Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-12-14

whose powers have been so long in abcy-
ance, to resume their places in the two
branches of the National Legislature, and
thereby complete the work Of restoration.
Here II is for you, fellow citizens of the Sen
ate, and for you, fcllow-citizens of the
House of Representatives, to Judge, each
T for yourselves, of the elections, returns, and
qualifications Of your own members.
The full assertion of the powers Of the
' General Government requires the holding
of Circuit Courts of the United States with.
in the districts where their authority has
been interrupted. In the present posture
OF our public affairs, strong objections have
been urged to holding these courts in any
of the States where the rebellion has exist
ed and it was asccrtained. by inquiry. that
the Circuit of the United States would not
be held within the District of Virginia dur
ing the autumn or carly winter, nor until
Congress should have IAN opportunity TO
consider and act on the whole subject. " TO
your deliberations the restoration of this
branch Of the civil authority of the United
States Is therefore necessarily referred, with
the hope that early provision will be made
Tor the resumption Of all its functions. 1t
is manifest that treason, most fragrant IN
character, has been committed. Persons
who are charged with its commission should
! hhNb iuli anu lItlS III IDC il1UItSI
civil tribunals of the country, in order that
the Constitution and the laws may be fully
vindicatcd; the truth clearly established
and affirmed that treason is crime. that
traitors should be punished and the offence
made Infamous; and, at the same time,
that the question may be iudicialy settled,
finally and forever, that no state of it own
will has the right to renounce its place in
the Union.
The relations of the General Government
towards the four millions of inhabitants
whom the war has called into freedom, 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 Interpretation of
that instrument by its authors and their CO.
temporarles, and recent legislation by Con
gress. When, at the first movement to-
wards independence, the Congress of the
United States instructed the several States
to institute Governments of their own, they
left each State to decide for itself the con
dltlons for the enjoyment of the elective
franchise. During the period of the Con.
lcderacy, there contuel to exist a very
great diversity in the qualifications Of elect.
ors in the several States; and even within
Il state distinction Of qualifications pre-.
val led with regard to the officers who were
to be chosen. The Constitution of the Uni
ted States recognizes these diversities when
It enlons that, IN the choice Of members of
the House of Representatives Of the Uni.
ted States, the electors in each State shall
have the qualifications requisite for electors
ot the most numerous branch Of thc State
Legislature. After the formation of the
Constitution, it remained, as before, the
uniform usage for each State to enlarge the
body Of its electors, according to its own
judgment; and, under this system, one State
after another has proceeded to 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 unqnestionod has been the Interpretation
Of the Constitution, that during the late
civil war the late President never harbored
the purposc-certanly never avowed the
purpose OF dlsrcgarding it; and in the acts
OF Congress, during that period, nothing
of hostlllties, much less after their close,
would have sanctioned any departure by
the Executive from policy which has so
uniformly obtained. Moreover a conces-
sion Of the elective franchise to freedmen,
by act OF the President Of the United States,
must have been extended to all colurcd men,
wherever found, and so must have estab-
,li>hrd n change of sullvnge in the Nor,hern
Middle, and Western States, not less than
in the Southern and SouthwcStcrn Such
AN act would have created now class of
voters, and would have been an assumption
Of power by the President which nothingin
the Constitution or laws Of the United
States would have warranted.
a., ,l,, l,, L., 1 q
ilict is avoided when the settlement of the
question Is referred to the several States 49,
They can, each for itself, decide the measure,
absolutely, or introduce gradually and with
conditions. In my Judgment the freedmen
If they show patience and manly virtues,
VIII sooner obtain participation in the cleo
tive franchise through the States than thro
) the General Governments even If it had
: power to intervene. When the tumult of
emotions that have been raised by the sud
: dcnness ot the social change shnll have sub
sided, it may pravc that they will receive the
kmdcSt usage from some Of those on whom
they have heretofore most closely depended
But while have no doubt that now after
the close Of the war, it is not competent for
the General Government to extend the clec-
uvc franchise in the several States it is
equally clear that good faith requires the Sc
curty OF the freedmen in their liberty and
their property, their right to labor, an |
their right to claim the Just return for their
labor. | cannot too strongly urge dispas-
slonatc treatment Of this subject, which
should be carefully kept aloor from all party
strife Wemvst equally avoid hasty assump.
: tons of any natural imposSiblity for the
two races to live side by side in n state of
mutual benefit and good will The expert
npnt lVplNps ns in nn it a, =,