The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-23

Souther States, as n condition of read
mission, TO give the colOred people the
elective franchise-not because they
were black, but because it would be
time enough for them to have it when
they were educated sufficiently to know
what was right ard what was wrong.
II he was compelled to choose between
II rebel and anignorant negro, he would
prefer the negro ten thousand times
before the former. But as legislators
were now, in amending the Constitu-
tion. acting. for all future time, il be-
hooves them to be governed by broad
and deep principles. There were those
in Congress who believed that the ne
gro should have the suffrage at once,
bnt the people of Connecticut and of
Ohio could not consistently urge this
measure when they refused to permit II
handful of intelligent colored people 10
vote. President johnson said he was
willing to extend tho suffrage to every
black soldier who wore the uniform of
the United States army and who could
read and write. He(Senator Sherman)
thought that was right. The South
would soon see it to be to their interest,
if they wanted increased political pow
er, to gradually extend the suffrage 10
the cOlored people. He thought the
suffrage out to be extended to the ne
grOes in the District of Columbia, be-
cause Congress had power over the
question, and because they We're well
Informed and loyal. During the war,
all the negroes had been faithful to the
Union, and helped Northern soldiers in
prison to escape, and therefore the
President and Congress were bound to
protect the negroes of the South i'll all
their civil rights. That led him to
speak of the last point upon which it
was said there was n difference between
the President and Congress. The
President was opposed to extending
the suffrage to negroes in the District
of Columbia, but because he believed
i'll the dOctrinne of popular sover-
eignity. The Senator then alluded to
the passage ofthe first and ofthe recent
Freedmen's Bureau bill, and said that
the President only exercised his consti-
tutional right ofvetoing il; but he (the
speaker) had the authority of General
Howard for saying that he never asked
Andrew johnson for any power to pro-
tect the freedmen of the South but that
power was amply and freely given.
| tAPplause.1 The principal reason why
he (SenutOr ShermHn) supported the
bill was because he was desirous OF
protecting the negroes who were settled
on the Sea Island plantations, and he
was pleased to know that the military
power would continue to protect them.
There were no vital differences of opin-
ion between the President and Congress
to alarm any Union man, and it was
his abiding conviction that Andrew
johnson never would throw the power
the loyal people gave him into the
hands of the Copperhead party of the
United States. No caioling could draw
him from the right line, Tor he was a
man who fought his own battles, nl-
though he might fight them s9metimes
indiscreetly. He believed that the
President would sign the civil rights
bill, which was sent to him on Thurs
day; and if he did, what would become
of the winnings of tho Copperheads?
They would not be so much in love
with Andy johnson as they were now.
in conclusion, he spoke of a PROPOSE
tion which n distinguished Copperhead
made to n loyal Democrat Gov. Tod) in
Ohio, 10 revive the Democratic party,
which the latter thought would be ii
very good thing, when the Union party
had failed to comply with the oblign-
tions it had assumed topay the national
debt and to pay the pensions of the
widows of soldiers.