Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-06-19
Butler County RepnDIlcan Polio

meeting was held to elect Delegates to the
Republican State Convention on the 2Oth'
The Radicals disregarded the wishes OF the
Conservatives; refused to pronounce against
Negro Suffrage, and appointed Radicals as
Delegates. There appears to have been in
formality about the business. Some thirty
five Republicans thereupon issueda call for
another meeting, to be held at Hamilton on
last Saturday and a good large meeting
infinitely larger than the meeting OF the
preceding Saturday-was held.
Hon, l.. d. CAMPBELL was called upon for
a speech, and an able speech he made, from
which we extract thef0llowing, as reported
to the Cincinnati Gazette: ..'
MICRO SUFFRAGE AN ISSUE. .
1t has been charged that this Union party
of Butler county, who are in favor OF pub
! lie discussion aud publicly resolving upon
| this groat question of negro suffrage, are
mar-plOts, having no, other intention than
to breed discord in that party. am one of
| those who oppose negro suffrage, ana l
shall proceed to give you the reasons why
am opposed to negro suffrage. But, am
told, YOU are premature, this is not an is
sue it is not question properly before
the country for consideration; 1t has not
been presented by the Republican or Union
party as an issue; it has only been pre-
sented as an issue by the so'called Copper
heads. -. t.I
Let us consider the question whether it
/ is practically an issue or not; because II 1t
| is mere vague, abstract idea, that has no
practical bearing upon the present condl-
! ton of the country-one to which puollc
,nf ha al L
confess there would be a degree OF impro-
priety on my paIt in forcing this matter
before the Union party of the country for
consideration ...r,... ......
Not an issue? The Congress OF the United
States for more than six mouths have been
engaged in considering the great problem
of reconstructin9 the Union of the States;
and underlying all the difficulties between
Oongressmen themselves and between the
Congress and the President of the United
States, is this question OF negro suffrage.
Not an issue? Why, my friends care
but little whether the State Convention,
which il to assemble on next Wednesday,
present this issue to the country or not-
The issue will come; and if they don't re-
solve for or against negro suffrage, the can
didates who are presented as the representa-
tive men of the Union party will not have
been nominated week before the people,
through their committees, will interrogate
them on this point. .g. .ys.. .a..
Not an issue? Let us go back year and
see what the Union party did at Column
bus. They got together and then this fire
brand, as it is called, was thrown in; not
by the men opposed to negro suffrage, but
BY the men from the Western Reserve, who
are for negro suffrage. The committee on
Resolutions ignored the question and took
mn
man as the State of Ohio sent to battle dur
inc the rebellion, as our standard bearer
for Governor-Gen. J. d. Cox. And yet
three weeks had not elapsed until gentle
men from Oberlin, the very place where
Gen. Cox ha been educated, came out with
letter interrogating him on the question
of negro suffrage. You will remember the
manly and fearless manner in which Gen.
Cox met the question; as fearlessly as he met
the enemies of the Union on the battle
fields of the South. He came out against
it. And so it will be again; your candi-
dates, il you don't resolve on the subject,
will be interrogated, and what will you
think of the man running as candidate
| for Congress, or for one of the high offices
of the State. who, when he meets you face
| to face, and is interrogated by the hard fist
ed yeomanry of the country on negro sui
| frage, as to whether he is for or against it,
| answers, with his hand on his mouth, and
saws, Mum is the word" ...5 ...
No, my friends, if the Convention does
not meet it, if you do not meet it here to-
day, your candidates on the stump must
meet it. .... .. ..... .
, NEGRO SUFFRAGE IN THE DISTRICT.
Not an issue before the country? Why,
fellow citizens, during the present session
of Congress a bill was presented to the
House of Representatives cOnferring unre-
stricted suffrage on the negroes of the Dis
trct of Columbia. For that bill every sin
gle member of Congress of theUnion party
from the State of Ohio, voted. My friend,
and our Representative, General Schenck,
among the number, voted to confer suffrage
upon the negroes of the District of Colum-
bia; not upon any property qualification;
not upon any intelligence qualification; no,
unlimited suffrage upon all the negroes of
| the District of Columbia.
Now, who are the people of the District
of Columbia? They have no representa-
ton in Congress, and yet they perform all
the duties of citizens, and discharge all the
obligations to the Union of these States, and
sent their full quota to the battle-fields to
put down the rebellion. Why should ne
gro suffrage be imposed upon them?
A word as to the character of the negroes
| in the District of Columbia. They are that
portion of the race, chiefly, who have come
| in from the States of Virginia and Mary
land. The better class of the negroes of
those States, the Industrious, hard-working
men, tho well-to-do negroes. remained
back under the new system, and entered in-
to contracts for working upon farms; and
it was tile more idle and worthless class
that crowded there in the city Of Washing
| ton. You all know the description of ne
| groes who come into the villages, instead
| of remaining in the country at work. This
class congregated at Washington and in
| the District, to the number of twenty
| thousand; and upon those the House of
Representatives voted for the proposition to
| confer full and unrestricted suffrage. Now
| Gen. Sehenck and Mr.. Ashley, and other
| Representatives from Ohio, were as much
| REPRESENTATIVES of the people of the Dis
trict of Columbia as Representatives of the
people of their own Districts in some sense,
! because every member OF Congress is re-
garded as the Representative in part of the
District of Columbia. And yet they voted
to confer negro suffrage on that class of
| people, notwithstanding the legitimate
voters OF the District had just taken vote
| on the proposition, and voted 1000 against
negro suffrage to only 20 votes for it.an ID
NEGRO SUFFRAGE IMMINENT ELSEWHERE.
| refer to this fact for the purpose of
i showing that the probability Is that the
object of Congress, who would vote to i'm
nose negro suffrage on the unrepresented
District of Columbia, would vote to impose
the same system, If they had the power,
| ~ M