Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-08-23
GenernI Cor M OberlIn.

General Cox at Oberlin.
Oberlin, at last has been made glad. On
Monday, General Cox visited that place
and made speech, which speech is report
ed in special to the State Journal. In this
speech General Cox is reported as having
said: ~.
"When an Oberlin student recognized the
full right Of manhood in the colored men Of my
class. The colored people themselves say
that they would rather live apart than with
those who had been their oppressors. am
proud that l am an Oberlin student"
We are told that the General took his
seat in the midst of storm of applause,
which had scarcely quieted down when Mr..
HALE, Negro, arose in his seat, and by
permission asked General Cox this ques-
tion:
II want to ask Mr.. Cox II he is elected
Governor of Ohio, he will be In favor OF be-
slowing upon the colored men of this State
Saying nothing about whath would do for
those in the South--the right of suffrage"
To this question the State Journals re-
port says
"Gen. Cox replied that he had stated his
own plan and his own mode of solving the
difficulty. He believed the question must
be decided for the Black men as unit, and
that the duty of the colored man here was
to connect his destiny with those of the
South. That il the question had TO be deter
mined By each State for ITSELF and the North
for itself, his determination Would be here for
The full application q he rights Of man ,, ,elllcs
he had described. The reply was received
with enthusiastic applause, and with some
announcements the meeting adjourned"
Undoubtedly, this reply would be "re-
ceived with enthusiastic applause" at Ober-
lin; and it was, under the clrcumstan-
ces, perfectly natural that "as the General
moved toward the door old friends pressed
around him and warm greetings were ex-
changed" and that 'the colored men press
ed forward eagerly, and as they took his
hand were earnest in their congratula-
tions." The Generals answer on the Suf-
frage question was to them perfectly salts
factory. The Negro HALE secured from
him an explicit answer--a thing that White
men and soldiers failed to get from him be-
fore. He told the Oberlln audience that
"when an Oberlin student" he "recogniz-
ed the full right of manhood in the colored
men of" his class" He had in his speech
treated the Suffrage question after the fash
ion he had treated it at Warren; but to the
perception of the Negro HALE there SEEM
ed an uncertainty about General Cox's po-
sition, and it was perfectly right that
H. ekDnl1 oaaly fn houa fbof
tainty removed. He, therefore, put the
question directly to General Cox: "As
Governor of Ohio, ill you be in favor of
bestowing upon the colored men of this
State the right Of Suffrage" -..-
In General Cox's answer there is neither
evasion nor equivocation. 1t is direct,
explicit, and the Negro HALE and the en-
tire audience that listened to him, under
stood it only in one way, and that is, that
as Governor of Ohio he will be in favor of
bestowing on the colored men of this State
the right of Suffrage. 1t was the impress
sion of the General that this 'question
must be decided for the Black man as
unit" His idea is that Congress should
confer Suffrage, by auniversal rule, upon
the Blacks throughout all the States-North,
South, East and West-and Of course the
Negroes OF Ohio would be included. The
Chicago Republican is, with persistency and
ability, urging that this should be done. 1t
might be urged that Congress would not un-
dertake to do this thing, and therefore, af-
ter all General Cox had adroitly evaded
committing himself in favor of Negro Suf-
frage in Ohio. He did not, however, stop
at this point. He added that "if the ques-
ton had to be determined by each State for
itself, and the North for itself, his determin-
alton tOouId be here for the full application of
the rights Of man aohich he had described"
If in the. face of what transpired at Ober-
lin between the Negro HALE and General
Cox on the Suffrage question, any person
continues to doubt that General Cox will
use his official influence in behalf of Negro
Suffrage in the South and in Ohio, we are
at loss to know what would convince
him. H!f. .,. '.9 fa'