M we'll as
the one excluding slavery, shall be insisted
upon as an essential part Of every Consti-
tuition adopted or modified from this time
onward.
AMEN2MENT OF THE "THREE FIFTus RULE"
J But the people of the Southern States
may, after having adopted their amended
Constitutions, change them aud abiure this
doctriue. Therefore, it is that l. as one of
J your Representatives, shall not ouly insist
that 10 Representative from the late rebel
J States shall take seat alongside of ne in
: the National Congress- until slavery and
hCCtbblOll VI tNC DGtll ElNtll up, ullii llb
record of the fact Incorporated in their fun
damental law, but shall go further. | do
not stop there. ! shall require, as meas
ure absolutely essential to be adopted, be.
, fore can agree that these people shall be
restored to their old relations, aud have All
equal share with lis in the Government Of
our common country, the abfogation of u
rule that has always given them the upper
hand OF us. The matter to which | allude
touches upon most delicate question, but
! approach it frankly ana boldly.
Everybody knows how during the pro-
grcss of this rebellion, we have had to con
trast black patriots with white rebels
: Everybody knows that While the White
} people of the South have nearly
unanimously lifted ilieir parricidal hands to
strike down our national Hug and destroy
the Governm mt il represents, that the poor,
oppressed, aud down.trodden black men,
; even the slaves upon their plantations, have
sympalhzed with our Union soldiers, and
served them in every possible way. Every.
body knows that not only has this been
, their universal disposition toward the Union
cause. but that in the dark hours of the
} nations trial when the struggle was so
evenly balanced that the worst fate was
feared for our cause, these blacks were
called upon to furnish their arms, their
; hearts, their lle-blood, in the contest that
was TO settle our common destiny. Aud
this day, we have more than one hundred
) thousand of them bearing their muskets,
under the Stars and Stripes of our country
! Something, therefore, is due to item how
it shall he paid is a question yet to be de-
cided. Tue President has thought it well
} in attempting to lead these insurrectiorary
States back, to interfere as little as possible
with the laws of their several States. lie
: has, therefore, when calling upon them to
present Constitutions that shall be satisfac-
tory to the rest of the nation, asked that
they be presented as coming from those
; who possessed the right Of suffrage before
: the rebellion. and were willing now to
purge themselves of the disabilities to
| which they have recently been subjected
! We know not What sort of Constitutions
; they may present, whether they viii pro-
vide for the enlrahchisement of their late
slaves, or whether they viii continue to
} deny ii 10 them. But tako the bold stand
here, and am prepared to maintain it, that
when they present their Constitutions.
! whether they prov de for negroes voting
or not until further condition is complied
with shall still oppose their readmisson
to the privileges OF the other States. As
, far as voting is concerned, am free to ad-
} mit that wonld rather have the vote of a
} black man with white heart Than tne.Yote
J of a white man with a black and rebcllious
. heart. But | am not willing to receive
either Of them yet. am for Keeping them
? all out yet awhile. am for waiting until
, the work is finished-uutil have proof of
such disposition on the part Of the rebels as
will assure that ho other rebellion will
: again break out and destroy our peace aud
prosperity.
Now, how can we have this assurance ?
say that we must advance slowly; that, as
in the origin of the Government ;;ie pro-
| cess is slow, and can only be accomplished
: well by taking time to it. ! have hereto
} fore said, and repeat il here, that the re-
} Election docs not disturb me that we must
thus wait do not deem it essential that
, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the
, rest Of the rebel States, should be in full
| Communion with tho rest Of the Union this
year, or next year, or even i've or ten years
. hence. would gladly welcome all back
/ to, day, IL they were fully prepared to come
back but nptl they are fully qualified to
/ take plsitiOas on the same plane with the
Q rest Of the States, if it takes thirty years,
want them to keep out those thirty years.
5 South Carolina was thirty years conspirng
to get ont of the Union, and care Motif she
is thirty years IN getting back.
' Now think see a way by which, in do
{ ing duty lying Immediately before MS, we
= NAV bring fllis result about 1 have already