The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-12-07

OF our public affairs strong objections have
i'een urged TO holding those courts i'll any
OF the States where the rebellion has existed.
aud 1t = as ascertained. 10y inquiry, that the
Cncuit Court OF the United States would
not he held within the district of Virginia
during the autumn or early winter. nnn
until Congress should nave AN opportunity
10 consider aud act on the whole subject
To your deliberations the restoration of this
branch of the civil authority of the Uuiteo
States % therefore necessarily referred. with
the hope that early provision will be made
for the resumption of all it's functions 1t
is manifest that treason, most tagrsnt IN
character has been committed Persons
VINO 4Ie charged with its commission should
have fair and impartial trials iii the highest
civil tribunals of the country i'll order that
the Constitution and the laws may he fully
vindicated; the truth clearly establishes
and affirmed that treason is crime. thai
traitors should he punished and the 0tfence
IN idc Infamous; and. at the sauie time, that
the question may be judicioUsly settled.
finally and forever, that no State Of it's owl"
will has the right To rcnOunce It's place III
the Union
The relations of the General Government
TOWARD the four millions of inhabitants
whom the war has called into freedonl, have
engaged my most serious consideration. On
the propriety Of attempting to make the
freedmen electors by the proclamation OF
the Executive | took for my counsel the
Constitution ITSELF the interpretations Of
contemporaries, and recent legislation by
tow ards independence, the Congress OF the
United States instructed the several States
To institute governments Of theli own, they
left each State To decide for itself the col,
ditions for the enjoyment of the elective
franchise. During the period Of the Con
federacy, there continued to exist very
great diversity in the qualifications of cleo
tots in the several States and even within
State distinction of qualifications pre-
vailed with regard to the officers who were
to be chosen The Constitution of the Unit
ed States recognizes these diversities when
| it enjoins that, ia the choice of members OF
the House of representatives of the United,
States 'the electors III each State shall have
the qualifications requisite fr electors OF the
most numerous branch of the State Legisla
ture."
After the formation of the Constitutions it
remained, as before. the uniform usage for
each State to enlarge the body of its cleo
tors, according to its own judgment and.
under this system, one State after another
has proceeded 10 increase the number OF It's
electors, until now universal suffrage, or
something very near it, is the general rule
So fixed was this reservation of power in
the habits of the people and SO unquestion-
ed has been the interpretation OF tue Con
stitution, that during the civil war the late
President never harbored the purpose Ger
tsinly never avowed the purpose-of disre
gardiug it and in the acts of Cong ress, du-
ring that period, nothing can be found
hrh. during the continuance of hostilities,
much less after their close, would have sane
tio-.ed any dep rture by the Executive
! from policy which has 40 uniformly oh-
tanned Moreover. u conc, sslnn OF tile cleo
tive frauchae to tie freedmen. 10y the atf
of the President II the Unlted States must
| have been EXTENDED to all coiored men.
wherever found, aad so must have establish
ed a change of suffrage in the Norlhern,
Middle, and Western States. not less than
! ia the Southern and southwestern Sue.
voters. and would have been an assump
ton of power by the President which noth-
ing in the Constitution or laws OF the Uni
ted States would have warranted.
On the other hand, every danger OF con
| tiict is avoided when the settlement OF the
question il referred to the several States
They can each for itself, decid on the
measure and whether it is to be adopted
at once and absolutely, or introduced grad
ualy aud with condit,ons In my judg-
ment, the freedmen. if they show patience
and manly virtues will sooner obtain ii
participation in the elective franchise
through the States than through the Gen
eral Government. even if it had power to
intervene When the tumult Of emotions
that nave been raised by the suddenness OF
I the social change shall have subsidized II
may prove that they will receive the kind
Hest usage from some of those on whom they
have always heretofore most closely DEEPEN
ded. ........
But while | have no doubt that now at
ter the close of the war, it is not competent
tor the General Government To extend the
elective franchise ia the several States, it IS
equally clear that good faith requires the
security of the freedmen in their liberty and
their property. their right to labor, aud
their right to claim the jnst return of their
labor cannot too strongly urge dis
passionate treatment of this subject, which
should carefully kept aloof from all party
strife We must equally avoid hasty as
snmptions of any natural imposeibility for
the two races to live side by side. i'll a state
of mutual benefit and good will. The ex
pertinent involves us i'll no Inconsistency !;
let us then go on and make that experiment
in good faith and not he too easily dis
heartened The country is in need of la
Dor, and the freedmen are III need of EN-
ployment, culture and protection. While
their right of voluntary migration and
repatriation is not to he questioned would
not advise their forced removal and coloni
cation Let US rather encourage them to
honorable and useful industry where it may
be- beneficial to themselves and to the coun-
try; and, instead of hasty anticipations of
the certainty of failure LET there be nothing
wanting to the fair trial of the experiment
The change in their condition is the substi-
tuition of labor by contract for the status Of
slavery. The freedman cannot fairly be &C
cuspd of unwilhngness TO work 50 long as a
uOuDb TeiIdlIIS dUOut HIS IEttuOul Vi CilOICS
in his pursuits, and the certainty Of his re-
covering his stipulated wages In this the
interests of the employer and the employed
coincide. The employer desires in his work
meu spirit and alacrity, and these can be
permanently secured in no other way. And
if The one ought to be able to enforce the
contract, +" ought the other. The public
interest will he best promoted, if the sever
al States will provide adequate protection
and remedies for tie freedmen Until this
rs III some way accomplished, there is no
cnance for the advantageous use of their la
hor; and the biane Of iii success will not
rest on them
know that sincere philanthropy is ear
lest tor the immediate realization of its re-
'npIes, aims; but time is always AN element
iu reform 1t is one If the greatest acts on
record to have brought four millions of peo-
pie into freedom. The career of free indus-