Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-09-11

tempting to exercise their functions In
State Of this Union, and rs Commanderin-
Chiefof the army, he elected them Then,
there being no civil government In, opera
tion, 1t became his duty to preserve law ana
order, and therefore he appointed mill
tary or provisional Governor, and believ-
ing that civil rule should be restored, In
conformity to the principles OF our Tree
Government as soon as the people would
return. To their allegiance TO the Union, he
authorized this Provisional Governor as
mere agent to call upon the people TO In
augurate movement for that purpose. In
designating whoshould take part in restor-
ing the State Government, the Constitution
of the United States, which recognizes as
electors those Onlg who were such under
the old State Constitution at the time OF
the passage of the ordinance Of seces-
sion, must furnish the rule as TO
who should be voters. The President,
as Commander-in-C Chief, undoubtedly had
the power To preoent any one voting VINO
refusedto return to his allegiance to theGoyI-,
ernment,just MS he would repel an enemy
by the bayonet while fighting him lnopen'
war; but this is very different from power
to create avoter, which Is vested exclusive
ly in the States, and cannot even be eXer-
cised by Congress, except IN the Territories
or District of Columbia, The fresldenI
recommended the conventions when assem-
bled to conform their State Constitutions TO
the state of facts brought about by the war.
Slavery was destroyed and the rebel deDI
which grew out of the war necessarily went
by the board, with the government which
created II; but the political relations Of the
States, as defined ip the Constitution OF the
United States, were not changed Dy reason
of these extrlnsic matters. When the peO-
pie Of one Of the so. called seeded States
accepted Constitution framed by con-
vbntion thus called together, 1t became
pre-eristing State Government which Con-
vress was bound to guarantee ifrepublican
In form; they acquired nothing blythe war
but what the Constitution OF the United
States gave them before. If the Con-
gressional theory Is true that uthey
have acquired war rights by conquest
then the rebels are not traitors, Dut
must be treated according to the laws
of war, euen after peace Is restored; ana
therefore, according to Thad. Stevens, II
would be judicial murder to try and hang
JEFF. Davis for treason. -... yE. In.
The President has never asked for the
admission to seats in Congress. OF red
handed rebels, but why does not
Congress receive those who can TAXI,
the oath prescribed by lawpy The
reason is, because they had not the true,
craftsmanship TO comprehend the situa-
tion. Never in history, looking at the
facts from mere partisan standpoint, dlo
any dominant and victorious party have SO
good an opportunity of perpetuating lCs
power. The war had broken up the system
of slavery, which had held the South by a
common bond, and men there were dis
posed to divide again according to old party
affinities. Most of the elected Southern
representatives, from old prejudices against
the Democratic party, were disposed TO
unite their future fortunes with their OPP
ponents, II the Union organization had
shown the least disposition to national
ize itself, and build up a party at
the South not based on the SELF
deqrdddtion of the people. If Congress
had simply admitted the Representatives
who could take the test oath and rejected
the balance, the Southern people would
have gradually chosen representatives
from the eligible class. But the South
were repelled in mass, without any DIS
crtnRdti0R, except In favor OF those who
professed to desire the disfranchisement OF
their O,on race and the surrender OF tnelr
States to black constituencies. President
johnson said to his party friends: ''YOu
have to live with these people, and If yon
will not be friends with them, they Will
find friends somewhere"
The pretense is set up that the condition
of the South, under the policy of President
johnson, justifes the exclusion of its repre-
sentatives. But what was that condition
at the opening of the session of Congress,
after the Presidents policy had been six
months In operation? Let the Radicals
answer General Grant as to the state OF al
fairs then. He says, IN his report sent to
the Senate with the Presidents Message,
that Sumner styled whitewashing docu-
ment, as follows: -.f r....t.ir.,. ...t .,, !.
'l"Both in travelling and while stopping, saw aud
eopVersed freely with the citizens Of those States
North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgm-as
well as with officers Of the army who have been
among them. The following are the conclusions
come 70 By met Lf.-- lHt .fU- .... L.L
: n am satisfied Mat ne mGss Of thistin9 men
of THE SOUTH accept hte present stHdtt0R 0 dgdtTS
N GOOD FAITH Toe questions which have hereto-
fore divided the sentiments OF the people OF the two
sectiOns-SLAvERY and STATE RIGHTS, or the right
of State to seoede from the u nlon-theyr reggrdde
hdUiI0 been settled FOREVER BY the higkest
AarUs that man can T6eorttO. was pleased 70
learn from the leading men whom met that they
not only accepted the decision arrived az as hual
but that now the smoke Of battle had cleared away.
and time has been given for reflection, that this de-
cision has been fortunate one for the whole copn-
those who opposed them in the field and in the cabi-
net, nett,,..,,.,. La -. 10 ,ha oono,us;on that
the citizens Of the Southern States are dnDtous 70
return 70 sell government WITHIN THE UNION as
soe az pOss6Ie that while reconsructing they want
and require PROJECTION from the SoveTnmens Sses
I, reQsired 6y tie Government not hNHntGttn9 10
eni as cittsens and that II such course was point
ont thsy gSSd e 20
ing at ths time betceeH the otisens 9 ths ttoo 500
tfOas. and particuIGrly those entrusted afA ne Id0
'''''"H - VI ~'.U. s. GRANT, Iisutenant General
Nv WAsHINGToN, December is, 1855"
Let any reasonable man consider the
facts here set forth by General Grant, and
reflect that it was not until l84S, even in the
free State of Ohio, that negroes were al
lowed to testify, and then inquire why the
Radicals seek TO impose on other people
what they knew their own constituents
would not stand. Distrust mans good
faith aud you stir up an i'll feeling at once,
Congress, nevertheless, set on foot settled
olan TO defeat the Presidents policy, by an
aggravating system of legislation and es-
pionsge, gotten up for the express purpose
of Irritating the Southern people in the
most sensitive points. The attempt was
made to force negro suffrage on the District
of Columbia, because they thought 1t good
field Tor experiment, and imagined that
their own constituents were mean enough
not to care about the rights OF people who
could not help themselves. For eight
months Congress has been the theater of
projects for forcing negro suffrage In one
shape and another on the South, provided
it could be done without endangering
their own reelection at home. Blatant
in denuneiation of the President for
not Furnishing rebels, they thought 1t
an admirable device to grant universal
amnesty for universal suffrage. When
Senator Stewart. Hangman Foot's son-in-