Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-01-12

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the SMOKE Of bottl6 and tn 1lAdo Of con
tending legions, Abrahau 6eoln issued
the emancipation cdict notas the conccs
sion Of . pol.tica. right to four millions oil
bondmen. but in the exercise Of his war
powers and q measure Of military neces.
sty to weaken the enemy and strenxthen
the national armies. Had its immor tal au
thor in the grim shadows Of war. failed to
seize the inspiration which conceived it.
where are the statesmen and what their
number, whose boldness gives assurance
that they would tiave demanded emancips-
ton at the close OF the conflict as measure
Of reconstruction? 1t may be noted A. a
significant fact that not Southern State,
either rebel or adhering. took any steps in
this direction until after the proclamation
WAS endorsed by the loyal party Of the
North, and had become the rallying cry Of
our conquering armies, while every one a
them from the border 70 the Gulf denounc-
ed i. as a usurpation Of power, and an iowa
sion OF Southern rights. The Coustitutton
al Amendment secured from unwilling
States, in part by the bold requirem ,nts oi
the President, is the legitimate offspring OF
emancipation while emancipation itself was
but the result Of military necessity. It was
not craftsmanship or diplomacy, Their. fore,
but the patriot blood SO nobly shed At Get
tysburg and Spottsylvania, at Vicksburg,
and in the noun aims Of Georgia. that Sc
cured freedom to tue slave.
But let us consider he questi n from a
nearer stand point. In the recent conven-
tons assembled under executive sanction
| Gor the 70 organization Of their late govern
IF 81
ded as a fact entirely beyond their power to
control, but We have looked in vain for ind
cations that they accept emancipation as
measure ofjustice, or regard il as progress
sive idea Of the age The expressed deter>
minat.on Of President johnson to follow in
the footsteps of his predecessor, and adhere
10 the Proclamation Of Emancipation, as a
basis Of reconstruction. the probable ratifi-
cation Of the pending amendment to the
Federal Constitution, and the Act Of Con-
gress, declaring the families If negro SOL
dieis free, rendered absolutely futile all at
ternpts to rchabili ate the doomed institu
ton Of American Slavery.
| The early restoration Of the Union upon
an enduring lova basis, is the obvious
1 work Of the hour. and its bearing upon the
political and material interests Of the coun
try should he lightly estimated. To this
end. and with kindness toward all hut the
guilty authors Of our national calamitics,
the energies Of al good men should lie ear
nestly directed But in contemplating the
tas. before US, IL prude ri statesmanship de
mands that we consider by what means 1t
can be most successfully accomplished.
! " i'll not assume that treason would not
have existed without slavery but it may he
asserted that if there had been no slavery
| there would, in this age, have been no re
bcilion. For without an idea, or motive
civil war for the disruption of this gov
crnmcni could not have prevailed. Slavery
in It's cagcrness for pcrpetuiiy, furnished
BOTH and thereby traitors were afforded a
pretext for war Ii will be perceived
therefore, that, by the total eradication Of
this mischicvous element, we shall hav,
abAtcd the most exciting if not Tie onl,
source Of national peril We cannot rest
secure with the mere destruction of its nc
knowltdsca legal f,rm; We must adhere
to the c,ict, Of freedom withincve State
IN the strictncss If their letter and til,
falnrss of their spirit Universal Free
dom and Political Equality must be definct
as the cardinal principles upon which this
Government shall hereafter exist Let IL
have the courage to maintain that, mas
much rs these four millions Of bondmer
became free bv the inmutablc fiat Of I'll,
American people, SO they shall De endowed
It'll all the m ans necessary to practically
defend ilat fre. a!om against all who undc
auv form, prctcXt or sul,:erfnge whatever
may attempt to abri l1c it, Place The Re,
Sea for al time between them and thei
OPP ressors Let the whip and the hand
cuii remain forever broken on he ticlt
here the slave and his master sought =
Animated by the spirit Of justice, let us b'
VIZ liant in our efforts to correct the wrong
Of the past Record in bold lett, RS upol
' TIN. history of these times, AS the dcliberat
in lsmcnt of this generation that "bcfor,
the law the loyal black man, the dusk.
defender Of the flag, is 1T least the cYnt
arl peer of the parioned traitor.
And to the vicious theory of State Sow
erci.ntv, still boldly maintained by many
ard renowned 10y none, the defiance "
Federal authority, exhibited at their lat
elections in rejecting from office all citizen
If tried Union sentiments, the selection o
men to executive positions who had attain
ed the most offensive notoricty i'll the rcbe
armies, the return of representatives L
Congress who, on account of their treason
dare not take the oath prescribed by law
the bold avowai of purposes inimical to th
future financial policy Of the government
and all this, too, while begging for pardon
at the feet of the President and We hav,
au array OF testimony which completed.
demonstrates the impn!iry of their imme
diate restoration to p litical Pc er in TIN
nation.
expect permanent or satisfactory al
lslmrit of the tn.on with States still nd
herring to these prrnicious ideas, would, il
my judgment, be the suicide Of hope y
And to shield tile country from the inev
liable calamies Of an incnnsiderate or hast,
restoration, let US keep these yet rcfractor,
States in political quarantine, until thci
inhabitants, by due repentance and health
full reflection, shall have abandoned .hci
offensive theories, find the epidemic o
: treason shall have permanently abated.
T. How We shall deal with the authors o
the late rebellion, is also question which
} profoundly interests the loyal masses o
our country, who so patiently endured tn,
burdens and rcrils Of the war, and who's,
mourning circles and desolate hearthstones
F too plainly tell of its talamitics ut j.
HliHticSt tuat treaSon, says the ITCSluen
in his late Message 'most fragrant in char
acter has been committed. Persons vii,
are charged with its commission shoulc
have fair and impartial trials in the higi,
est civil tribunals OF the country in ordel
that the Constitution and the laws may b,
fully vindicated; the truth clearly estab
iishea and affirmed. that traitors Shout,
be punished, and the offtnse made in
famous"
in this sentiment fully concur. To ex
cuse til. Sc men from merited punishment
upon the plea that the atrocious crime o
treason has been merged in the grande
drama of revolution, is to render crime re
spectacle in proportion to its cnormity anG
magnitude. If fur deluGed wretclles. act
ing upon the vicious principles imbibed
from the leaders Of the rebellion, can b.
hung for taking the life of our chief mag
istrate, why cannot the hempen moose b,
as deservedly sprung around the necks O
these guilty men Of higher pretcnsions
who deliberately sacrificed q million o.
precious lives upon the altar Of their mac
ambition? Ifan ignorant foreigner, a mer,