The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-06-26
THE STATE UNION PLATFORM.
Letter from a DeHegate--The Elective
Erad1 hise--EIehth Resolution

80 0~-1h1 - h.G AIN1 O8AS
tion-but none of Us 1 trust will sbate one
jot or title of our political creed on the
suffrage question. We do not doubt that
TO give Enquestio1ed assurance of peace
North and South, the enfrsnchisement Of
the blacks, either by allowing them 3 gen.
eral or q qualified suffrage, will become in
dispenssble. 1 do not wonder, however,
when 1 hear prudent, earnest Union Re-
publicans, in committees like that Of the
Union Convention, set forth the difficulties
in the way of this being done tnqWaIyfedIy
and noiO, that there should be great caution
and hesitation. And certainly there is
enough to justify US il the exercise of
charity in our judgment of the motives
aud sets of our political brethren. But
while we do this, we must "keep it before
the people" that he who serves and fights
for his country,shall both be protected and
have the right to protect himself, By the
ballot, iDhateusr his color.
From the discussions IN committee, I do
not believe that there are SUCH radical diff
f~ersnees in the party on this subject that
they cannot be %reconciled.
The account given by the Cincinnati
Commercial of the difficulties encountered
in framing the platform are probably not
far out of the way.
What some Northern members insisted
on was the following, adopted at the great
Grant reception meeting in New York, on
the It'll inst
ResoLoed, That we hold this truth 70 be
self-eVident that TO him with whom we
can entrust the bullet TO save the life of
the nation We can entrust the ballot to
preserve it. And we Invoke the CO.
operation of the Federal and State Gov
ernments throughout the Union to use all
lawful means to establish 3 system of suf-
frage which shall be equal and Just TO all
loyal men, black as well as white.
This covered the whole subject of State
action as we'll SIS Federal, ana coming from
high authority it was deemed proper to
urge 1t. 1t was reasonable and right, and
should have been accepted by all as the
true policy for the future. 1t did net con-
template tine immediate enfranchisement
Of the blacks, but looked : TO taking all
necessary steps to right action in regard to
that grest subject. Though this was
offered and urged with 8 jealous determin-
alton which was regarded by some as OBJ
stinscy, yet it was opposed by q spirit
which the friends of the resolution regard
ed in the same light, and the opposition,
being backed up or rather led by the mill
tary, under the command of 8 most able,
L hold and uuacpanrnunfofno Gnpor,I all
hope of procuring the adoption of this
resolution, or its equivalent by those who
offered it was abandoned, and the minority
announced the determination of offering
1t in q minority report, TO the Convention,
when several of the majority offered q sub
stitute for it which suited neither party,
when finally the 9Th resolution was pro-
posed, as follows:
ReS0tUed, That the experience of the last
four years shows the absolute necessity in
all our political actions Of keeping in view
stesdily the great principle of our Gov
eminent, as set forth in The Declaration of
Independence.
This, after consultation among those who
composed the minority, and many of the
delegates from this district, was accepted.
Under these circumstances 1t must not
10 aIINpb1u IN . MGID 1OEm u "RllLL6ElQR
generslities, hsving..no meaning. II was
accepted for all that could possibly be
made out of it, by a careful ex-
animation ofthe Declaration OF Indepen-
dence. Now, what are some of the prin-
ciples contained in that instrument and so
plain that ne that runneth may read
LIST. All men are created equal.
%. That their rights (unless forfeited)
80 n1s1-o o-I ,,,ol,o-,hl.
-3d-TnRJ 10 sEcUr5 Tuesa rIUnES PnVarns
ments are Instituted among men deri Fing
their Just power from the consent of the
governed.
Take these three propositions together,
or the last one, and if you can deduce any
thing from them you must certainly see
that it not only authorizes but requires
that suffrage shall be conferred upon the
colored population Of the South: bstEase,
first, they ara loyal; second, they compose
a very large, and in many instances far the
largest portion of the population third,
they are the gO1srned people. Therefore,
as governments derive their Just powers
from the consent of the governed" the
blacks, as well as whites, should participate
and have a voice in establishing that gov
eminent under which they live. Nothing
is palmer. No words could make it more
go. The resolution offered is not palmer
than this.
Another principle in the Declaration is
that there shall be no taxation without the
consent of the goVerned-that "the right
of representation is right inestimsble" to
the people, land formidable TO tyrants
only"
Now, Messrs. Editors, have we not all
We want in this resolution, especially when
we take it in connection with the first and
sixth.
1t would have been more satisfactory to
have passed the resolution offered and re-
jected, because nothing was loft to infer
ence or deduction, but we get no less in
the resolution passed.
The Ohio Statesman accuses us of this, in
noticing the proceedings, in the following
extract:
"What do they mean by the great
principles of our Government as set forth
in the Declaration of Independence 2'-
They have reference TO that part of the
Declaration of Independence whichdeclsres
that "aU men are born free aud egUaE'-
black and white-equal before the law
equal in the witness bOI-equsl in tho
jury box-equsl at the ballot box"
But l will not proceed further on this
subject. Yours, sc, j. z. b.
Hon. Lewis y. Parsons.
HETohn F,rnap, cnasb,s of fba ,-o,;s;o,