The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-05-18
How shall Congress Organize the Rebel
StatesP


How shall Congress Organize the Rebel
StatesP
We think we have now clearly shown that |
the present State governments in the rebel
States are all illegal, and that Congress ought
not to recognize them-that it would be I'M
safe for the nation. We also think it would be
unsafe for the Union men in these States,
whether black, white or of mixed color. To
this point evidence accumulates every day
1t is now made certain that the violence
against the colored men in the Memphis riot
on the part of white traitors, was much great
er than at first represented, and that the white
police officers were ring leaders among the
murderers. As many as seventy were muir
dered in cold blood, several of whom were
burnt to death. 1t is said the more respecta-
BILE whites disapproved oft Very likely; but
as things are now organized, they were pow
erless to prevent it.
What is the remedy? We can see but one
certain remedy. Let Congress begin at the
bottom and guarantee to each of those States
"a republican form of government" a form of
government in which there shall be "no taxa
ton without representation" Let Congress
call of primary meetings, to choose delegates
for the purpose of forming constitutions. Let
constitutions be formed that shall be republi-
can. Congress should not ratify any such con-
stituton, if it embodies the unjust principle
of taxation without representation. In the
Lot hold hall;
communities with firm grasp by military
power.
In defining the qualifications of voters,
Congress, to begin with, should enfranchise
all the loyal, auhether chite, black or men Of
n.ired color We shall heed them all, to pro-
tect us from the traitors, and more if we could
get them. But some men will say, Congress
cannot define the qualifications ofvoters; that
the power of regulating suffrage belongs to
the States. That was so in the beginning
The original thirteen States were organized
with voters before the constitution was form
ed. But it is not so with these rebellious
States, because they have no legal organiza-
ton, and cannot lawfully act at all unless
Congress gives them an organization, or rati-
ies their illegal organizations. So they have
no legal voters and cannot at present deter
mine the qualifications of voters.
But the same men will object that the ne
| groes and mulattoes are ignorant and not well
| qualified to exercise the right of suffrage in
| diligently. This we freely admit as to the
most of them. But then during the war they
knew enough to be loyal; to stand by the ma
| ton. That same knowledge would lead them
in the future to vote with loyal men-and
against traitors. That is more than can be
said for the Southern whites. At least three
quarters of these were the poor whites, the
clay-eaters, the sand-hillers, and others like
them. These did not know their own interest
well enough to be loyal. From the best infol-
| nation we can get, we think there are not so
many men among these competent for bust
ness, in proportion to the whole, as among
the negroes and mulattoes. Although the ne
| groes and mulattoes are not sufficiently edu-
Gated to vote intelligently, they are better fit
ted than the poor whites.
| OF the remaining whites about four fifths,
or one fifth of the whole white population, be-
long to the Southern aristocracy and are high
ly educated. But nearly every one of these
wont into the rebellion from, calculation, an d
design. They are traitors of heblackest dye.
| We cannot trust these so well as the poor
whites. There is a small class of whites in
termediate between these and the poor whites,
better educated than the poor whites, that we
might rely on, but this class does rot include
more than one twentieth part of the white
population, and is altogether too small to main
tain loyal state governments without support
from some other quarter. And the only class
we can depend upon to stand by them, consists
! OF the negroes and men of mixed color. So it
becomes matter of necessity, as well as of
justice, for Congress to confer the right of suf
fage on the negroes and mulattoes.
If Congress should do this, they might safe
ly confer the right of suffrage upon all the
whites that went into the rebellion, except
those who served as members of the Congress
of the so-called Confederate States of America,
and the persons belonging to the five several
classes that the committee of fifteen have pro-
posed to exclude from office. If these should
be excluded from the ballot box and from Of
flee, and the negroes and men of mixed color
enfranchised with all the remaining whites,
there would be present Union majority in
all these states except Virginia, North Caro-
lima. Arkansas aud Texas, and very soon in
them. The question would be solved and the
nation saved! Otherwise we confess we can
not see through the darkness ahead.
In our next we will examine the plan of the
committee of fifteen, if the question remains
open. J.C.W W.
May 18th.