Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-08-10
General Cons Letter Uenutwx
His Position.
From the ohio Statesman /

CoH had been constrained, 10y pressure, TO
dcunc, with cxplicitncss, his position ON the
Negro Suffrage question, and we were cred
ihly informed that he had pronounced, with
absolute posltlvcncss against Negro Euual
ity-socally and politically. Taking il for
grantcdthat our information in this partcu-
lar was unqucstionablc- lc-that he had taken
from the Reserve Abolitionists and Obcrlin.
ties every conceivable support to their rev
olntlonary and rcpulsivc doctrines short,
that hlS letter was frank, manly exposition
OF the doctrine that this Government was
ioundcd by W htc men for White mcn-wc
could not do otherwise than make our infot.
nation IN that regard the text for an OK
utant editorial 70 this oxultation VIC
were not impclled by any hope of party
gam for it is apparent to all persons Of dis
elimination who are not blinded by their
Negro ianatlclsm, that the assumption Of
an unqualified opposition position to Negro
Suffrage and Negro Political Equality,
would promote much more his prospects of
an election than ifhc were to take the con
tTary position but because it would be To
the country at large testimonial that the
great body Of the people of Ohio-thc third
State in importance in the Unon-thc
State that had given to our armies as their
triumphant headers Grant, Sherman, Sheri-
dan, and officers whose achievements were
only secondary to thcrs-were united in
Their opposition to the doctrine of Negro
Suffrage and Negro Political Equality. Had
Gen. Cox taken this position, We felt conf
dent that President johnson would have
| been cmbodcncd to stand by his Reorgani-
zltion policy unwaverngly, and that it
would have been salutary in its influence
upon the White people in the South. Vain
| hope.
| The Ohio o.Statc.Jouraol on Tucsdaymorn
ing gave General Cox : letter. elected by a
letter from an Oberlin committee, in which
he has detiaed his position. The letter Of
! the Oberlin committee bears date July "a;
/ 1868, and his answer thereto bears date July
%, 1865, one day thereafter. Through
/ Gen. Cox letter We derive the information
that the committee was an irresponsible, Or
self-constituted affair, and yet to that com
mittee he vouchsaies an answer that makes
in length four columns in The Ohio State
: Jo0roi; but, for some cause or other, he
|, did not deem the soldiers who addressed him
a respectful note Of interrogation touching
' his views on the subject Of the Negro on
the Sd Of July, lo6j, and those who ad-
dressed him on the same subject on the 18th
of July, 1860, worthy Of any consideration.
A., 1t may occur to the soldiers that it is some
what singular that he should give to their
correspondence, in which they ayow their
!. purpose not to vote for him if he is in favor
= Of Negro Suffrage and Negro Political Equal
ity, no attention whatever, and yet with the
! utmost aiacrlty responds to a self-cOnstitut-
= ed Committee Of Oberlnites. who tell him
T. that 80 decidedare our their people on the
d subject, that they could By no means be per-
Z suaded to vote for man known to be oe-
posed to Negro Suffrage" His old-timc
e affection for Obern remains. And what
i does his letter defining his position amount
to? In brief it amounts to this: The
e Democratic party must be defeated at all
y hazards; the Platform should be satisfactory
e to all men who have heretofore acted in OPP
a position to the Democratic party; that this
d Platform does not interdict the most full
+ discussion Of matters on which the Platform
is silent or studiously non-committal-that
r. in the northern portion of the State, the
/. members Of the party are at liberty to ad-
20 vocate Negro Suffrage and Negro Equality
= as much a. they please; and south Of the
X National road the members Of the party
* have as fulllicense tooppose these doctrines;
that for himself and it is only an individual
opinion, which he. would not undertake to
- set up against the opinions Of the leaders il
the party or against the men Of the Legis
lature or against the views Of the Admins
Lo tratiUn at Washington, he is satisfied tina
y, ~ while they are ntermixed with the Whites
- would result disastrously to the Negroes
= that they would, in a contest with tn
49, Whites, who now, whether lately thei
20 masters or whether the poor White men
=, entertain toward them an implacable hatred
" be driven to the wall that the effect of tn
y. ~ War upon the Federal White soldiers ha
- bcclrt0 make them anti-slavery men bu
~ ., at the same time it has increased and deep
ii cned the pride Of race; that while the race
~ Of Western Europe are susceptible Of rapic
~, ~ fusion on our soil, the African race is not
- race that can be brought TO form an elcmen
q" in that fusion; that for the benefit Of tn
races they should be separated, and the Ne
- grocs be colonized in contagious territor.
a in South Carolina, Georgia Alabama anC
~ Florida, and there invested with the SAM
y functions of Government that are enjoyed
u u by the Whites in other States that tn
T. Negroes in Ohio may be regarded as mer
II waits and strays ofthe great body; that hi
- plan of colonization gives to the Blacl
y man political rights and franchises withou
-, oncrous terms.
TO These opinions he declares to be his per
hhe sonal opinions for which he and not his par
ng ty is responsible: that if he shall be elected
al or defeated, they will have only such weigh
Vi or influence as their own value will entitl
=. them 10, ana thcy VIII not AlhueT III
:, Thiml from giving a cordial support to tn
ne ne action of loyal Federal Government
nv other rieUs shall .Gn0liy PrerdN.
> General Cox has not pronounced agains
~, Negro Sutfrage'in Ohio or in the South
'he His effort has been to show that the tw
:, races can not 'harmoniously get along /
10 the same State if they were made politics
4'i' equals, and that, to the end that they ma
II, be as free politically as are the Whites {
u" Ohio he is in favor of driving or buyin
out the White people Of South Carolin;
,to Georgia, Alabama and Florida, and cOlonii
al al Ing all the Negroes there. Never did Do
W. Quxote undertake an enterprise mol
,nt r visionary than is this proposed colonizatio
"a plan of General Cox. He is evidently sci
~ sble of that fact himself, or he would NJ
inv ayow willingness to adopt different vieV
'e at the suggestion of other persons in his ow
,rn -, party If, at any time, he may have opinion
,tIo of his own, he does not propose to set the
It Iia up against the opinions of leaders in his oN
H. H. party should they conflict with his own,
'"' And this is the man We are asked to cred
with wise forecast, frankness, tirmness ar
y determinations We think it mistake
wo M suppose our people are disposed to engae
-Nu l., IEbita ,,nnrlp r,