The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1865-11-15

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determined that these were no longer |
States. But disunion had been consum- |
mated with JEFF. Davis and his confeder-
ates who had torn this country assunder
and disrupted the bonds Of the attempt to
destroy the Government and take those
States out of the Union. Some OF you
may think, my friends, that this doctrine
is not very dangerous now that JEFF. Da-
Wis Is imprisoned, his troops disbanded
and the leaders driven out Of the coun
try, but dangerous heresy like that may
at any moment rise up to destroy our gov
ernment. IF once admitted, where will
it stop? They will fix the right of suf-
frage for these seeded States, and declare
that they have been out of the Union and
they may GO SO far as to af6x them to 9TH
er States, which Congress in its power
may declare ou. of the Union, because if
thsy declare one State out of the Unioa,
why not another? Suppose that there is
a whisky riot and rebellion in the State
of Pennsylvania. Congress may in its
omnipotence say it is rebellion of such
magnitude that it is difficult to suppress
it, and since Pennsylvania is guilty of re-
bellion, she is no longer State and must
be re-admi.ted into the Union, and Con-
gress has the right to fix tho qualifca-
tions of her voters. The many funda-
mental principles of our Union will be
subverted, even as the fundamental prin
ciples of republican Government have
been subverted by Constitution made
by these quacks for Missouri. Laugh
ter
What is there republican remaining in
this Constitation2 And if these same
men are allowed to tinker with the Con-
stitution of the United States, beginning
with this Wholesale heresy, 1 can tell you,
my friends, there will be no more repub-
licanism in the Constitution of the Uni
ted States, in q very short time, than there
is in this new Constitution which they
say was adopted in Missouri.
Gentlemen, this is not the only princi.
pie announced by the radicals, as they
call themselves, and in this and other
States in their opposition to the policy of
President Johnson. They would not on
|ly enfranchise the blacks and give them
suffrage, but they would disfranchise the
white man of the country on the ground
that they have been engaged in the rebel
lion. These men desire to put the black
race on top of the white race in the
South. I know that when the proposition
is stated in these broad terms, it is some
times met with denial in places where
the radical party are not prepared to de-
clare their real policy, but you will see il
speech by Mr.. B. Gratz Brown, a Sena
tor of this State, the declaration which
| have repeated. He is one of the ack
nowledged leaders of the party, and yol
will find in his elaborate speech delivered
in st. Louis a few weeks ago, of nin'
mortal columns, that declaration in favo
Of suffrage of the blacks. It is an elab
orate argument probably the best that ha
ever been made in its faver-in this Stat
certainly. You will find that he and al
who corporate with him declare in favo
| of the disfranchisement of all who hay
given aid and comfort, or have been il
/ any way engaged in the rebellion, which
I suppose would include pretty nearly sl
i the people in the Gulf States. For thos
men there, whether willing or unwilling
in all except the border States, have bee
pretty much all engaged in this rebellion
i in some shape or other-old and young
Nor is that ALL
| They are to be stripped of their prop
Il erty-the doctrine of con6seation is eve
lrywhere to be enforced by the radica
party-they are to cenfscate the proper
lIty Of all who have been engaged In thi
enfranchise the negro and dis
franchise our own race, for What purpose
II I never heard, in reading the history {
confscation, since the world began, of
: Government realizing anything from cor
: fication. CoEfscation means piunder fc
> provost marshals and attorneys. Laugl
: teri Confscation means to fill the pocl
flets of some of those despicable chara,
r tiers who make it business to feed on tt
= misery Of their fellow beings. 1t meal
d mot one dollar paid into the treasury
el the Government of the United State
5 lit means unlimited plumber for par
i, hacks. Why, fellow citizens, / have bee
0 in parts of this country during the rebe
j, llion, and have seen confscation going o
: I have seen thousands and thousands
i bales of cotton, marked G. S. A. capture
n by our brave troops and turned over
], the auartermasters and provost marshal
It Tor something of that sort, and that is Il
d last have ever seen Of it.
Ill Not 100 bales Of cotton went, as a
j. told, into the Treasury Department. 0
J. of thousands seized by Grant in his gre
It movement down the Mississippi to Wick
is burg, where thousands and thousands
r these bales of cotton we're seized. WI
is the very breastworks of Yicksburg co
n tanned nearly 100000 bales of cotton;
II the Government got none of this. T
ct quartermasters, provost marshals,o or tire;
IL ury agents OF party hacks, put it into tn
in pockets. I don't know that they are a
Is better than the people from whom t
ne property was taken.
rs But that is not all. Pains, penalti
j. punishments and executions are to
i'd hurled at the heads of the penitent r,
n-lels. The men who have conceived t
tie device for Furnishing the rebels were n
be er the men who went onto fight the r,
TX els. Applause. They are not the c.
IT, trivance Of the soldier who met the pc
VS. er of the rebellion in battle array. II
ce are not the suggestions of Grant, ]
N eL nor pb;l Sheridan NOR