The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1865-08-24
Final Definition Of his Position.

Gen. j. ID. Cox, candidate for
Governor of Ohio, has made a long
reply to q letter from a certain citi.
zcns Of Oberlin urging negro suf.
frage. We give the material por-
tions Of il:
presume we shall agree in re-
garding the four general principles
asserted in the "Faneuil Hall Ad-
Dress" as those which should
guide the determination of our re-
lations to both whites and blacks
in the rebel States. That there
may be no mistake in reference to
this, | quote them: .t.
"First. The principle must be
put beyond all question, that the
Republic has direct claim upon
tho allegiance of every citizen,
from which no State can absolvc
him, and to his obedience to the
laws Of the Republic, anything in
the constitution or laws of any
State to the contrary notwithstand.
ing.
Second. Tho public faith is
pledged to every person of color in
the rebel States, to secure to them
and their posterity forever q com
pleto and veritable freedom. Ilav-
ing provided them this freedom,
secured their aid on the faith oi
this promise, and by n successful
war and actual military occupation
of the country, having obtained
the power to secure the result, We
are dishonored if we fail to make
| it good to them.
"Third. Tho system of 81 avery
must be abolished and prohibited
by paramount and irreversible law
Throughout the rebel States there
must be, in the words Of Webster,
Impressed upon the soil itself an
Inability to bear mp but free men.
''fourth. The systems of the
States must be truly republican"
The application made of the last
principle in the address, l do no,
regard as sound, but ] shall per.
baps agree more fully with you
than you do with the address,
when assent that in a republican
community political privileges OF
any kind can never be rightly OF
safely based upon hereditary caste
How then, it will naturally be
asked, can there be any practical
difference between us as to the
mode of carrying out these princi.
plesl IL is found in the views VIC
take Of the mutual relations of the
two races in the South. You
judging from this distance, say
"Delivcr the four millions Of freed
people into the hands Of their for
mer oppressors, now embittered
by their defeat, and they will make
their condition worse than before
/, starting from the same princi'
pies, and after four years of close
and thoughtful observation of tn,
races where they are, say an
unwillingly forced to tho convic
tion that the effect Of the war hai
not been simply to "embitter" theil
relations, but to develop a rooted
antagonism which makes theil
permanent fusion in one politica
community an absolute impossible
ity' The sole difference between
us then is in the degree of hostility
we find existing between the races
and its probable pcrmanencc. YOU
Gssume that the extension of the
right Of suffrage to the blacks
leaving them ihtermix with the
whites, will cure all the trouble.
believe that it would rather be lik,
the decisions in that outer darknes
of which Milton speaks, where
Chaos empire sits,
And by decision more embrois the fray"
Yet, as l believe, with you, tha
the right of life and liberty are IN
alienable, and more than admit th,
danger OF leaving a laboring cIas
at the entire mercy Of those VIII,
formerly owned them as slaves
you will say / am bound to fnrnisl
some solution Of the problem whicl
shall not deny the right or incur til,
peril. So am, and the only rea
solution which can sec is tn,
peaceable separation of the races
But, you will reply, foreign coloni
zation will break down hopelcssl,
under the very vastness Of the la
Dor, even if it were not tyrannica
enough 10 expel these unfortunate
people from the land of their birth
| grant the full weight ofthe objec
tion, and therefore say the solution
is thus. narrowed down to a peace
able separation Of The races on III
soil srhere they no,o are. n ON
The essential point in the die
cussion thus appears to be the ac
tuai relations Of the two races il
the Southern States as a question
of fact, and the probable futur,
consequences of those relations a
a question Of theory. ss 1r
Upon the question offact, Ithinl
may with all modesty claim tina
my antecedents and my opportu
mites Of observation entitle IN,
testimony to have some weight
even with the most radical anti
slavery men of the North.
The antagonism Of which | have
spoken is not entirely one-sided.-
On the part ofthe former master il
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