The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-09-07


rebellion had existed, and armies had
to 60 to put it down, slavery should |
cease. This was, or should be, settled |
Whatever secessionists to. day may
think, there can be no question that
they frankly admitted, ir laying down
their arms, that there was no hopo for
their system of slavery. Whatever,
under the influence of Northern SYM
patbizers, they may now attempt, then
expressed no wish for resuscitation.-
As ono of the questions growing out of
the war, the Union party had urged
the Constitutional Amendment abol-
ishing slavery, wAicn now requires
the ratification of but two more States.
He had heard folks say that it was
necessary to insist upon the utmost ex-
tent of true doctrine as q condition of
cooperation. They did not do this in
practical life. In forming company
to build railroad they would not in
sist that all should be church members.
We unite against slavery and seces-
sion and aim to prevent the success of
their advocates Now the question is,
in surveying the whole field, who is
doing most Tor this? Who is righteSt?
l remember, during some of the dark
est days of the war, when our army in
East Tennessee presented scene un-
paralleled since the days when Wash
ington's little band occupied Valley
Forge. Rosecrans was beleagurcd in
Chattanooga; supplies were cut off; the
clothing of the soldiers was in tatters;
and the thermometer at twenty degrees
below zero, on New Years day, while
the poor fellows were getting daily a
handful of corn, and | have seen them
picking out grains of corn where mules
had stood, and parching ii TO eat,
shivering over the green birch, which
hissed and sputtered, but refused to
burn; and when approached them,
and asked how they Jared, they re-
piled: ATS pretty rough, General, but
we will see it through" Applause.
Who were they? Men from Tennes,
see and Kentucky, whom you might
call pro slavery, but patriotic to the
core; and amid all these scenes, from
day TO day the shout would 60 up that
another and another of these regi-
monts had veternized--had given their
pledge to the Government for another
term of three years. Immense ap-
plause And though from slave
States, they went with q will, and car
ried the flag over many rough place
where it was worth carrying it, and
our boys learned to be glad of their
co.operation. NoU these men were not
as advanced as some upon the Western
Reserve, but they were patriots, loyal;
aud those who have slandered them
slander me, and | have identified my.
self with them and make their interest
mine. Applause. Some of them
come from slave States, but men who
were good enough to fight for the
cause are good enough to stand with
me on the Union platform. When We
have overcome those who favor slave
ry and secession, we may have some
thing else, and that something else is
coming right along on the question OF
reconstruction. The first thing to do
was to carefully inform ourselves as to
the facts. Here are the disloyal say
ing: "No reconstruction without leav-
ing the petty tyrants of the South
where they were before the war;
Others saw the path of liberty and
progress held right open for every hu-
man being, for man as man. He had
already taken pains to say that he was
with the most advanced. Strange to
say, he found some who thought he
was precisely the reverse. How should
we accomplish our wishes in this?-.-
Here he found himself at variance
with others. We have from time to
time been reasscrting the principles of
the Declaration of Independence, but
we differed as to the mode of applying
them. We hold 1cOmen equal ,cth men
before tie lar, but nerer supposed that
in not permitting them TO cote. re lrere
holding Sir or Seuen million SlaueS.-
There had been no cry of oppression,
no uprising against the policy of law
in this respect, There is a distinction
between natural and political rights.
Alter passing the fundamental natural
rights there is q wide field for divcrg.
cnco in views. We have hitherto re-
fused to let women and minors vote
without being aware wo were violating
Gods law. He had not satisfied him
self that we could protect them and
ourselves by giving suffrage to the
millions of degraded beings emancipa.
ted by the war. He knew that gencr-
ally the extension of suffrage in this
country had worked well, and yet it
had been found, in New Yurk city, q
question whether the mass of ignorant
men, inexperienced in politics, could
be entrusted with the franchise with
safety to the community. If he could
clearly see that good would result from
comforting the right to vote upon the
savages in the Western wilds, or upon
the Chinese emigrants now crowding
to the shores of the Pacific, he should
not hesitate to advocate that policy,
but when he learned that they wore
erecting pagan temples ON the fair soil
of this Christian republic, he must be
permitted to question its expediency.
Continuing, he said; Some of you
gentlemen who have studied these the.
ories deeply while l have been about
other matters, may be able to enlight-
en- me on this point. ! confess lhave
not satisfied myself. I have, in an
swer to questions put to me, said that