The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1866-12-13

I4.
den' must obey.
We return, then, 70 those halls TO
carry out and enforce tho decision oil
tho rulers OF tho nsliOn-the people |
No man can misundcrstahd their will. |
-Four points have bcou settled by them
beyond controversy:
FnstGThat. the work Of recon
struetioh must be in the hands Of
those Who have been the friend NOT
the enemies oe the hation. sdi s1nas
Seenpdrr-Thati it must, be based on,
the granite Bof. loyalty, and not the
quicksands Of dislqyally, aud thai
with the privileges aud immunities OF
the liberty granted by the whole ua
iion 70 all the people. '.' q''
bThirl-That no person shall be
disfranchised in this Republic Cd ac
Ieouut of their race aud yet Bavc theft
Numbers counted to confer inoroased
lpolitical power on those disfranebs
ling tho,n. trt e.e e.liAe olss ,srt
lao FOnrth.-That the noiiuhal debt,
lthe cost Of our national existence,
shall be forever sacred; that nll debts
Or claims growing out Of the rebellion
.nr the breaking Of fct;crs that ended
Iit, shall be Forever held Illegal aud
void; and the people also declared, as
their desire aud will, that Congress
should enforce this decision
of thO,rs by appropriate legislation,
Free az these few but vital points
were from every consideration Of ro-
veuge or malice, these Essential re-
lquirements shonldhnve been nsseuted
to completely, or if not promptly, as
soon as the elections had mauilesto1
the nations will.
But on the contrary, they arc spurn
ed aud scornrully neglected by those
who control public opinions aud wicli
political power in the South, and the
recent election of the most conspicu
GUS sccessionists in North Carolina,
Alabama, Arkansas. &c., with the
hostile messages Of their Governors.
aud dchaut replies rejecting the con
ls;itutional amendment, show that they
insist on representation in Congress
aud the electoral college for all the
four million Of their former slaves
thus according to them an enlarge /
and increased law making power, in
consequence of the rebellion, whilo at
the same time theyihot only disfran,
chisc them Of the rights and protee-
tion of citizenship by disgraceful aud
Oppressive laws pretending to regu-
late labor contracts aud to punish va
lgraucy, reducing those whom the na'
tiOn made ireemen to a subserviency
and serfiom, but little better than
slavery itself. ,r.
Il While we cannot compel them tc
Iapprovc the constitutional Amend
mcp,, our duty to the nation, tc jus
tice, to liberty and to humanity il
none the less. aud, the exponents OF
the peoples viii, as we are. we cannot
Iayoid that duty, Indeed we may see
on it the fpgcr Of Providence Like
our foreiathers, in the past few years
we have built even better than We
knew. H la rull tuaag, fh.
h In tho earlier stage Of the war how
willingly would an overwhelming ma.
!, jori,y of the people have consented tc
pcrpetuate slaveryia the Republic, il
Southern traitors had takon from our
lips the bloody chalice Of civil war,
which they compelled US to drink to
It's very dregs. But God willed 9th
= orwisc, and ut last, when every family
altar had been crimsoned with blood,
aud every cemetery and church yard
crowded with patriot graves, the ma
ton rose in higher duty, and re,
. solved in these halls that slavery
, should die. Then the storm cloud
passed away. God'ssmilo shOno onoul
patriots. Victory after victory bless
I cd our gallant armies, and the crown
, ing triumph was won that gave saliva
, tion to the Union aud freedom to our
/ lives.
Since then we have been earnestly
: struggling for reconstruction to eome
on mn endaring foundation. Stumb
ling blocks have impeded our prog
ress, and when at lasta mild aud mag
naSimous proposition is made, em
bodying no cpn6scation, no banish
ment, no penalties of offended law
} We are bafilcd BY hardening of hear
! against it as inexplicable as il seem
t. iremoyable.
Does it not seem again as if tn
! Creator is leading US in His way rath
+ Ter than our own, aud as we turn 70
/, light, does it not fash upon US tha
. lie again requires the nation to con
quer its prGudiees, for He that is 81
0 far above US has put all humaH being
h under an equality before tho Divin'
: law aud called them His ehildren
: He demands that We shall put all un
der an equality before the human lav
= a.. 4h.t avar,y ona in fhf. ratsion nOf-