Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-18
The Conclusion.

ing of a few of the p~rofessed Unionists Of
The North and the InUst Prvnineat-aDd
active rebels of the South has been ac-
eomplished. Massachusetts, and South
Carolina, we are now to understand, have
no issue; New York and Georgia may
now mingle in sw-eetcommunion; Ohio and
Mississippi will strike hands as friends who
r have known no separation and the great
States of theNorth the blood of whose chill
dren was being poured out so freely only
two short years ago in a contest brought
about by the passion and ambition of the
Stephenses, the Toombses, and the 0rrs Of
the South, are to be heralded to the world
as having opened wide their arms and
received 10 their embraces the murderers
Of their sons. It is a grand picture of.
self-sacrifcing patriotism, is it not that
these men Of the North are able TO Danish
from their hearts all the recollections
of the terrible heart-burnings that
2 wrapt the land in sorrow during
four years of bitter war, the fruits of
treason, and can find it in their suscepti-
bic souls to forgive the cruelty which tor
tursd into welcome graves the thousands
OF OulOu sOlOlcEH1 "a LcCOAOS u NAOSO
sufferings make the blacklist page in the
history of mans vengeance that only
found its satisfaction when the bullet of
Booth had stricken down the head of the
nation, and shrouded in mourning the
whole loyal Union Oh magnanimity,
till this day you have been but an idle,
meaningless word to the ~virtuous and
patriotic Randall and D oolittle and Cowan
it was left to demonstrate the full
scope of that spirit of generosity which
the world had but crudely understood, and
who can doubt but that mankind must be
better for their teaching
The nation will be glad that the long
suspense is over and the Christian gen.
tlemen of this Convention, whose words
for three days have breathed only of fo--
giveness, and whose sweet communions
have been pregnant of harmony and hap
piness, viii return TO their respective con-
stituencies as white-winged messengers of
peace and good will, to receive the plau-
dts and honors of a people rescued from
the sin of having once felt that traitors
should be made to suffer the penalties
which treason entails, and be made for
ever odious in the eyes of mankind. Is
there not indeed joy and rest in store
for usl
The Declaration Of Principles of this
most amiable menagerie has been given
TO the world. It's authorship is credited
to Henry J. Raymond, and there is reason
for conceding this honor to the "Little
Villain" 1t is one of those carefully guar
ded documents that a shrewd politician
with long editorial practice would be just
fitted to frame. As a whole, however, it
is but a mass of neutrality-suspicious.
most of which are accepted by all classes
Of politicians in their abstract condition.
The declaration that presentation is a
right by the Constitution, is a plain truth;
but its application cannot be made to in
clude avowed~t traitors, and men who ssopen
rebels have forfeited their citizenship BY
every recognized principle of Government.
What is demanded, and may by every prin-
ciple Of law, be demanded, is that repre-
sentatives shall beloysl men-men who can
take the prescribed oath TO support the |
Constitution and laws of the land without
qualification or reservation, and who can
present a record free from the stain of
having battled to overthrow the Govern
ment Of the nation. The fifth section is a
rehearsal of platitudes. The sixth de-
mands for all the States an equal right to
q voice and vote upon all amendments to
the Constitution. With the single excep-
tion of the amendment abolishing sla-
very, which was passed when eleven /
States were in open war, all the States
have been invited to a voice and vote
upon the proposed amendments to
the Constitution, and il is to-day their
failure to assert this acknowledged right
that debars them from representation in
the national Legislature. The seventh,
eicht and ninth sections present nothing
thst viii not be found acceptable to am
loyal man. The demand that the enfran-
ehised slaves shall have equal protection
with all other Inhabitants in every right
OF person and property is satisfactory so
far os it goes, but these gentlemen must
ndArstAad that unless they can give To
cannot expect to use them in their basis
Of representation. You cannot exclude /
this black population from the list OF
voters and count them on the floor of Con- !
gress. The tenth section is a %eulogv4 OIL :
Andrew johnson. :
Thus this most empty farce is brought d
to its conclusiOn-truly "played out. t
The whole business was concocted and /;
carried through by a few men, who choked \
off debate and defed all the rules and REQ. q
ulstions of such bodies in order to drive l,
throughthei eut-and-dried projects. No t.
word of condemnation has been uttered b
against treason the massacre of loval al
men in Memphis and New Orleans has ei
received no rebuke. The whole force Of a,
this body of disturbers has been directed in
against those measures Of safety demanded m
by Congress as guarantees for the future AZ
peace AID permanence Of the Union. and a,
their whole purpose is simply to r-einstate m
in power the vile men whose hands for he
four yesFs were raised to strike tn
down the Government Of the ns- eli
ton. The loyal masses viii find CO
no difficulty IN properly interpreting the
real meaning that underlies the speciouk wi
declarations of this Convention. Their en-
m-coneealed hypocrisy viii deceive nd tn,
one and The popular voice of the nation ch
viii as surely overyhelm and destroy WI
them as did the bullets of the great Union fol
army sweep to destruction the rebels in
arms. ma,