Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-01-12

| of the qualified voters of the State The reouIa
stated stated meeting OF the General Assembly, under tn
| GonShtution, takes place in January next TIL
Delegates who will compose that body may be expect
ed to represent the wishes Of the people upon thi
SUBJECT, as the agitation going forward will sho
us results IN the ensuing fall elections. No othe
practca mode of dealing with this question occurs
my mnd than by its reference to the Representative
| VI tHe people VINO shall compose that body who
coming fresh from their constituencies will be pre-
pbib @ w rGeGt Inv tne public sentiment in any actio
"hlch may De deemed prudent and advisable
fhDhKAL hhLAIloNs-REc -REcoNsTRUCTIoY-EEGRo SUI
| FRAGE,
The successful close of the rebellion srrons+s n III
| otate oil Maryland careful review of her Fedora
relations In the midst of an administration unpar
alleled for its moderation and the brpncv Of ~ 70
suits (not the least important feature of which wa
the enfraHchisement of the country from tbn doo w
ding stain of slavery we were called to IsInenf H.
loss of the representative man. who had beer selecfc
| as the chosen leader Of the peope-struek down by
the hand of assassin With no blot To dim tbn ro
cord of his great fame, he relieved at the tbres
hold of laboTs, more formidable and perplexing thar
those through which he had borne himself with sYci
manly tOTtitude. just he was about 10 Irn osidI
| from the bloody field of civil strife which he had
| Deeh mainly instrumental in subdUng, to the moi
less responsible duties of enlarged statpSnansbip in
the restoration of herevolted States The Sims Of
| serious disagreement had ALREADY appeared amonn
class of politicians who rcpudiated the laa of aT
unbrOken Union in their purpose to ignore the ev.
lSfence OF the States in rebellion by reducing them
NJ once. IN violation of the principle on which our
government was founded TO the condition Or lenend
ent territories. to be dealt with as Congress in its
wisdom might decree, But in deploring the loss Of
o. pnE EnrlN-
nent IN the perpetuty Of the States rs integras ni
Unlte system, which could only be liSyoved h,,
consent Of the peope themselves We had reason for
congfatuatlOn that his mantle had fallen uuon ano
ther-not less the favnrite and representative Of tbe
n:.essesIwhoSe sound constitutional principles lei
him to the GlODtiOn of the salne we'll dnfnad al
maturely considered line of ,licy '''
The work of restoring the States to heir former
sIatuS N sp crisis, was one If the greatest delica
~ ana responsibility. Five millions IF our deuded
brethren, .dd of whom had been forced int0 bns
uilty TO the Union by crafty and designing dema
gogoeT accepting the stern arbitramcnt Of the sword
alpeealed Tor amnesty and pardon; and expressed
their readiness to their allegiance to the aaa
whch they had so wantOrly assailed. There were
aI>o nose few IN number 1t may be- in every State
VINO mad never changed the relation Of LOYALTY in
whlch they stood to the Government whose claim TO
protection. uider their respective State orranizo
tions was rs perfect that of any other section
PRESIDENT Lincoln leaned to tho side of mercy and
i?rgiveness and announced his policy of rrconstruc-
tlOn at an early period, before the war term n
ated lie accepted his OBLIGATION under the Consii-
tuton to bring the States whose functions had been
Suspehde1 by me war once more in harmony without
4onS violence To existing guarantees the unity Of
the government. The war in which we had been en-
gagged was not a foreign against separate ma
tl'nahty but z war TO put down insurrection among
our people. The power of the Government to do
this had been fully vindicated To argue the non
existence OF States as the result of this effort would
De to admit the weakness Of the Government to main
tam s own integrity against internal strife and do
OF his predecessor, adopted the Same plan of
reconstruction. He threw himself upon the lov9i
tItlItuL Oh IEc TeDeltOuS StateS-upOn the vhita
ponulauon VINO alone possessed the right of
suffrage under existing lawS-extending amnesty in
the beginning to those only who had fatered in their
loyalty whose status such as to give reasonable
assurance Of fidelity in the future Believing as
do. that the withdrawal any period after the rebel
non comnenced, o. the prominent and leading men
connected with it-prineinally those who held the
relns of power, whom its responsibilities mainly
reSted|would have restored peace To the sections I
cannot put accept the policy of both Presidents as
DICTATED by the soundest appreciation of the unms
t2Kea6le dntt of public entiment and the highest
oongatons OF constitutional duty and practical
StateSmanshlp. 10 have refnsed words Of kindness
and encouragement to so large class of our pOnu
lation; who are in the future to constitute no ncon
siderable part of our restored Union and who had
announced their willingness to renew their nIodoes
OF citizenship and loyalty, would have been rebuke
damaging to our hopes of successful reconstruction
IOuld we invoke upol our misguided brethren, now
tpa1 me repe!llon Is over more terrible retrhuton
than that which their own madness has invited in
me eset-condenlna'ion of their high-handed treason
against the best and treest government EARTH with
the consantIy recurring picture of their unnumhered
slalnItheir desolated country-their charred and
ruined cities, and their Impoverished people re-
duced to the last extremtieS of suffering and starva
non! However great may have h0en the supposed
risk attending this line cf policy President johnson
saw the importance OF retaining the power in his own
rm grasp. until reconstruction had been established
9p0n The basis OF universal emancipation, ana the
lull recognition in every State of the duty of nara
mount allegiance to the Federal Government
But the total extinction of slavery was not The ey
IRENE demand growing out OF the complications with
which we were surrounded A still more Formidable
issue remained to be disposed of The policy Of con
tnuing the government of the Southern States in the
hands OF tho Anglo Saxon race bean to assume
shape and prominence in the threats held out nv
that no State should resume her former stains in thn
Union, without a transfer of the political mower
which she had always exercised to the control Of the
negro race, This was the practical effect of universal
negro suffrage as claimed bv some of those who are
now arrayed against the Presidents plan of recon
structon In some of the Southern States there was
Preponderance Of the eol0red population while in
others he balance was nearly equalizcd as leave
no doubt OF their ultimate control under such sys-
tenn. The transfer of a whole section-nearIy
moiety OF the national territory-to tie the d.
