The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-08-24

lated. The constitution Of West Virxtliis
contains . denial Of the right Of secession, q
we'll as of slavery; and that slorio6S 0ungea
daughter of the GsteFhpod, .hntn in the midse
of rebellion, and 3e1aing u necessity 81
guarding again6f thak which Had endangered
It's life in its veiy crsdle, has written down in
her Couilifntion that neither slavesy nor -;
cession is - Be regarded Is permissible. And
Maryland, "my HAyylsnd, who has come
out as through fire hom the midst of this
evil When she came to modify her couatitn;
ton, Hbutished the one and prUhi6ited the
other 3 fruitful sources Of mischief and dan
ger Tn 18th article in her Bill of Rights
esaeaiass Tie following Language; giorivas and
familiar to you all as the words of the ordi-
nance of 1887, Incorporated into the constitu-
| ton Of our own State:
Art. "a, That hereafter, in this Stafe,
there shall be neither, slavery nor inyoluntary
servitpde, except in punishment Of er'me,
whereof the party shall have been duly com
yicted and all persons held to. service OF
labor az slaves are hereby declared free. 20;
/ MARYLAND thus wiped ont slavery, and set
mn an impassablc wall TO prevent her people
at any future time from re-estabishing it. ail
But here is something that not even our
own Constitution contains: Il. sn
!" Art. 8. The Constitution of the United
States, and the laws made in pursuance there
Of, being the supreme law of. the land. every
citizen Of this State owes paramount ale
glance to the Constitution and Government
of the United States, and is not bound by
any law or ordinance Of this State in contra
vention or distinction thereof.
Had the doctrine contained in this article
been one Of the fundamental principles of the
Southern States, we should never have had
Nall, m.~lx L. &C -
from the language of the Constitution Of the
United States, and from the laws made in
recognition of this doctrine. But because the
mad politicians of the South have, in the face
of this legitimate inference, contended for a
different doctrine, it is proposed now that
this provision, as we'll "a the vne excluding
slavery, shall be insisted upon rs an essential
part of every constitution adopted or modi-
he'd from this time onward.
AMENDMENT OF THE " THREE-FIrrHs RULE
But the people of the Southern States may
after having adopted their amended Constitu
tons, change them and abjure this doctrine,
Therefore it is that |, as one Of your Repre-
sentatives, shall not only insist that no Rep
resentative from the late rebel States shall
take seat alongside of me in the National
Congress until slavery and secession shall
have been given up, and the record of the
fact incorporated in their fundamental law,
but shall go further; do not stop there. /
shall require, as measure absolutely essen
tlal to be adopted, before | can agree that
these people shall be restored to their old
relations, and have an equal share with us
IN the Government of our common country.
the abrogation of a rule that has always given
them the upper hand of us. The matter to
which | allude touches upon a most delicate
question, but approach it frankly and boldly.
Everybody knows how, during the progress
of this rebellion, we have had to contrast
black patriots with white rebels EVERYBODY
knows that while the white people Of the
South have nearly unanimously flied their
parricidal hands to strike down our national
flag and destroy the Government it represents,
that the poor, oppressed and downtrodden
black men, even the slaves upon their pianta-
tons, have sympathised with our Union sol
diers, and served them in every possible way.
Everybody knows that not only has this been
their universal disposition toward the Union
cause, but that in the dark hours OF the ma
TONS trial, when the struggle was SO evenly
balanced that the worst fate was feared for
our cause, these blacks were called upon to
furnish their arms, their hearts, their life
blood, IN the contest that was to settle our
common destiny. And this day, we have
more Than one hundred thousand OF them
bearing their muskets, under the stars and
stripes of our country. Something, therefore.
is due to them; how II shall be paid. is
question yet to be decided. The President
has thought it well, in attempting to lead
these insurrectionary States back, TO interfere
as little as possible with the laws of their
several States. He has, therefore, when cali
ing upon them to present Constitutions that
shall be satisfactory to the rest of the nation.
asked that they be presented as coming from
those who possessed the right of suffrage be-
fore the rebellion, and were willing now to
purge themselves of the disabilities to which
they have recently been subjected. We know
not what sort of Constitutions they may pre-
sent; whether they will provide for the en-
franchisement of their late slaves, or whether
they will continue to deny it to them. But |
take the bold stand here, and am prepared 10
maintain it, that when they present their Con-
stitutions, whether they provide for negroes
voting or not, until further condition Is
complied with shall still oppose their read
mission to the privileges of the other States.
AS tar as voting is concerned, | am free tb
admit that | would ratherhave the vote Of Il
black man with a white heart than the vote Of
white man with black and rebellious heart.
Cheers. But l am not willing to receive
either of them yet. Renewed cheers. b
am for keeping all of them out yet awhile.
am for waiting until the work is finished
until have proof of such disposition on the
part of the rebels as will insure that no other
rebellion will again break out and destroy our
peace and prosperity.
Now, how can we have this assurance? 1
say that we must advance slowly; that, as in
the origin Of the Government, SO in the recon
struction or restoration of the Government.
the process is slow, and can only be accom-
plished well by taking time to it. I have
heretofore said, ami repeat it here, that the
reflection does not disturb me that we must
thus wait. | do not deem it essential that
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and the
rest of the rebel States, should be in full com
munion with the rest of the Union this wear.
or next year, or even FIVE or ten years hence
would gladly welcome all back TO-DAY. If
they were fully prepared to come back; but
until they are fully qualified to take positions
on the same plane with the rest of the States.
If it takes thirty years, want them to keen
out those thirty pears. [Cheefp. 7, South
Carolina was thirty years oonspiring to get
out of the Union, and care not II she i
thirty years m getting back. Laughter and
cheers.J
Now, think see way BY which in doing
duty lying Immediately before us, we NAV
bring this result about. l have already pre-
scribed certain conditions, submission to
which, you viii all agree with me, are neces.
sary before these States can be restored tn
full fellowship; but there is another condi