Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-04-05

Ihelr intercourse with the masses Stlmu-
lates feverish excitement and fosters latent
hostility to the country. But for their
presence the multitude would speedily be-
come quiet and acquiescing. The Govern
ment owes something to it's defed author
itysomething to its outraged dignity
something to its slaughtered supporters
Any Government that would have the ar
dent support Of friends, must make itself a
terror to sworn enemies While would
treat the leaders of the rebellion in this
way would say to the rank and file, you
have been deceived, you have erred you
have sowed lies and gathered sheaves of
thorns into your own pierced hearts. Let
tie past teach you lesson never to be for
gotten "Go, sin no more > and when you
give sufficient evidence of restored reason
and loyalty, you shall enjoy again the
blessings of citizenship, but until then you
are put upon your good behavior
] would admit to places of power and
trust Union men and no others. And by
the God of the country, by everything that
makes a nation good, would not allow a
man reeking with blood of our soldiers who
fell at Gettysburg, and on thousand other
fields, to enter the courts of national legis-
latlon. | do not want such men as Breck-
III 'idge to pass laws for my government or
the government of my children. And if
had the power, no man who went freely and
cneerfully into this rebellion, should ever
hold place OF honor or profit in the cOun-
try. l would say to them, you have had
your day ; we will not hang you, but go
into retirement and think over your mis-
deeds. Get through life the best way you
can, and when you die be buried without a
tombstone, and give your account to the
Great Judge in the best language you can.
! We have no use for such as you
Having done these three things, | would
do fourth
| would enfranchise three classes of col
ored men.
| would enfranchise them in the District
of Columbia to begin with, as our Congress-
men now propose to do Then ! would call
the roll Of the two hundred thousand men
who fought and bled and starved in this
war would say to the men who carried
"The ballot follows the bulet"-you are
voters. Then would gather up all that
could read the Constitution, and as they
read it gather some idea of the genius of
our Government, and to them | would say
you too are voters. Then | would gather
up those who pay taxes into the Govern
ment exchequer, and would say to them
our fathers, in l7T6, fought the Revolution
upon this principle, that where there is tax
alton there should be representation, and
as we tax you, you are entitled to repre-
sentation go and vote.
| These three classes | would enfranchse
| would encourage others to become rea-
ders and land holders as fast as possible,
until by and by would stretch over the
whole of them the privileges guaranteed by
the constitution of our country.
| 1t may be said to me, it is not policy to
enfranchise the Colored people in the Dis
| triCt of Columbia or elsewhere. | am sorry
there are men upon this Senate floor to-day
who will say that. | am sorry that upon
this last day of January, 1866, there are
men here who are afraid to vote that the
| Congressman of Pennsylvania did right
when they declared the enfranchsement of
the colored people of the District of Colum-
umbia
| have only to say you had better follow
| truth and not policy. You had better go
for right and not for delusive expediency
Our Government has been engineered upon
the principle Of policy for the last fifty
years, and it came near running it to hell
it plunged it into a fratricia war, which
is next door to perdition. Now, that the
old ship of State has changed hear bear
ings from Guinea to the port of universal
liberty, throw away the misguided map Of
policy, and let us sail by the compass of
Justice and truth-let us dare to be men
men worthy of the age and the country.
Talk about policy You are afraid the
people will not sustain you Trust to
| Heaven--trust to the noble, humane i'm.
pulses of the great public heart Be hon
est. Determine to be right and the people
will stand by you and sustain you.
! In the District Of Columbia there are
fourteen thousand cOlored people. For
every soldier furnished by the white peo-
| pie of the District, the colored people fur
nished four, and the colored men volunteer
ed, while the white men did not go until
they were drafted The colored people are
all loyal, while nine-tenths or thereabouts
of the white people are to-day rebels at
heart, and returned rebel soldiers. These
colored people pay a tax on one and half
millions of dollars to the District They pay
a school tax, but the white people take the
tax TO educate their own children and ex-
clude the colored people from the schools
They sustain twenty churches--have twen-
ty-one common schools sustained from pri-
vate means--and twenty-thrce Sunday
schools
Will you a low them to vote !
At the formation of our Government free
colored men voted in all the States save
South Carolina. We have followed the
behests of slavery and forsaken the pre-
cepts of the fathers let US now yield to
the teachings of restored freedom and come
back to their example. We have declared
the colored man free everywhere ard pledg-
| ed ourselves to maintain that freedom.
submit that without the ballot his freedom
is not full, complete It's but an abridge-
ment
Apply it to ourselves-declared citizens
but denied suffrage, we are semi serfs and
groan under the calling fact Do You ask
me why not allow them to vote in Penn
sylvania My reply is this Pennsyl-
vania never rebelled and needs no recon
struction. We are speaking of colored suf-
frage in the rebel States. The Constitu-
tion of this Commonwealth determines the
matter here. That instrument cannot be
again amended till four years hence, and