Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1865-12-13

its functions
The relations of the General Govern
ment toward the four millions of inhabit-
ants whom the war has called into free
dom, have engaged my most serious con-
slderation. On the propriety of attempt.
ing to make the freedmen electors bv
the proclamation of the Executive, | took
Tor my counsel the Constitution itself, the
interpretations Of that instrument by its
authors and their contemporaries. and re-.
cent legislation by Congress. When at
the first movement toward independence,
the Congress of the United States instruc-
ted the several States to institute govern
ments of their own, they left each State
TO decide for itself the conditions for the
enjoyment of the elective franchise Du-
ring the period Of the Confcderacy there
continued to exist very great diversity
IN the qualifications of electors in the sew
eral States; and even within a State a
distinction Of qualifications prevailed with
regard to the officers who were to be cho-
sen. The Constitution of the United
States recognizes these diversities when it
enJolns that in the choice of members of
the House Of Representatives of the United
States, 1.-THE electors in each State shall
have the qualifications requisite for elect.
ors of the most numerous branch of the
State Legislature"
Aitea the formation of Tie Constitution,
1t remained, as before, the uniform usage
for each State to enlarge the body of its
electors, according to its own Judgment :;
and, under this system, one State after
another has proceeded to increase the
number of its electors, until now univer-
sal suffrage Or something very near it. is
the general rule. So fixed was tac rcser-
vation of power in the habits of the peo-
pie, and so unquestioned has been the in
depreciation Of the Constitution, that du.
ring the civil war the late President never
harbored the purposo--certainly never
avowed the purposc--of disregarding it !;
and IN the acts of Congress- during that
period, nothing can be found which, du-
ring the continuance of hostilities, much
less after their close, would have sanct-
ioned any departure by the Executive
from policy which has so uniformly OBJ
tanned. Moreover. concession of the
elective franchise to the freedman, by act
Of the President Of the United States, must
have been extended to all colored men,
wherever found, and 50 must have estab.
lshed 9 change of suffrage in the North
ern, Middle and Western States, not less
than in the Southern and South western.
Such an act would have created new
class Of voters, and would have been an
assumption of power by the President
which nothing in the Constitution or laws
of the United States would have warrant
cd. ......
On the other hand, every danger of con-
flict is avoided when the settlement of the
question is referred to the several States
they can, each for itself, decide on the
measure, and whether it is to be adopted
at once and absolutely. or introduced
gradually and with conditions. In my
judgment, the freedmen, If they show pa.
tience and manly virtues, will sooner OBJ
tain participation in the elective fran
chise through the States than through the
General Government, even, if it had pow
er to intervene When the tumult of
emotions that have been raised by the sud-
denness of the social change shall have
subsided, it may prove that they will re.
ccive the kindliest usage from some of
those on whom they have heretofore most
closely depended.
But while have no doubt that now,
after the close of the war, it is not com.
petent for the General Government to ex.
tend the elective franchise in the several
States, it is equally clear that good faith
requires the security of the freedmen in
their liberty and their property, their
right to labor, and their right to claim
the just return Of their labor. | cannotl
too strongly urge dispassionate treat
ment on this subject, which should be
carefully kept aloof from all party strife
We must avoid basty assumptions of any
natural impossibility for the two races to
live side by side, in state of mutual
benefit and good will. The experiment
involves us in no Inconsistency let us,
then, go on and make that experiment in
good faith, and not be too easily disheart.
ened. The country is in need of labor,
and the freedmen are in need of employ
ment, culture and protection. While
their right Of voluntary migration and ex-
patriation is not to be questioned, would
not advise their forced removal and colo
Let us rather encourage them
to honorable and useful industry, where
it may be beneficial to themselves and to
the country and, instead of hasty anti
cipatiohs of the certainty of failure, let
there be nothing wanting to the fair trial
of the experiment. The change in their
condition is the substitution of labor by
o tt.a .tat af ol