The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1865-08-04
Chief.Justice Chase on Reconstruction
and Negro Suffrage.

At tho annual Commencement of Oar,
mouth College, Chiof-Justice Chase wa
presont and invited TO address tho student
and their friends. In response to the inyi
tation he made o speech, which is tbus ro
ported intho New York WoriM
MIR. PRESIDENT: 1t may be doomed i'm
proper tor one in my position to speak up
on po'itlcai subjects. 1 am proclnded from
th's Held, tut here, among brothers. l woui,
ike TO say familiarly few things that
would not IN moro public way. twill be
indeed, beautiful thing to ercct memo
rial hal. for the martyrod sons of tho col
lego, and inscribe it's granite walls ali oyo,
with tho names of her children who bavf
boen ominont, both in war and in peaoe :
But tho truc monument we shall rear tc
their fame will DO out of Me coun,ry itself
| would be glad to give you INV ideas as
to how this country shall bo so reorpanized
and rebuilt as to secure tho true results O,
so much suffering and blood as has been
expended. These ideas have boon con.
irmed by my observation in my recent tour
through the South. Ii is nv belief that no
reorganization of tho country will be com.
pieto and permanent until every man in il.
OF whatever color, is allowed to vote. Tho
right OF snffrago is right of Freedom and
citizenship, aud II must DO granted to all,
and to all who havo been mado free by tho
course anc events of tho war. II will be
| objected that tho nogroos arc no: qualified
to voto. But observation recently assures
mo that thoy nrc sufficiently Intelligent
Ihero are among them on tho plantation
carpenters, mechanics. blacksmiths, proach.
ors, who arc worry skilful aud intelligent. AT
least there Is at tho South; among tho col
orod mon, real aristocracy. an aristocracy
ot nature. Thero arc those who are intel.
l'gont enough to construct ticket, and tho
othors havo intelligence 10 voto IL when IL is
pu, into their hands Thoy can ,ako the
ticket you give thom, and If uuablo to tell
the reason why thoy vote it, they yo, know
enough to walk up to tho ballot box and
put it in. And l think that ia about ~,
much Intelligence as thosd beiofo me have
| think IL should ask tho reasons of YOU
why you voted as you did, you would not
give tbcm. l think you, MIR. Presdon,
and Mr.. Ex President, and YOU, pentlemen
OF the trustees, and these dis ling ushcd pon
Heman hero, could not tell why they voted
as they did at tho lato election. You found
ticket ready made, and you know enough
to go to tho ballot and deposit. You had
no hand 10 making il, and the. colorod mon
OF tho South can do as well as YOU hayo
dOno.
Now l wish to say n fow words abont the
mode OF teorganzing tho South. do not
agroo with tho doctrine that nv learned
friend advanced yesteaday, that The States
o! tho South haoo become territories. or that
tncy are out or havo been out CT tho Union.
but think that | may show that the rc.
suit ne aims to sOcnro may DO reachod by n
u'ilorent theory and progress from that. 1t
10 my opinion TINT tho States remain States.
Dut tho war. groat and stupondous fact.
mas effected changes as real and permanent
ns those cfiooted by any other method. II
has effected comploto destruction of sia.
very. No ono doubts that Slaycry il
dead. And 1t has accomplished othor
ohangos. The white population of tho
south has become froc. Those who wero
slaves at tho beginning of tho war have be.
come freedmen and citizens now. And tho
rebeI governments of tho Southern Statos
nave been destroyed. All tho machinery
OF thoso govornmoDts has como Ia an oni.
and now holding, as do, that tho Statos ro.
main states. the second process in tho work |
oil reorganization is that tho Governments
now revert into the hands of the Southern
people. They are to rebuild tho govern
ments OF their States. But who are tho
people? Tha. is now tho question. / hold
that tho war has made evory coloroi man
part of the people. Therefore tho coiored
mon OF the South should boar an eoual
hand In reorganization. Tho war has made
thcm citizons. and tho right OF suffrage in
the reorganization of o State, pertains to
evory citizon, whatever NAV have. been boon
his sidfns before the war begun.
And they arc moral enough to bo allowed
the suffrage. Thoy arc a very religious
people, and most Of thom belong to tho
church, or Il, as friend suggested. that on
" mombors OF church should bo allowed
to vote, that restriction should be made.
tbey would oil be membcrs of the church
by next week, Ind that, If il were not a
very mOralizlng process. would be d very
speedy and eiloctuaI political one. But thew
arc moral enough TO be allowed this right.
Ihey havo great many black preachers
am0ng them, who are now pwachipp tho
sancl'ty OF marriage, and If they have but
little knowledge of the distinction between
mfum and tunm. never having boon taught
u by their late mastors. yot these Preachers
are now instructing thom in tho rights of
property. Therefore. to give them tho bal.
lot will be eminently safe and eminontly
right.
And this right will have to bo admitted.
II not now. yet somo time. Our classical
knowledge will give us an ilIustration.-l
When tho Sybillino book was offorod to the
Roman Emperor and rofusod, loaf was Ia.
kon out, and this was repeated upon each
refusal until but a single leaf was left. and
tho same prico was demanded for that.
And 1t was paid. So we shall have to nav
ibis price. We shall pay il at last 1t Is
right, too, that we should. The right of
suffrage is one Of tho universal rights of
man; our country must recognize this be.
fore tho sacrifices Of the brave men who
have fought and died, for it will be truly