Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-06-27

port.p
10 understand what is meant by this res
olution, 1t becomes necessary to look to the
report of the Reconstruction committee OF
Congress, and to the amendments to the
Constitution, as recommended by that com
mlttee and adopted by Congress. There
are but two provisions OF the proposed
amendments which. in my Judgment are of
any practical Importance. These are those
which propose to confer the right of citi-
zenship upon every man, without regard to
race or color, born In the United States, and
to withhold from the States the right of
representation, for that portion OF their
male population being colored over twenty
one years of age to whom the right OF suf-
frage Is not extended. Such, my country
men, are the resolutions of the two Cor
ventions, and l crave your attention whilst
i examine each with that care which their
importance demands. To understand the
real issue between the parties, we must be
clear in our understanding of the resolu-
tions of their respective Conventions.
The resolution of the Democratic Con-
vention to which, / have called your
attention, going upon the theory that the
war has been q success, that the rebellion
has been subdued, and the Union preserved,
and not dissolved, asserts the right of the
States to theimmediate and unconditional
exercise of all their rights within the Fed
eral Union, under the Constitution. This
is the great question" as expressed by the
Convention, and. my cOuntrymen, It Is
great question in which is involved not
only State existence, but the existence OF
any Government by which the union OF
the States. is recognized and Deserved.
Whilst the question is a great one, IN. my
judgment, it is very simple one. have
only to ask and answer the question; bias
the Union been preserved2 to solve this
great question, upon which our Republican
friends have spent so much time and so
much labor In trying to dispose OF to
their satisfaction. At times, and for some
purposes, they Dave the States in the Union
at other times and for other purposes they
are dead and the territory thereof is con-
quered territory, and the people a con-
Guered people, all OF which and whom may
be disposed of as it may suit the whim and
caprice of the conqueror. But when they
are made to admit that the war has been
a success, that the Union has been preserv-
ed and not dissolved, they admit the folly
of all their efforts to find reasonable JUS
tification for their uncon titutional and
arbitrary exercise of power in Withholding
from those States their rights, under the
Constitution. The whole theory of our
a State once in the Union is always
in the Union, and is essential to the
existence of the Union, there being
no means provided by which they can get
out of the Union. and that If by force or
other means they succeed In Withdrawing
from the Union, it works dissolution OF
the Union. 1t was upon this idea and this
theory that the late war, at so great cost
of treasure and blood, was prosecuted for
five long years. 1t was not that the people
of the twenty-five States remaining loyal
to the Federal Constitution and Union val
ued SO highly the territory of South Caro-
lima. or of Mississippi, or of any or all the
Southern States but it was their love of
country, of the Constitution, and their de-
termination that the Union of the States
should be preserved, which sustained them
in their long and weary marches, and dead
~ conflicts; and are they now to be told,
that all this cost and all this suffering has
been fruitless, that although the army to
which they were opposed has been driven
from the field, and the people of those
States are now submissive to the Constitu-
ton and the laws, yet they did succeed In
overthrowing and dissolving the Union p
Such is the result of the action of the Re-
publican party, however they may succeed
by multitude of words to conceal their
real sentiments or designs. The Democrat
ic party, on the contrary, adhere to the doc
trine to which all we're agreed during the
progress of the war, that it was being pros
ecuted for the purpose of preserving the
Union, and not destroying it. Such was
the object and purpose of the war, as re-
peatedly declared by President Lin
coin in his communications to Congress
aud the people. Such the only OBJ
iect had in view as declared by Congress
by resolutions adopted with entire ananim-
ity, and it was this understanding, and this
only, that the people with almost en-
tire unanimity, regardless Of the objections
they had to many of the proceedings of the
party in power during the war, rallied TO
the support of the Government and the de-
fense of the institutions of their fathers.
AS have heretofore said, my friends, If
the war, as claimed by the Democratic par
ty, has been success, and the Union bas
been preserved, then 1t is composed of thir-
ty-six States, and not twenty-five. Ii the
eleven States in which there was an at
tempted revolution, are in the Union for
one purpose (and 1t Is now admitted by the
Republicans that for some purposes they
are in the Union), they are in for all pur-
poses. The Constitution recognizes no In
equality, no superiority or inferiority; the
States all stand as equal, and any attempt
to create distinction, or exercise of power
by which such a distinction is made, is un-
constitutional and arbitrary, and alike dan
gerous to the rights and the liberties of the
people of this State, as to the States now
sought to be affected. The President of the
United States, the lawful and constitution
al representative of the Government, him
who declared the people of certain States
of the Union to be in a state of insurrec-
ton against the Constitution and the laws
of the Government, and assembled and di-
rected the military power OF the Govern
ment against such insurrectiou for the pur-
pose of subduing it, that the Constitution
and laws should be maintained and enforced,
has declared that suchinsurrection has been
subdued and that the states, "with the sim
gle exception of Texas" have been entirely
restored to all their functions as States in
conformity with the organic law of the
land;" and the Democratic party, as a law
abiding and Constitution loving party, ac-
cepts this declaration Of him whose province
and duty it was TO make it, and hence de-
clares that being restored to all their func-
tions as States, the excluding from the
Senate and House of Representatives, their
representatives, is an unconstitutional and
arbitrary exercise of power.
Such is the position of the Democratic
party upon this great question, and when
our opponents are driven to the wall in the
argument, ard they can find no other means
OF escape, they attempt to satisfy their own
consciences, and deceive the people by
charging that in adopting this resolution,
we resolved In favor of admitting into the
councils OF the nation men guilty OF trea-
son against the Constitution aud Union,
and of surrendering the Government into