Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-12-06

, to which they owed obedience, was CON.
-jmon in the barbarous ages OF the w0rio'
2 hut. Christianity and civilization nave
made such progress that recourse 10 d pun.
J, ishment SO cruel and unjust would meet ,l
with the condemnation of all unpreJuolceo
and rightminded men. The punitive JUS
tice of this age, and especially OF TINS coun-
try, does not consist in stripping whoi w
4 States of their liberties, and reoucihe on
their people, without distinction, 70 cGn'
dition of slavery. 1t deals separaeiy VIII ~
each individual, confines Itself W loInlo Vi
law, and vindicates its own purify W az
imnartiaj examination of every case before
com netent judicial tribunal. If 1t does
not satisfy ali our desires with regard 10
Southern rebels, let us console ourselves
nv refecting that q free Constitu tn
Lnmnbant In war and unbroken1n peace, Is
worth far more to us and our chllOren IMAM
the qualification of any present Ieenng.
r am aware it is assumed that this sys-
tenn of government for the Southern States
I ia not to be perpetual; 1t is true this mill
tary government is to be only provisional;
but it is through this temp orary- evil that 9
/ greater evil is to be made perpetual, Ii
the guarantees of the Constitution can be
broken professionally to serve a temporary
/ PURPOSE, and in part only of the country,
4 we can destroy them everywhere and for
all time Arbitrary measures often change,
/ but they generally, change for the worse.
i It is the curse of despotism that 1t has no
/ hating place. Intermit,ed exercise of
| its power brings no sense of security TO Its
subjects; for, they can never know what
more they will becalled to endure when its
4 red right hand is armed toplague them
again; nor is itpossible to conjecture how or
when power unrestrained by law may seek
Its next victims States that are still free
may be enslaved at any moment; for, If
1.-The Constitution does not protect all, 1t
protects none. .sloaHt sssis E9of~s Y
1 It is manifestly and aVowedly the object
of these laws to confer upon the negroes
1.-THE privilege of voting, and to disfran-
chise such number of white citizens as
Twill give the former "a clear majority at
ALI elections in the Southern States. This,
Ito the minds of some persons, is SO i'm
portant that violation of the Constitu-
ition is justified as means of bringing ii
about. That morality is always false
which excuses a wrong because 1t proposes
Ito accomplish a desirable end. We are
not permitted TO do evil that good may
come But in this case, the end is itself
evil, as well as the means. The subjuga-
stiOn of States to negro domination would
be worse than the military despotism UNI
der which they are now suffering. 1t was
believed beforehand that the people would
endure any. amount Of military oppression
for any length of time, rather than de-
grade themselves by subsection to the me-
gro race; therefore they have been left
without choice Negro suffrage was es-
5tablished by act Of Congress, and military
officers were commanded to superintend
the process of clothing the negro race
with the political privileges Of white men.
The blacks in the South are entitled to be
humanely governed, and to havevthe pro-
lection of just laws for all their rights OF
person and property. Ii 1t were practical
BILE at this Time to give them a government
exclusively their own, under which they
might manage their own affairs In their
! own way, it would become grave ques
ton whetherFwe oughtto dose, or whether
common humanity would not require us to
save ihem from themselves but, under
the circumstances, this is only specula-
4 tive point! 1T iSnot proposed merely that
4 they shall govern themselves but that they
shall rule the white race, make and adj
minister State laws, elect Presidents and
members uofq Congress, and shape to a.
/ greater rless extent the future destiny of
the whole country. p Would such q trust
and power be safe in such hands? The
peculiar qualities which should character
LIE any people that are fit to decide upon
the management@of public affairs for a
i great State have .seldoms been combined.
It is, the glory of white men to know that
| they had these qualities in sufficient meas
4 ure to build up, on this continent, a great
\ political fabric and to preserve its stabili-
4 ty for more than 90 years while, III every
other part of the world, all similar expert
ments' have failed. But if anything can
be proved by known, facts-if all reason
ing upon evidence is. not abandoned-it
\ must be acknowledged that, In the pro,
I gress of nations, the, negroes have shown
4 less capacity for government than any other
II race Of people. No Independent govern
4 mert of anyform has ever been successful in
their hands. On the contrary, whenever
they have been left to their own devices,
a they have shown constant tendency to
Jsrelapse into barbarism.. In the Southern
States, however, Congress has undertaken
to confer upon them the privilege of the
ballot. Just released from slavery it may
\ be doubted, whether, as a class, they know
more than their ancestors, how to organ
j lie and regulate civil society. Indeed, it is
admitted that the blacks of the South are
not only regardless of the rights of prop
II erty, but their voting can consist in moth.
J, ing more than carrying the ballot to the
place where they, are directed to deposit it.
~ need not remind you that the exercise
/ of the elective franchise is the highest at,
tribute of an Americanl citizen and that,
when guided by. virtue, intelligence, pa
II otriotisn, and proper appreciation of our
free institutions. it constitutes the true
basis of democratic form of,goYernment,
In, which the sovereign power is lodged in
p the body Of the people, A trust artificial.
i lly created not for its own sake, but solely
q as asmeans of promoting the general wei
!! lfare,its influence for good necessarily
/ de pend upon the elevated character and
rIitrue allegiance Of the electorg thought,
a Therefore to be reposed in none except
i those who. s.re fitted morally and mentally
: to administersI well for, if conferred up
on persons who do, not justly estimate lis
value, and who are Indifferent as TO its re
suits, it will only serve as, a means Of
!, placing power in the hands Of the un-
princip1ed and ambitious, and must even.
.SFtuate ia the complete destruction Of liberty,
of which it should be the most powerful
conservator. ~ .,,,,.,,.r,,.qa,ss,yY
have, therefore, heretofore urged upon
! your attention the great danger to be APP
. pretended from an untimely extension OF
/ the elective franchise to any new class In
i -Four country, and especially when a large
VI .maiorityo of that class, in welding the
| power thus placed in their hands, cannot
nj be7expectedh correctly to comprehend the
.l>,1 ..,1, ,,foi,,