Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-09-15
SEPTEMBER 49, 1866 F

| newer u anu IlAllR lC-upOD Lne CpuHpIy,
at scost OF twelve millions of dollars and
in the end might approach fifty or sixty
millions of dollars, to sustain what is called
the Freedmen's Bureau bilt?-an expense
l and asutn double and'trebe the entiIH ex-
penditure Of the Government underthe adj
mtnistration of John Quincy Adams, aboht,
which there was so much clafnOr, COM
4 plainihg Of the Expenditure But, in a.
single bill (tbe Freedmeh's Bureau bill),
l,there would be perhaps a quadruple ex-
Ipenditure of the entire Government that
Twas declared to be extrayagant and extra
Eordinary. But, my countrymen,a as has been
said here to-day, in laborng in this great
cause of emancipation, ] ask here to-day,
and ask it in defiant and in triumphant
language, where is the man that lives-yes,
that liVes-that has contributed more to the
[,cdnsunhmation, and to give a great nation
guarantee for the abolition OF slavery in
1 the United States than | have? p [Uhders.]
4 1Theproclamatione emancipating slaveryw
Ia war measure, and considered doubtful
what its effects would be when peace was
made. 1t was deemed advisable to amend the
Constitution so far as that subject was COM
cerned, and inamending the Constitution in
Little abolition of slavery, was not thatamend-i
,ment submitted to all the States2 ["Yes"]
And could it have been ratified unless the
ISouthern States could have been induced to
take it up and ratfy it by their own acts,
and making it part of the organic law Of
the land f"ho''l thereby giving great,
Pnational, Constitutional guarantee that
slavery was forever abolished throughout
p hand within the limits and jurisdiction Of the
United States. Who did more to bring
this about? They have been emapcipated;
they have been set free, and placed upon
g ground where they could have a fair start
| A,I -. a.F
Then What follows? Now after this has
been done there sprung up in the country
l a certain number OF gentlemen who say
that the slaves, the cmancpated slaves are
I not competent to take care of themselves:
they must have somebody to make their
contracts; they must have somebody to
hire them out; and that they are incompe-
tent to attend and take-charge of their own
business; hence the Government must do
ii for them, and we must hold them as our
wards and then turn round, my country
men, on the other hand, and declare that
they are to have impartial and universal
suffrage, and competent to take charge Of
the affairs of the State. Laughter ''nev-
er."l Ifthis is to be done, let these States
20 do it in the manner prescribed By the Con-.
stitutiOn, an in a manner that all the other
States have done IT, or lave the right to do
it, in their own discretion. That is
right,nl We become sOmetmes exceeding
y ~ sensitiye,in reference to our neighhors,
when the very same evil, if it be ain evil,
q exists among ourselves. Let each State in
the confederation regulate and controlits
own elective franchise, Without any in
reference on the part of Congress.
[Cheers.l You know best, here, In your
own midst who is competent and qualified
to 90 to the ballot-box and exercise all the
iI,Aro tityaC In fn nit
But one word more i'm reference tOthig
Ereedmen'S Bureau bill. / have labOTed
fpp emancipation, and after they were
emancipated, / was unwilling to see all the
labor lost and in emancpating the slaves
was unwilling to assume and take the re-
sponsibility OF transferring them from one
from their original owners and masters,
as they were called-to new set of task
masters that wanted TO take charge of them.
[Cheprs. / had labored too long and too
hard then to brguilty of re-enslaving four
millions of people that tried to set free.
What isyour Freedmen's Bureau bill? 1t
authorizes the President of the United
States to appoint his agents, with salaries
and power in every civil district. every
school district, andGvery parish and counH
1y throughout the United States, and in ad-
1ition to that he is authorized to use the
army and the navy for executing all the
I lPws and provisions of that Bureau.
Tr'Never.rl Think of it, my countrvmen:
correspondent at Washington, with his
thousands and thousands of agents and
satraps appointed in all the parishes, cOun-
b ties. and districts throughout the Union,
with fifty millions of dollars in his pocket
to control, and the army ar his command to
enforce its operations /! Let me ash you
y here to day, under that bill. and with the
Z. Civil Rights bill, so called-I say that |
could have proclaimed myself Dictator.
! GCheers, "That's so."] But being then,
and always opposed to the Capitalization
ofpower in the Federal Government, ! said
No! Cheers, Bully ~ And because
said no, and pushed this power from me-,
and said let it reside in the people, or let
the people consider of it. have been de-
J houhced as a tyrant and traitor. GCheers,
S 'Neverp] olE . ra, ,rr-as, 4 .F,..
Why have / been called a traitor9 Be-
cause dared to exercise one of the most
conservative powers of the. Constitution
the veto power. Can anything be origin
htcd, can bills beihtroduced, can measures
. be einaugurated under the veto9 No. The
3 veto power in the Constitution is one of the
most conservative powers of its provisions
placed in the hands of tile President, the
Immediate and direct representative of the
|
Ing hastN improvident'and dunconstitution-
al legislation. [Cheers.l Hence you see
those who make war upon the, veto power
are making war upon the people them,
selves, for it's their power. TCheers II
these bills are all right, all these extraorTli-
nary measures that have been vetOedylet
me ask you here to-day, why they have not
been submitted to the. people, and let them
pass their Judgment upon it? tCheers!1
Hence we see wh0it is eneroaching upon
the Constitution, and in enGroaehing upon
the Constitution ii they are encroacbipg
IIupon the rights, the constitutional rights,
of the great mass of the people. have
dared as your representative, as the trib-
Iluue of the people, made SO by the Consti-l
'tutionS l have dared to, stretch forth my
Iarm aud arrest these encrOachments. I
lhave dared to veto these violations of the
Constitution. Loud cheers.] And let me
say to you to-day-without regard to the
consequencest to heindividuaLmau--let me
say to lyOmhere to-day, that i have, PLACED
mY feet, upon the embellishments of the
Constitution in vindication of the people,
land there 1 intend to stand, or / will perish
lin the attempt. l[Cheers.l L might,in this
connectioh. ask why the eocharge has, been;
made against the Cabinet, and especially
against the. Secretary Of State, VIM I'll.
Seward? f1BullyIn sSTfaitenpD Why9his
name and TGputatioaris is known 60, this peo-
Pile. bYes,l that man that was attempted to
be ,assassinated on the night that Mr.. Lin
coin was. And let me ask You here to-day,
lis William III. (Sbwartea a ltfaitorGo [GheersI
"N6.nbd dtAuda Gideon siWelles, Secretary,
of, the Navy the y tYoi remaining Cabinet
ministers OF PRESIDENT Lincoln? Why, If l