Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-12-13

-
obedience, was common in the barbareus ages
Of Tie world. but Christianity and civilization
have made such progress that recourse. to a
punishment 50 cruel and unjust woulf meet
with the condemnation of all unprecedented
and righ,-minded men. Punitive Justice of
this age especially ef this country. does not
consist in strippisg whole States Of their lib~
critics, and reducing all their people, without
distinction to the condition. of slavery. ltdeais
scperately with each individual, and confines
itself to forms Of law aud the yindicasion of
its own purity by an impartial examination
ofeverv case before competent judicial fri
bunal. If this dees not satisfy oil our desires
wi,hsregard to Southern rebels, let us console
ourselves BY rejecting hat a free constitu-
tien iriumrhant in war and unbToken in
peace is worth far more to lis and our chill
rem than the qualification Of any present feel
inc Iamaware :; hat it is assumed That this
svs;om of roveruuant ior the Southern States
is not to be perpetual. II is triss thas this
military governments to be only provisional,
bu. j. is through this temporary eyihF that n
, greater evil is to be made perpetual. II guar
I antees of the constitution can be broken pro-
visionally to serve a temporary purpose. and
in n part only of the country, We can destroy
them everywhere and foralt ,ine. Arbitrary
measures often change, bat they generally
T chan-a for the worse. 1t is the curse of des-
I potism .hat it has TO hating place. lnter>
! missed exercise of it's power brings no sense
of security to its subjects; for they can never
know what more they will be called toendure
when its red righ, hand is armed to plague
them again. nor is it possible to conjecture
how or why power unrestrainel by law may
seek its next victims. States that are still
!. free NAV be enslavcd al any moment for il
the CD astiiut on does notpresect all, tnrotects
none. Ii is Inanitestly and ayowedl, tie OBJ
iect Of these laws te coafef upon negroes the
privilege Of voting. and to disfranchisa such
a nun,har of white Citizens az wilisg tie for
= ,aer a clear majority at all elections in the
i Southern states This to the minds OF some
!, n.rsnns is so important that n violation Of the
cnn nnsIitnfjen4 is s,itied as means Of bring
;nr i. about. That morality is always false
witch excuses wrong lccaHse il proposes 10
.cacomnfish desirable end. We are rot
.norm;ttea to do evil ti,a' good may come: but
in his case. the end is itself evil AZ well ~
the means. The su'9iagatioH of stts'c8sto
negro domination would lie worse than the
military despotis,u under which they arc now
surer:no Il WIS believed beforehand tlia,
tba nconre wot,ll endure any amount OF mill
.,agv o,,,ressio., fa- any length Of time rather
iLan jc~Yaae themselves by asbiugation to tls
rarro race. therefore they have been lcf
without \ choice Negro suffrage was estah'
= ,;shoa hv act of Congress, and military officer,
-vere commanded 10 snrerintend the process
,, Of clothing the negro race with the politica
= rr;x;,o,os 10 govern white men. The black
. IN ,ba so.ih are entitled to be humaneiy COY
ernol aud "a have ;,le pro ecton of just law
!. for nj, ba;r rights Of person or property.
, I II wnra nraeticahle at this time to give them
E rove.nmant exclusively their own. un1e
, which tbev mieht raasa4e their own affairs i
!. thai, own way. it would become 4 gra~
. question wla,lor we ourh. 70 do so or wheth
or common humanity would not require us I
!. save them fer themselves. Bat. uad.r tn
. lcisenmstances. this is oniya speculative ront
e n is not proposed merely that they shall GOV
ern themselves int they saai Tflte me MiHtt
a ,.aca. make aud administer the STATE laws
elact Presidents and members CT t2agfess
81 and shane. to n createTor less extent the fl
ture destiny Of The Whole country. Woul.,
4 e,,ch ,ra,st.and rawer be sata IN s'eh hands.
Il Tic ,ee,,l;af. qualities which shdnld charae
terize any neople that are fteto decide upon
fl,e mana een,ent of public affairs for great
# safe have seldom ieen combined. II il tae
II revv aflthe White men ,eknoH fEattfeY have
hal these ousiitias in sufficient measure to
4 hnilti uron this continent sreat nalitieai
i fabric and "a nreserva its stability for laere
4 than nineiv-years. while in every other part
of the world all similar experiments have
/ failea. IF anything can ne pfassi oy known
I facts It all reasoning upon evidence Is net
aha n,,oned. it aust he acknowledged that IN
| the progress Of nations the negroes nave
I shown less canacitr for government than any
/ other race of peaple Noinaepenaeni govern
| mant of any form has ever been successful in
\ their hands. On the contrary, whenever they
| have been lefi 10 their own devices, they have
shown constant tendanoY to relapse into
i tsarharism. In the Southern States, however,
I Congress has undertaken to confer upon them
ttbe nriyilece af the hallot. Just released from
| slavery. ii nav be denoted whether, as class.
] they know more than their ancestors how to
| organize and regulate civil society. ln,!eea.
| il is admitted that the hlacSs OF the South arr
not nnlv regardless Of the rights Of property,
I but their voting can consist in nothing more
| than carving ballot to the place where they
| are directed to deposit it. need not remind
yeu that The exercise of the elective franchise
/ is the highest attribute in the American eiti-
zen, and tl,at when guided hy virtue, inte'li-
rence. patriotism and = proper appreciation
Of onr free institutions. it constitutes the true
! basis os a Democratic form Of government IN
which the sovereign mower is lodged IN the
/ BODY Of the people-a trust artificlaly ted.
not for its own sake. hnt solely rs means Of
nromotinr the general welfare. It's influence
! for cool must necessarily denend upon the
elevated character and true alegance OF the
elector. ii ought, therefore. to he repnsed in
| none except those who are fitted morally and
mentally to administer itwcll. for If conferred
/ upnn persons who do not justly estimate its
value and who are Indifferent rs to its results
il will only serve rs n means Of placing power
in the hands Of the nnrrincinled and amhiti-
aus aud must eveniuaie in the cemplete des-
truetion of liberty, of which it shoali be the
most powerful conservator.
/ have therefore, heretofore urged upon
yonr attention the great danger. to be appre-
hendcd from an untimelv extension of the
elective franchise to any new class in cur
.countrv,s and especially when a large majors
tv Of that class in welding that power Thus
placed in their hands cannot be exreced cor
reetly to comprehend the duties and RESPONSE
biltics which pertain TO suffrage. Yesterday
rs it were. fonr millions Of persons were held
in tho condition Of slavery that had existed
for generations. To-day they are fr~emen
and are presumed by the law to be c;dzens.--
II cannot he assumed from the previous con-
dition Of servinie. that MS a class they are as
we'll informed assto the nature Of our govern
ment as,ap intelligent foreigner who makes
our land homo. In the case Of the latter ei>
ther a residence of Ave years and = know'edge
Of our institutions which II gives. or an at
tachment ia principles az constitution are the
only conditions unon which ne can ne admitted
10 citizenship. Tie must prove in addition
GOOD moral character and thns give reason
able ground for the belief that he will be
x..