The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1865-09-27

spirit am determined to yield to Presi-
dent johnson my cordial and hearty sup-
port in every constitutional measure to
restore all the States to the Union, and to
sustain him in al other constitutional
measures in administering the affairs Of
the Government ; and, in SO acting, /
will but move in concert with the two
hundred thousand Democrats Of Ohio.
MR.. sTANTos's IDEA IS suBJUaATloN
AND NOT RESTORATION.
While our young men who went forth
to battle were inspired by a pure and
lofty patriotism, the single desire to pre-
serve the Constitution and the Union, the
Summers, and Wilson's, and Chambers,
and Beechers, and the Stantons Of the
North, only regarded the war as means
to destroy slavery, without caring wheth-
er tie Union survived or perished in the
conflict. They used every effort to pre-.
vent the overthrow Of the rebellion until
slavery was a. olshed, thanked God for
our failure to take Richmond in 1852,
and opposed every advance made by the
South, to secure peace and Union by ne
Citation. In 1863 Alexander H. Ste
phens sought for permission to visit
Washington to treat for peace on the ba-
sis of the Union, but the President, over
ruled by Stanton and his adherents, re-
jected every proposition to end the re-
| hellinn hv neootiation
| In the New York Tribune, Of August
16, 1865, from which I read, speaking Of
the propositions to negotiate, Mr.. Greeley
says:
"Had this wise and brave course (ne-
gotiation) been taken when Alex. h.
Stephens first publicly solicited permis-
sion to visit Washington. l believe it
would have saved quarter OF a million
lives, and on awful amount OF devasta.
ton and misery. aud left our National
debt full billion less than it is today"
And, again, in the Tribune of August
"a, 1865, in speaking Of the bad policy
of refusing to allow the South to propose
terms, he says:
~ would have welcomed every over
ture looking to pacifcation, and If COM
PEELED to have refused the proposed terms,
would have shown the world why must
do 40. | think this course,
wisely and studiously persisted in would
have been worth an army to the National
cause, and would have saved full year
Of the war"
At the outset of the insurrection, it
was well known at Washington, it was
proclaimed by the Republican press, that
a majority Of the Southern people we're
opposed to secession. Wisdom and pa.
triotism would have dictated policy cal
culated to inspire confidence in the hearts
of that portion of the people who remain
ed loyal to the Union, and to conciliate
all those who we're not in arms. Unhappi-
ly an opposite policy was adopted, and
there was a settled purpose on the part OF
Mr.. Stanton and other leaders, to force
the whole Southern population into the
vortex of civil war.
Every soldier, from the General to the
private in the ranks, appreciates the ad'
vantage of having intelligent friends in
the sphere Of active military operations
Information, guides, supplies, all come
from such population. But, instead OF
Cancellation, the only idea at Washington
was war-not against armed insurgents,
but against every man born under a
Southern sun /; provided he had a white
skin. Thus were the innocent and the
guilty condemned together, and thus did
Edwin NJ. Stanton prove himself to be
the most efficient recruiting officer fol
Jefferson Davis. Applause. 1t had
only to be known at Washington that the
single motive, which inspired the conduct
of q General officer was the restoration OIL
the Union, and that officer was, as far as
the War Office could make him SO, 9
doomed man. Hence the defeat of oul
army in front Of Richmond, in 1862, moi
by Lee, but by Stanton. Hence the as
sassin's blow which was aimed at tht
heart OF Sherman, and which only failed
, to reach him, because his army formed /
shield sixty thousand deep, through which
the murderous blow could not penetrate
[Applause.] a..
/, THE NEGRO.
No feeling of personal unkindness, nC
vulgar prejudice, controls my action il
opposing negro equality. l have evcl
regarded, and now consider the negro a,
an object Of commisseration, and not ol
; hatred or contempt He is not RESPONSE
: BILE for being resident Of America, bu
his misfortunes neither gave him sufl
cient intelligence to become a citizen, mol
, do away with the insurmountable obsta
cles against his being placed upon al
! equality with the white man.
2 And although Gen. Uox declares ir
4 his Oberlin letter "that the white anC
!, black races are from the antipodes Of th'
9 human family yet he substantially say
in the same letter that if majority o
the Republicans declare in favor Of ne
gro suffrage, he will declare in favor o
9 placing black and white men on thu
i same political level. With two or tbre,
: exceptions, all Of the Republican paper
: have, since the nomination Of Genera
Cox, declared in favor Of negro suffrage
9 but finding that the doctrine was often
! siye to the soldiers, the mechanics am
!, laboring men Of Ohio, the Republical
= leaders now sock to evade the issue, il