The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1865-10-04
Senator Doolittle.

1nnlI1ll1nl1y1nnn111
Senator DoolittIs.
This gentleman Was an active msmbs
Of the late Wis. Republican Convention a,
was charged with influencing that body
ignore the Negro-Sunrrags plank whicl
6nds 30 ready welcome among the Tow
and Minnesota radicals. Being on busi
ness visit to Fond du Lac the senator VA
requested to make speech; here 10 biz
reply to committee Of his political friends
FoSD pu LAC, Sept. 20, 1855.
Hon. B. F. Moore, L. @. Cary, James
Coleman, A. N. B.air, and others 81 n
| GsSrs:-As my present visit in your
Icity is upon . matter Of private business
entirely, must decline to speak this
evening But in the course Of ten days or
two weeks will be able to return here, and
respond to your.jnvitation. will BY letter
from Racine dx upon the time. a.. ...,
l shall, among other things, maintain Il
to be our duty, cordially to support our
Federal and State Administrations, and the
nominees of the late Union Convention.
shall defend the action of that convsn..
ton, and the platform adopted BY II, for
what it does say, and for what il does noe
| say. ulf s I'D 'rer9 yIfa
I shall maintain that, in not making the
question Of negro suffrage in this State, or
in the Southern States, new test Of poli.
tical fidelity in the Union party, its action
was in accordance with the Judgment Of
two. thirds, if not three fourths, of the de.
legates to the convention; and while, IL il
fr,0o hAt nto ~
ed its action, would cheerfully accept the
entire responsibility, it is not true in fact:
the allegation is grossly unjust to the ma.
jority of the members Of one Of the largest
and ablest bodies Of men ever assembled in
this State, and the charge, SO false against
them, does me too much honor. -. !.
Negro suifrsge in this State Is already
submitted, not IS party, but as popular
question, to the unbiased judgment and
true convictions Of the people at the polls.
1t is not, never has been, and ought not 10
be made . test of political fidelity in the
Union party Of Wisconsin or of the United
States. .r-........ DIS. ...
To adopt such test would BE- an act OF
great injustice, especially to the thousands
of War Democrats, in the field, and at'
home, who, at our earnest invitation, came
to the support of our cause two years ago,
in the darkest hour Of our trial, and whose
coming made US in fact as we'll as in name.
UNION party, composed Of Democrats as
we'll as Republicans; the true, and, the only
true Democratic Republican party. ,..',.
While such test if rendered or accepted
by us, would bring no additional votes in
favor Of negro suffrage, it would be joy.
fully accepted by our opponents, and, as
everybody knows that, on two f,rmer oc-
casions, it has been voted down in this
State by immense msjoritiss, it might de-
feat our candidates and our cause.
As to negro suffrage in the Southern
States, being made condition precedent
to the admission Of their representatives
in Congress, shall maintain s's"."i h7r
1st. That, the policy of Mr.. Lincoln
and Mr.. johnson, Of leaving that to be-
determined by those States for themselves,
is the only just and wise policy.
Cd. That it is in accordance With the
letter and spirit Of the constitution. 4s
Sd. That it is almost inconceivable that
any federal administration should attempt
to enforce universal negro suffrage in States
where, for two hundred years, the negroes
have been degraded by slavery, where, At
the same time, nearly two thirds of the
free States deny suffrage to persona es tAu
same rsoe; whU have been educated as free
men, among freemen, with the thoughts,
habits, and responsibilities of freemon.
4th. That such policy would inevita.
bly, throw the Union party out of power in
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois and Wisconsin, as we'll as in all the
border States; give the next Congress and
President to their opponents; defeat, in aly
probability, the adoption Of the amend.
ment to the Constitution Of tho United
States, which they have every where opposs
Cd, and By which alone, liberty to The black
man, protection to him, in its erjo ment is
made sure; which would leave the States
with full power to re establish slavery,
peonsge, or any other system of involun-%
tary servitude, and thus sacrifice the most
important of all the fruits Of this terrible
struggle, at the same time it would, in oil
human probability, produce a war Of races.
This is but one more instance, SO often re.
peated in history, in which the most sacred
cause placed in greater peril by the mis-
guided zeal and fanaticism Of its professed
friends, than by the open hostility Of its
avowed enemies. .ais,
Some Of the foremost in denouncinK Mr..
Johnson's policy, intend to make uncom-
promising war upon his administration, in
order to build up new party for the next
Presidential contest. ~ ls -~e&eaf'',&
Very Respectfully, .a 'aar
=a a.H ~ s.aa4o.t s. J. R.. DooLIfrL1