The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1866-03-02
For u Q Jeffersonian.
Reconstructiop.

EDS. JEFF.:--Since my last article
on this subject, little progress has
been made, though great differences
have been developed in regard to the
proper method of dealing with reb-
els. 1 do not complain of want OF
progress, for there are great issues
at stake, and the rebels can afford to
wait, while the government cannot
afford TO make mistakes. Nor do l
complain of the differences, for have
a faith in the people, next to that in
God, that they intend to do right
and / know that conflicts of opinion
will serve to develop truth and show
the people what is right. I'D.
1t is contended that the rebel States
are not out of the Union as States
because there are only three methods
--"peaceable secession" "successful
war" and "by act of Congress"--by
which they could get ont. On the
contrary, suppose State might
get out by its own dissolution rs q
State, and that very event occurred,
in solemn convention of the people,
in the rebel States. Their govern
ments as integral parts of this I'm
ion, were totally dissolved and lost ;
and the question only Is on what con-
ditions shall they bc restored-not
strictly'to their original position, but
to such position in our government
as shall be safe to us and least inju.
rious to them. This position is not
only correct in theory but in prac-
tlce. In fact it is absurd to say that
State which has ceased to exist rs
such can be member of union of
States. On this theory the President
acted in prescribing conditions to
the South; upon this Congress has
acted in refusing Southern delega.
tions, and on this the courts have
acted in not holding sessions i'm those
States. No man, not rebel, can
take the position that those States
are in the Union as States, with full
rights and powers, without stultify-
, ing bimself, and condemniug all
branches of the Government; and
if they are in as States at all. they
must, under the Constitution, be in
with full rights and powers.
1t has been contended by Mr.. Del.
ano that Congress should bring to
this subject such spirit as did our
fathers to the original organization
of the government. This seems to
me q very serious error. Our faith.
ers met as members of state govern.
ments only, bound together by inter
est, all the States having been equal
ly true to the COMMON INTEREST ii
the past. 1t was natural and prop,
r or that they should concede to eacl
other all that right would allow
That they conceded more than this
was their lack of political light--tht
= fault of the age, not their own. Bu
their unwilling error plunged us intC
a sea of blood. / hope Mr.. DelanC
desires to escape similar, thougl
not precisely the same error. The
rebels stand in far different rela
!, ton to the Federal Government from
that sustained by the States and peo
pie to each other at the formation o.
the Federal pact. They have beer
r9g RG9g aSae it rs TAf TJAcd thStir IS wifi Yb5 b
ours if they do it again. We have
, as good right to become traitors
as to put the government into tho
: hands of traitors. The spirit thai
| Congress, President and people
should bring to this issue in love OF
and confidence in the right, unless
, deity himself is mistaken, this spiri,
must conduce to the safety, happi.
ness and honor of our government
our people and the world.
The President clamors before del
egations Of Virginia traitors and
Washington mobs for the admission
OF southern representatives Let us
enquire on what principle this can be
right. He tells us if there are but
5000 loyal men or less number IN
Il state, they are entitled to one rep,
resentatIve. In Ohio it takes l20,.
900 loyal men to be entitled to one
representative; why should 5000
Virginians be entitled to eleven rep.
resentatives? This would be plainly
wrong.
If a Southern representative is adj
mltted, he comes as representative
of slaves, for the basis of represen.
tation is the census OF 1850, taken be.
fore slavery ceased. Slavery dead,
its representation should cease. Ii
the Southern people are true and 10y
al, and their State governments re-
publican in form, they are entitled
under the constitution, when admit
ted as States, to representation for
all their free people; but If they cut
half their population, or any large
portion of it from the elective fran
chise they are not republican, and we
have a right to say you must not en-
ter the Union as States, or if you do,
your voting population only shall be
represented. The last alternative
would be compromise of the con
stitution and of the true principles of
government, but practically it would
soon make the franchise universal
If we do not maintain this position,
forty South Carolinians will have as
much political power as one hundred
Ohioans. Southern representatives