The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-08-02
For the Lancaster oasos.o.

io'u htBu pOSieiOhs III S"O INV" F't
y, appeared in the Cincinnati Enqui-
-er and Commercial. One of the par.
lies has, / think, been Chairman Of the
County Central Committee of tho Un-
ion party and holds q useful and remu.
nerative Office. 1t is an admitted fact
III at all men have a right to choose
their own party associations, and thus
these gentlemen can neither be de.
barred of that privilege nor questioned
as 10 their choice. They we're not on
" high in the estimation of Union
men, but several Of them hold re-
eponsible and lucrative Offices in the
gift of the President. Their hereto
fore positions and present power rcn-
der their departure from old afhlia-
tons matter Of deep regret, and the
great question to be settled with the
Union party and with these gentlemen
will be the elections this fall. / have
read their manifesto with care. There
are many true things and many new
things in it; yet the questions now at
issue before the country are SO plan
and SO readily understood as that only
one question, or possibly two at fur
tbest, need be asked any v%oter-1st,
Are you in favor Of restoring every
man in the South TO full citizenship,
without any delay or difference be-
tween those who were loyal, and those
who were disloyal? Sd. Are you in
favor Of continuing the present three
6fths representation for slavery, when
slavery is abolished? These are the
issues fairly joined between Congress
and the President, and these gentlemen
request a meetingin Columbus on the
9TH inst. 10 sustain the President. II
the present position Of the Presiden. II
understood, it is that no demands be
made on the rebellious States other
than on loyal. and no change in the
Constitution is now needed IN order
that representation from the South re-
main Us before the Notwithstanding
these States tbirty-one more votes
than the whole voting population
would be entitled to under the present
rate Of representation-thu ignoring
the strength OF Ohio and Indiana in
giving these Southern States more or
as many mombcrs OF Congress and E.
~lectors for President as Ohio and Indi.
ana have. and this increased represen-
tation is based on votes never given, as
the Freedmen have no votes and yet
are represented Congress says nay
no man who has ever held Office under
the general Government, who wore to
support the Constitution and then re
belled. shall ever hold Office again. uh-
less two thirds OF esch House say he
may. And Congress says further, you
shall not have 81 representatives for
nearly four million of Freedmen, when
OHIO and Indiana have only 81 for
nearly four millions of white men. In
other words, the war changed the re-
lation OF the slaves, and we must have
a change Of the Constitution 10 suit
that change.
For one / cannot see injustice IN
these demands on these people, but see
gross injustice in giving rebels more
political power than tho same number
of loyal fighting soldiers. 1t is we'll to
forgive and forget, but there Is no re-
quirement that we shall rewdrd disloy-
atty at the expense of loyalty. More
over, Mr., Editor. have our c.ideudnt
friends who signed this call carried out
their proposition to its ultimate conse,
quences? II they support the policy
Of the President, they must vote for
men who support his policy Now
suppose the Democracy nominate Ed.
son B Odds for Congress. He supports
the President. The Union men nom
mate a man SCARED all over with
wounds received in the war. lie says
| cannot 60 the length ofthe President.
| want the grass to grow over the
graves Of my fallen comrades. Iwant
the smell OF blood from the hands Of
those who killed them. Moreover, if
| must say 90, | never want q periured
MI in Congress, or Senate Of the u.
s., or one to act as EIector for Presi.
dent, ns | should fear if everything
they demanded was not given, they
would leave Congress, go South and
get up another rebellion Every man
that sustains tho President must, to be
consistent, vote for DR.. Odds in prefer.
ence to any man nominated by the Tn.
ion party, even De that man General
Grant. This is the first embarrass
ment that meets these gentlemen. and
unless they say as did Montgomery
Blair, shat he would rather Join and
sustain rebels with arms in their hands
than support Congress-" they will
find strange ballots IN the fall and be.
tore that period strange bed fellows
From the South / perceive large dele.
cations are coming. 1t may be strange
feelings will fill the souls Of our gal.
liant soldiers in Philadelphia. on seeing
men who for four years evaded OUT
utmost vigilance, thwarted the boIdesi
and best contrived plans, and In tho
end by war and starvation caused the
death ofhuLdreds Of thousands Of good
men defending the Flag of the Union.
They will all be there. The same de.
mands for "their rights" comes uT
now from the South that possessed
thcm throughout the war. No man
ever conversed with u prisoner from
the South but his first reason for 90,
ing TO war was for Ibis rights" And
in Philadelphia You will find demands
greater ven than were made before Of
during tho war. win they get these