The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-09-12

II"
Declaration of Independence shall
be affirmed, and the principle there,
in stated be given practical force
and effect. What will be the effect
Little, practically in Ohio. We
have nearly 100000 rotersin Ohio
and this amendment will add about
1000 more. The effect will be in
significant, The results of the eloe
tion will not be changed in sin
gle district. But the principle in
yolved is of greater Importance. r.
The Union party in Ohio is com
mitted by record to this amend
ment. 1t cannot be consistent
with the past and hesitate to give
the ballot to the negro. Let u:
SEQ. Ji44t W -gl
Mr. Johnson appointed Mr.. Hol
den Provisional Governor of Nortl
Carolina, on the goth of May, 1865
In his proclamation appointing
him, he declares that tho rebellion
which had been waged against The
Unitod States had ain its revolu
tIonary progress deprived the peo
pie Of the State of North Caroline
ofall civil government" By hi'
manipulations the President con
trived to placethe Provisional gov
ernment in the hands of rebels
Such men as Stevens were elected
to Congress, and the result was tc
substantially replace the leaders o.
the rebellionin power. The fruits
Of ofvictory wore thrown away, and
unrerentant rebels stalked boldly
to Washington and demanded to aid
in reconstructing she Government
they had struggled to destroy.
Tho Democratic party Of the
North, true to its love Of traitors
demanded the immediate and un
conditional admission Of these dis.
loyal members; but the true and
tried Union majority in Congress
refused. 1t said these traitors with
bloody hands shall not defile the
halls of Congress. At this point
Andrew Johnson openly severed
his hypocritical attachment to the
Union party, and has been ever
since wallowing in the mire and
filth of treason and Democracy.
Some advocate his impeachment
but it is q question 10 be consid.
cred whether or not we should get
rid of the man who swings around
the circle and helps US roll up
heavy Union majorities. Would it
not be like killing the goose that
lays the golden cggsH
The Thirty ninth Congress ten
dcrcd to the people of the seeded
States reconstruction upon justand
equitable terms. What arc they?
Lat US sec ifthey are not fair. The
offer was that these States might
como in If they would ratify the
l4th Article Of the Constitution
That article is divided into four
important sections, one of which
provides that all persons born or
naturaliEed in tho United States,
shall be citizens thereof, and have
all the rights and privileges of The
samo; and these rights, as well as
tho right to hold property, shall
not be destroyed or taken away,
except under process Of law. The
next provides that representation
shall be apportioned according to
tho voting population. If the ne
gro did not enjoy the right 10 vote,
then no rebel Democrat should vote
for him. 1t was not proposed to
force negro suffrage upon the peo-
pie; but it the negro was not al
lowed to vote he should not be
counted. Was not that fair prop.
ositions Docs any Democrat deny
it2 The third proposition was,
that il q man had lifted his hand
and in the presence Of high Heaven
sworn to protect, obey and main
tain the Constitution of the United
States, and had then, in violation
of that oath, taken up arms against
the nation, he should not again be
trusted to hold officc. What can
be urged against that? Was that
not ight and just? And finally,
it was 10 bo enacted, that the debt
incurred in supprcssing the rebel,
ion was to remain sacred, and
should never be repudiated by the
Democrats, or anybody else, and
the rebel debt should not be paid.
Who can say this plan Of recon.
struction was not very fair TO the
rebels? Many of our people thought
then. and do now, that it was too
fair and too liberal; and SO history
will write. But equitable and geH-
erous as tho terms were, .he rebel
States, encouraged thereto by John
son and his friends, and tho Demo.
Gratis OF tho North, unanimously
rejected the offer, They would not
come in unless tho leading rebels
worc allowed seats in Congress by
the side of tho loyal mon Of tho
North. What was to bo done ?
In tho meantime, and during 1866,
elections were held in the North
for members of tho Fortieth Con.
gross, and our party, with unpre.
cedentod enthusiasm and unanim.
ity, endorsed Congress by re. oloct.
ing nearly all tho members in
Ohio all but ono who had stood
faithful to tho people, and that one
declined denomination which he
might have had. In this way the
Union party became fairly COM
mitted 10 this plan of roconstruc.
tion.
But these States were without
soSornments, and Congress passed