The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1865-06-08

hVu VI tue Dtate O0Vernment OF La,
When tho message Of 1853, with the
plan before mentioned, reached New
Orleans, General Banks wrote to me
that he was confident that the people,
with the aid Of his military co.operA.
ton, would reconstruct substantially on
that plan. / wrote to him and some Of
them to try it. They tried it, and the
result is known. Such has been my on.
y agency in the Louisiaua movement.
My promise is made, as have fte-
quently stated, bat as bad promises are
better broken thau kept, I shall treat
this as a bad promise aud break 1t when.
ever shall be convinced that keeping
it is sverse to the public interest. But
| have not yet been so convinced.
| have been shown letters on this
subject, supposed to be able ones, ia
which the writer expressed a regret that
my mind has not seemed to be definite
ly fixed on the question whether sOoed-
ed States, so called, are 10 the Uuion or
out Of it, 1t would have added aston
ishment to his regret we're he to learn
that since l have found professei Union
men endeavoriug to answer that ques-
ton, l have purposely forborne any
public expression upon it. 1t appears
to me that the question has not been,
aud is not yet a practically material
one, aud the discussion of it while il
remains practically immaterial could
have no effect other than the mischiev-
Gus one of dividing our friends. AS
yet, whatever it may become, that ques-
ton is bad base of dispute, and good
for nothing at all. We all agree that
the seeded States, so-called, are out of
their proper practical relation with the
Union, and that the sole object Of the
Government, civil aud military, iu re-
gard to those States, is to again get
them into that proper relation. l bo-
lieve that it is not only possible, but in
fact easier to do this without deciding,
or even considering whether these
States have ever been out of the Union,
! for when fudiug themselves safely at
home, it would be utterly immaterial
whether they had been abroad or not.
Let US all join in doing the acts necos-
7 sary to restore the proper practical rela-
tions between those States and the
: Union, and each forever after innocent
=, y indulge 10 his own opinion, whether
in doing the acts he brought States
from without into the Union, or only
gave them proper assistance, they never
! having been out of it,~,9r-vayR r
= The amount of constituency, SO to
:, speak, on which the Louisiana govern =
10 ment rests, would be more satisfactory
to all if il contained 10000 or go, 600,
. or even 20 900, instead of 10000, as /,
!, does. 1t is also satisfactory to some to
II know that the elective franchise is not
q given to the colored man. would my.
- self prefer it were now conferred on
very intelligent colored men, and or
As those who serve our cause as soldiers
IL Still, the question is not whether tho
n Louisiana government, as it stands, i.
n quite all that is desirable. Is ,..- #
.
RS The, question is, will it be wiser Il
IS, take it as it is, and help to improve il
or to reject and dispcrse it? Can Louis
ID lana be brought into proper practica
20 relation with the Union sooner by sus
ii taing the new Government, Som
. twelve thousand voters in the. hereto
a. fore slave State of Louisiana hav
IF sworn allegiance to the Union, assumed
ID to be the rishtful political power of til
e. State, held elections, organized Stat
7 Government, adopted free State Con
IN stitutiou, giving the benefit of the pub
of lie schools equally to black and white
he and empowering the Legislature to cor
he fer the elective franchise upon the col
or ored man. ...
The Legislature has already voted [
u ratify the 0onstitution nal Anne liner
lie recently passed by Congress, abolishin
"a. slavery throughout the Union. Thsa
ID. twelve thousand persons are thus full
he committed to the Union aud to perpei
Id uate freedom in the State-committs
is to the very things and nearly a
as the things the nation wants, and the
,er ask the nation for recognition and O
'n sistance to make this committal, v
1 have rejected and spurnsd them; We
IN, our utmost to disOrganize aud disperi
3D. them; we in fact say to the white maj
ci- "You are worthless or worse. We vi
It'll mover help you or be helped BY you"
'g- To the blacks We say, this cup of Ii
lad y which these your old masters held
i'h your lips, we will dash from you al
leave you TO the chances Of gathsrir
re- the spilled and scattered cOptonts