The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1865-06-28


10 pluck us new. boru flowers ont of the
coming pcaceg God gives to every nation
some crowuing opportunity to be morally
great. That opportunity now is ours.
Generations may come aud go, aud as tho
Chairman has graudly said, such days as
these may not come agaiu The century
plant is now in bloom aud your eyes aud
mino shall Moor see such another flower.
War having mcltcd the nation like wax,
now comes peace to set the seal, And as
our Institutions are now fashioned in the
reconstruction, SO they are likely to remain
tor fifty years or more, God keep us, there.
fore, from taking wrong stop now There
is path OF peril, and there is a path of
safety Nay We be guided into tho right
May we be led away from the wrong,
What then shall be the high test whereby
we shall know that the nation, in the com.
ing years, is going towards her safety,
or going towards her destruction | say,
let the watchword he Justicc-justico TO
the negro, Justice to tho traitor. What is
justice to the negro2 hold in my hand u
letter from the Chief Justice of the United
States, who was expected to speak here to-
night, and who is absent only because an
crrand of duty called him to tho South, lie
has houorod me with q message which
will deliver TO YOU lie says;
Z" should be glad to say a few words to
| the Christians who viii be gathered ut the
reunion on the DUTY of giving to colorcd
/ loyalists the right ol selI-protcction by suil.
rage Iearken to what now comos: "Iy
! last communication on this subject with the
| good President whom we have have lost,
| was on the morning OF the black day. He
! was believe nearer right according to
| my idea Of right, ON this subject, ON the last
day of his life than any day before
! Hearllen, also, to what comes ucXt The
/ President is a natural born Democrat, and
! his Democracy is as broad as that OF tho
Declaration Of Independence
Friends. these are the words, not ouly of
the Chief Justice, but OF man whom rank
as the chief statesman of the United States.
! The whole world knows his name. Chief
Justice Chase A man who having admin.
istered the oath OF ollicc to two Presidents
! stands now between tho one in his grave
and the other in his high chair, and. link.
| ing the greatest conviction OF the dead with
the fresh purpose of the living, now con-
fronts this festival, and through this lesti-
val coufronts the nation. saying, with that
voice that utters the highest law of the
land, that the highest duty of this hour is
to summon tho negro TO the great dignity
of seltgOvernmcni and to put in his right
! hand tho sccpter of tho ballot. Attorney
General Bates decided the negro citizen.
| But what is citizenship? 1t is gate o.
brass till it be unlocked with the key. of the
ballot. In governmen. like ours, selfpro-
lection is through the ballot. This is the
citizens defense of the citizen. This is the
tower of strength. Without it, a man is at
the mercy of any conspiring class who
choose to oppress him, but with it he may
at any time arrai sn his Cppressdr before the
jury of the whole people. The question:
comes, How are we to take care of tho lie.
gro? We answer, The negro is to take care
of himself; and the instrument he is to do
it with is the vote in his right hand. | be-
lievc in Freedmens societies. Give your
charities TO them. But these are only tenn
pOrary. The negro must be brought as
speedily as possible to the time, not when
you and | shall take care of him. but when
he shall take caro- of himself. All these arc
but to give tho crust for the present hum
ger; To give the cup f cold water for the
present thirst. These win pass away and
the negro must hew out his own career: ho
must be the architect of his own fortunes
he must plant his own VINE and fig tree, and
the seed of this is the ballot. | believe,
with my friend Frederick Douglas, that, If
n negro knows rs much when sober as an
! lrishman when drunk, he knows enough TO
vote. But what need is there that should
argue this in Brooklyn, when the HerdhRis
arguing it in Now York think Mr.. Bon
nett has al least rendered two services to
his country. One by staying al home from
! France, and ono by saying that grant sui.
frage to the negro, and the occupation of the
abolitiOnists will be gone. My friends,
I | nGt hn I lin va l.
t. see the He,uM speak the truth! 1t
1 hls been said that Democracy has been
on trial in this country. deny it, De.
mocracy just now begins to be on trial in
this country What is this trial 7 II is the
Declaration of Independence, pointing to
"all men created equal y and now Summon
| ing this nation to answer how, having
! pledged itself to this faith it can neverthe-
less lift one class of people into prerogativeS
| over another calling ono favored and an
other djslavorcd, putting honor upon one
and stigma upon the other. Thank God,
Democracy. at last is on trial in this coun.
try. And when will this trial have passed
! to lis successful issue | will tell you
when. ! know two gentlemen Of South
! Carolina. One is Governor Aiken, who is
now in Washington attempting to provo his
! loyalty; and tho other is that romantic ne
| gro who was found in the woods frying la
! con on the Governors silver tray; and the
test will be when we have "A democracy in
! this country that shall send Governor Aiken
! back again TO lock arms with that negro,
walking with him 10 the ballOt-box, the two
| together giving their votes for the Stars
! and Stripes and the Union forever. Ii is
/ in vain to say that anything short Of that
will be justice to the negro Now then,
| what shall be Justice to tho traitor 4? /
agree with Ml'allay, that in the settlement
| of great rebellion, the wise course il
| Mu,p 10 be pard0Bed, LW a feW 10 BE- pun
| iSked would say TO Tho great mass, TO
those who have been msled, Amnesty; but
te the small baud of riugleaders. Punish
! nent. | know there are those wGO rise up
and say, rlIave they not already been pun
| isheI enough? How ? b the ravas,s of
war But tho war has its scars on tho
| North as well as the South. These are it's
accidents hat fall as tho rain falls alike on
the Just and the unjust. The dosolations of
war are no part of solemn punishment for
crime. When you capture lawless cruiser
on the high seas, aud tho penalty is hang
| ing, does the pirate say. HYou have howed
down my maiuInast you have cut to pieces
my rigging, ] haYe my arm in sling, | am
! bruised from head tn foot let me 60, | am
| punished eunush?" No, you swing the
halter Ia tie yadarm aud say tU him, Go
1 up F" 10 YOU say that enough blood has
already been shed2 Wen, I say hanging
sheds 40 blood. Friends, understand me.
| would not speak in Christian meeting,
an unchristian word. hope TO see the
| daV uylop fho NUbola fabric of eneieiv uholI