Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-09-06


.'rr'nS -. government which they mry sei
gp.
win your leave, gentlemen. viii
rr;i8 {; Sf.trment as >uccInct and direci
is could prepare upon this point. which
was framed more than a year since. and
which | have no disposition to alter in
the least degree 1t i this: That "a State
can exist or cease To exist cnly 10y the
will Of the people within its limits; ana
1t cannot lee created or destroyed 10y the
'&t,rnai force on opinion of other States.
ST even by the judgement oraction OF ~,
nation itself; state when created 10y the
viii of the people can become a member
0E the American Union only 10y IFS own
2rganized action and the concurrent ac-
. ilou of heexisting national government;
when State has been admitted 10 the
| Union. no vote. resolution, ordinance or
3 proceeding, on IFS part, however formal
3 III character or vigorously sustained, car
J deprive the national government OF the
/ legal jurisdiction and sovereignty over the
territory auG people Of such state which
! existed previous to the act Of admission,
J or which were acquired thereby; that the
effect of the sO-callAd acts, resolutions
and ordinances OF secession adopted by
.
! rebellion is, and can only be, to destroy
4 those political organizations as States,
: while the legal and constitutional iuris-
J diction and authority Of the national gov
ernmeut over the people and territory Ell
main unHupaired; that these several
communities can be organized into states
only by the viii of the loyal people ex-
/ pressed freely and in the absence of all
. ha an
/ can become States Of the american Union
I only when they shall have applied for
, admission, and their admission shall have
/ been authorized 10y the existing national
7 government: that when the people have
organized a State upon the basis of allie
: glance to the Union and applied for ad
/ mission, the character Of such proposed
/ State may constitute a sufficient iustiica-
! ton for granting or rejecting such appli-
cation.
I But if there be those among you who
/ still doubt the authority of the national
government over the people and territory
0f the eleven rebelious States. | ask
them to consider the fact that the Su-
preme Court has decided that we have
/ been engaged in a territorial war. and
! hat with reference to the territory and
/ Of the United States, we have all the
rights of a belligerent power. We have
.arried on the war to successful teTmi
nation: we have subiugated the rebel
/ lious people: we have Overthrpwn their
military power: we have acquired iUrisdic
| tiou over the terrytory, and consequent
ly We have a right to demands much
~ we should if, in war with Mexico, we
f l
that when these once existing States are
reconstructed and admitted to the Union,
thev shall come with institutions which
are in substantial harmony with the set
tied policy of the nation. And there
fore, upon either OF these theories,-upon
the theory of thepower of the people OF
the rebel States, or upon the power of
the power Of the government,-we lind
sufficient reason and justification for
what we propose. And lmplOre you
not to allow your minds to be diverted
from the conclusion which we have thus
reached, by the expectation or apprehen-
sion that ii is my purpose upon this foun-
alton, to demand Justice for the negro
race. | assume not too much when say
that you ALL and, indeed, all my country
men of the loyal States who entertain
loyal purposes, would accept these con-
clusious without hesitation, if ii were
understood that the exercise of this just
Bower nl the nation were demanded to
prevent the establishment of the Otlice
of Governor in n single f4mily perpetual
!y, or tn prevent in any applicant State
he constitution Of an order OF nobility,
in which the government of the State
should be vested permanently. If, then,
/ ,hS
is not TO the claim that the general gov
ernment has this power of scrutiny and
exclusion, but To the subiect-matter or
the manner of its exercise. 1t remains
tor me 10 satisfy YOU, if | may be able,
that the exercise OF this power IN the
interest Of universal suffrage in the
south Is more important to the nation
than would be its exercise for the exclu-
SION of the principle of hereditary right
in public office in any or all OF the appll-
cant States.
In passing, perr-it me to say that there
are four methods or forms of government
which might be established IN the rebel
lious States. First, military governments,
RESPONSIBLE to the executive of the cOun-
try. Secondly, territorial governments,
| IN which law OF Congress should define
and prescribe the rights OF the people IN
reference to suffrage, with the power
lodged in the President and Senate to
appoint the Governor, Secretary of state.
District Attorney and perhaps some 9th
er officers. Thirdly, 10 recognize these
States as States in the American nation,
and this without any inquiry and with
/ their old constitutions. And, tOurthly,
by treating the people of these eleven
states as within the jurisdiction OF the
General government. hu- ,-ithOut InstItu-
lions of any sort, permit them TO frame a
government and apply for admission to-
! the Union. y military government,
being irresponsible, expensive, and for
the most part tyrannical. ls unacceptable
| TO the American people. 1t can be con-
tinued for a short period OF time only,
! but ere long it would be compelled to
| give place to another form. Probably,
| with reference TO some Of the States, as
South Carolina and Florida, territorial
government would be best adapted TO the
existing condition of things. In Arkan-
sas, Tennessee and Louisiana there Is
possibly so large loyal sentiment that it
the colored people were allowed the
right of suffrage, those states might be
safely restored to their ancient relations
TO the Union. IL therefore -O-l'No, IL
the practical result, thai it will De neces-
sary to adopt different lines OF policy for
different States.
But | wish you to consider with me
the effect of permitting these eleven
States to act as though they were still
States within the Union. l believe there
is one consideration which will control all
classes of men in this country, without
regard TO their opinions concerning the
negro: one consideration which will final
" control i'll resisting the recognition OF
those States except upon the basis OF
universal suffrage. | refer to the subject
Of representation in the lower house OF
Congress. have observed, within few
days, that a leading New York journal
has made the remark that the friends OF
negro suffrage were too fast in conceding
to the rebellious States the right Of rep
resentation for the four million of colored
people. Gentlemen, the fact is, we are
neither too fast nor too slow. We have
nothing to do with the question. The
Constitution of the United States, in its