The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-16

|
| Amen" (Applapse and laughter.)
But 1t Is idle TO waste breath on Andrew John
son. It is more important to consider the pro-
| position, Andrew johnson being out of the way,
what shall be substituted in his place? Now,
there are those who cry out for the Constltu-
tiona amendment, for the military plan offers
to the South the Constitutional amendment.
The democratic party say to us, Why don't you
stand by the Constitutional amendment? If /
am to speak with the voice of trumpet here TO
all parts OF the country, would say Down
with the Constitutional amendment excellent
as are many of its features, vital and necessary
as they are to any safe plan for the reconstruc-
| tion of the Union.
For instance, the Constitutional amend
| ment provides for the payment of the national
| debt Good! 1t provides for the repudiation
| o. the Rebel debt. Good! IL provides Tor tbe
| incorporation OF the Civil Rights Nil INTO the
| Constitution. Good It provides that the
| ringIeadeIs of the Rebellion of a certain Grade
OF office, shall be deprived of the power to exer-
| clse the ballot or to sit IN a political lchair
| Good None OF these features can we afford TO
! omit from our final plan of reconstruction: but
! the constitutional amendment, however excel
lent in itself, nevertheless, considered as a plan
| of reconstruction, or considered as Congress- in
! the bill considers it, as part OF the plan
| oi reconstruction, 1ecOnstructs nothing.
Tell me, did you join IN the offer that the ten
! unreConstructed states shall, when they ratiy
! thls amendment, thereupon return to your
| vacant chairs? Have you made sucu an offer?
mhaI meant you by it? Well, certainly you
dld not mean that If the ten unrecoustructed
states should reject the Constitutional amend
ment they should thereupon resume their
original seats. We'll, how many of the ten States
nave ratified the amendment? Not one! How
many OF the ten States have rejected the amend
ment? Every one! The whole ten, in solemn
succession nave struck down the Constitutional
amendment. 1t has proved like "A rope OF sand,
ana has dissolved away, and it ought to be
stricken out OF tho new bill
AS scheme for the reconstruction of the
Union, say that it had excellent features. So
1t has, locking upon one side Of the coin, but
turn to the other. What record Is craven
thereon? sad story of injustice. The Con-
stitutOnal amendment commits the political
vote OF the negro into the hands OF the Rebels
and though the Legislature OF Pennsylvania
has been pledged to 1t, l am no party to such a
surrender
1t saws to the aristocrat of Sourh Carolina.
Sir, you vote of course; you are gentleman;
you are white. AS to the negro, we wish him
well, but as 10 whether or not he shall vote we
consult your preferences.
Now, sir, | dOu't mean to consult their pre-.
terences. The question whether or not the
black man shall nave the ballot, which speaks
to all citizens alike, is a question which is not
10 be referred to the aristOCrat of South Caro-
lima; a question winch is not to be referred to
the cavalier of Mississlppi; a question which is
not to be referred to the brst families OF Vir-
gina 1t is question that is to be referred
only 80 the victorious and majestic North, 1t is
not then question, it is ours.
/ know it is said that the Constitutional
amendment will do some good and that the
military plan for the reconstruction of the
of the South, touching her to the quick in
her desire 10 enjoy her basis OF representation,
and that 1t will gradually drive the ballot into
the negroes palm, and this will at last be the
result. | deny it. That is a question of fact
to be determined by the temper OF the Southern
people. Well, who knows their temper
Alexander Stephens himself told me-'ST, if
you place your hopes in the fact that this
Constitutional amendment shall be made part
Of the organic law, and deliver into the
negroes grasp the ballot, it will never Gomez
lJor1C nc A1t tNrat, la Ht,,l,, M Inv5t
Suppose that you had stopped Abraham Lin,
coins 10000 negro troops, and said, Boys,
under what banner do you tight? Under the
banner OF emancipation. Against what enemy
do you fight? Aeamst our old enemy, the slave
holders. What is 20 be your condition after the
war? And, with a prophetic vision OF this Con-
stitutional amendment you had stopped the
men OF the regiment and salG, after you have
conquered the enemyand put him on his knee
Kneel you with him, beggar and petitioner at
his hands for your political rights. 1t would
have chilled the ardor of those noble men, and
that banner which they carried proudly to VIC
tory they might have cast scornfuly upon the
field, and the names of Port Hudson and Fort
Wagner might never have been written in
American history.
deny the right of the ten States to accept,
reject, or entertain the amendment. You do
rot give their legislators permission to sit side
by side in the Capitol with your Representatives
OF the North, Tor the purpose OF altering the laws
OF the land. If they cannot touch law of the
land, how can they touch the supreme law OF the
land? To cOnCede to them this right is to con-
cede them a right above all rights, and that
stands central and supreme, the crown of all.
God grant that ii will never be made!
We have mad new scheme of reconstruction
in the promise OF general amnesty and impair
tial suffIage. Two great questions lie locked
upin that propOsitiOn-theq question OF amnesty,
the question OF suffrage. Shall we give 1t TO
| the South? call you 10 witness tnat OF all the
! parties OF the North, from the beginning of the
Rebellion till now, the one above them all is the
| extreme radical party Of the North.
! The way TO pardon a great conspiracy is to
pardon the many and punish the few; and in
| the punishment of that few what penalty
! has been asked-death? The radical party
thirsts tor no mans blood. Conhscadon? It
| too much respect for foreign natious to Danish
| American renegadcs to foreign shores, unless
they go TO Russian America. lApplause).
Mr. Henry s. Foote honorable and dishOnor-
| able (applause), tor would not willingly with
hold any mans titles (applausel, proposes as his
scheme that the North and the South assemble
| in mass convention, and debate and decide on
| equal terms. But what gives TO the South the
| right to sit with the North aad decide on equal
| terms? The North Is the COnquerOr and makes
! the terms. The South Is conquered and accepts
the terms Let the North stand on her dignity;
| let the South kneel on her humility
From the dead body of General Wadsworth
| was taken a blOod-stained letter, written by
| Abraham Lincoln, declaring that if in the re-
| construction there should be amnesty TO the
South, there should be likewise suffrage Tor the
| negro Think you the yet unmartyred Presi-
| dent forecast a war of races? ? Andrew Johnson
| himself in front of the capitol at Nashville,
uttered that memorable speech which, more
! than any other that tell from his lips, sprang
up to make him Vice-Presldent He said, That
loyal men alone, whether white or black, should
! govern the State.n Did Andrew johnson then