haJing int9s1e OF peoPle distinct from Cur own
buried IN mo lowest ;.epths of gnG1ance-TaS GER
lainiy no compliment to tho loyal masses Of the
outh or the gallant army of white soldiers from the
Free States, VINO had borne the heat and tu.then Of
this rebellion. If disoTganizaton and division of
the spoils among the vctOrS including the control of
the States themselves, the recognized policy of
the Government. surely we had no right ts prefer
the negro as the sole recipient of hcse rluccl honr
Ties. There was no claim Of justice or humanity
winch entltied him to precedence our own race
IN nrocalmlng treetium cvcrywhCre-in Severing the
CHAINS which bound hm-in opening to Inn the ave-
nues Of Improvement and education. 10 fit him for
higher destiny and the full benefit and protection Of
our laws, both as to person and property. we diS-
charged our whole duty to the regro. We made him
tree In ali alsc but sharing with him the government
The distinctive characteristics aud admitted an
agonsa oi the two races, cannot be lost sght of in
the 'tiemeit OF these grave issues In discussing
the claim OF universal negro suffrage we must under
stand in the very outset. the effect of the measure in
It's full bearing upon the Southern and Border states
tIt+
negro is Invested with the right vote or not Tho
exercise Of suffrage causes disturbance of existing
relations. Il we admit his right to vote we cannot
Justly eNclude nm from our representative halls
rom the government of our States aud citie.-and
every other privilege known to our laws The ri -bt
70 vote assumes the exercise of the power thus com
icrred tor She exclusive benefit of his own race The
effect. Ihen, OF universal negro suffrage is no yirua
transfer of Southern States and Southern terrtnr%
and 1t may be of the Border States To the uIti
nate possession and control Of the negro if is tbe
SIpStItutlon OF the African for AngoSaXon race in
a large section of our national domain.
With the Southern and Middle States, perbaps our
own TINS issue OF negro suffrage is a subject of the
gravest import. Massachusetts with her nine or fen
thousand negroes, in an aggregate Dopulafio, nf
twelve hundred thousand souls-Maine, with he~ sly
hundred in an aggregate of more than thirteen bun-
dred thousand-E Eermont. seven hundred in an ag-
gregate OF mo than three hundred thOuSand-New
Hampshire five hundred in an aggregate of more tbso
i've hundred thousand and other Free States stand
ing IN the numerical relation. would hardly clan TO
approach TINS issue IRON common stand point even
with our own State. The loyal men of the South
admitted to be eyer so limited in number stand in
no relation which would justify, even if the bower
existed under the Constitution the forcbe surrender
of their country into the hands of the African rao
have advocated the cause of universal en,apcino-
dion IN MHaTyand ana throughout the country, be-
cause DeleVed 1t to be measure of duty ms wen ~
urgent State necessity. tut could not iustifv NV
self to the people u Maryland. if | should piyyc
cOuntcnanCe TO the effort now making bv So Stso
pulslye men, no doubt sincere and honest in ,bnir
conVlcuCns. 70 confer universal suffrage unon ~
IeEIO race. lcordally accept the views of President
adjustment between these conflicting interests am
"liiihS 10 90 the eOnred race full justice If they
nreior TO remain with US. upon terms not iDcon-
Slstent with our claim to exclusive control in the
government of the State, | am willing to try the ey~
peTmenti without prejudice, and 10 the fullest
extent. But am not at liberty to withhold opininns
which were toreShad0wed by me, on taking the oath
OF oihce under your New Constitution ghoSo TrH
visions denied the right of suffrage to the negro tbs
his manifest destiny assigns him sooner or Iater-
not as the result of legis atyt compusion bnt of H.
own voluntary motion-to some more congeniai
locality where his distinctive characeristics viii
furnish no barrier to his enjoyment of social and
political rights and where under a government of
ms own lree choice, he can pursue and fulfill the
measure Of MS appointed usefulness. In this de-
wisest men of the country. The right of snfrage Nv
which 1t L. proposed to elevate his condition. and
prlhg MIN AT once upon terms of social and politcaI
equaily with the white race, will not POSTPONE the
Solu'ion OF the problem which has been so long
hanging over us. Should the time ever coma aS
come 1t may, when the freedmen. under the ri,iJ
ance, as believe, OF unwse oOunsels shall insist
upon equality in your governmental afars in vo,,r
WORKSHOPS, IN al the varied COMPETITIONS of Iohor
and industry, trust that | may not oyer-estimata
he consequences OF the irrepresSibe conflict which
Is certain TO enSue, when the two races from causn
however trivial, shall stand in accented antaronsm
towards each other,
These views are presented in the interest of the
african race ana with reference to the warnings of
an t2keabe future. l may be in error, but /
ust that the sincerity and earnesness of my conyc-
tlons never more deliberately EXPRESSED NAV save
me from the suspicion of prejudice in treaTinS
upon subject of such grave magnitude both in its
bearing upon the harmonious working of our Gov
eminent, and the welfare of four millions Of
degraded and down trodden people who have
If have not been controlled by the imnnIsas nf
mistaken philanthropy, or the still p,ora 1850. VI