The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1866-05-30
NO.. l..

IL ID pity tHal We nave hot, III this
country, some means of taking the sense
of the nation on great public questions,
like that which the English have in the
dissolution OF Parliament. In q great
crisis like this, IN England, the queen
would dissolve Parliament and order
new election. Then, all oyer the land,
the question would be agsitated at the
polls-will you support the ministry
and its policy or not! The returns of
the members would decide the question.
If We had such a method, the President
woald Dissolve Congress, and order q now
election. Members Of this Congress
would go home and discuss the question
before the people. If majority was
then returned opposed to the President,
as undoubtedly there would be, he would
be obliged to submit. Wehave nosuch
method OF getting the sense of the na>
tion. 1t might indeed be done by calling
conventions OF the people in all the
States to say yes or no to the question.
DO You approve the Presidets policy
But we have no machienry for such =
work, and no persons whose duty or in.
terest would lead them to engineer such
a movement. So we must depend on the
declaration Of national opinion as it comes
from local elections, like that Of Con-
necticut But, meantime, ifw believe
that Congress is right and the President
wrong on these two main questions, the
whole people, by all its voices, by all its
opportunities, by every Inference public
and private, by heaping the desks OF all
tie members with correspondence, should
pour into Washington the continent
steams OF public opinion. Let the ma.
ton, with no uncertain voice, utter to
the President and to its representatives
these two commands. lst, Protect the
freedmen, I'd, Delay reconstruction till
you have guarantees that the freedmen
will be protected.
We demand for loyal intelligent freed.
men the same civil and constitutional
rights which are afforded to others. We
claim tor them first, some adequate
means for personal protection; second,
some equal opportunities of acquiring
and holding property, third, the motives
and means of education. For as God
mad the issues to depend upon the war
to depend on the way we treated the
slaves, so now he makes the character of
the peace to depend on tho way we treas
the freedmen. The Nation, President
and Congress, are standing together be-
fore the bar Of Gods infinite and per>
feet justice, and We are to go to tho right
hand or to the left, according as we treat
Christ to-day in the form of these, the
least of his servants. Do we need A
guarantee for the integrity Of the Union,
that there shall be no more secession, no
more rebellion! Let the freedmen at
the South have civil and political rights,
and they will turn the scale for the Union
in every State. Their loyal vote will
everywhere prevent notification end Sc.
cession. Do we have new public senti>
ment in the Sou.h, and to root out thu
last remains OF the pro slavery hatred
Of free institutions7 When once the
Southern States have given equality,
education and full protection to the color.
ed man, they are unnecessarily in sym.
pathy with the North. Then, they will
ask the North to help them in carrying
out Northern ideas. Do we wish to
escape financial embarrassments to
secure the means OF paying the national
debt to enlarge the power of the agri.
cultural, manufacturing and commercial
interests of the countryi There is no
way by which it can be 70 easily and
thoroughly done as by elevating these
four millions Of people out of poverty
into industry, comfort, knowledge. Give
them their full rights as men and citi.
zens, and they will increase the whole
productive power of the union in an i'm,
mense ratio. They will consume your
manufactures, they will buy your goods,
they will increase the rewards of indus.
try all over the country, and add thous,
ands OF millions of dollars to ito taxable
wealth. ..t... .'..., ...
But whatever we choose, whatever
we decide, the mills of God will grind on
and grind to powder all who come be.
tween them. If we chose, we can saw.
"We are tired ofthe eternal negro /. let
him be- this is a white mans govern.
ment. Lot the whites of the South cov.
ern the blacks the blacks arc not NJ
to take care Of themselves 80 lot them
do as they are commanded. We want
the Union restored at once we want M
Freedman's Bureau give their rights TO
the seeded States. do. not..snu aa,..:.