The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-01-24
NEW MISSOURI SENATOR.
Views Of Hon, O. D. Drake The
Reconstruction Question Discus

cen elected United States Senator
'cm Missouri, addressed the Legis.
,ture Of the State, by invitation, on
Wednesday last. After thanking
is audience for their good will, man
'csted IN electing him, he said:
I have no promises to make as to
hat will accomplish MS Senator.
f not old enough to be wise, / have
I least apprchendod the force Of the
honorable reply Of the King Of Is.
nel to the braggart Assyfain--"Let
OF him that girdcth on his harness
oast of himself as he that puttcth il
A." All that / can promise is, that
Shateyer Of good can be accomplish
d by assiduous effort and faithful la.
,or shall be done. Those who know
ne will believe me when | say that
he Seuatorship will be no sinoeure
with me.
Gentlemen we cannot, if We would
shut our eyes TO tho great emergency
with which the congress Of the Uuit-
ed States has now to deal. The Union
IL to be reconstructed, and rebalous
States returned to their places in II,
In this diff ult and iDcaleulably i'm.
portaut work, whatever else may be
omitted, security Jor he future-elear,
absolute, immovable security must be
insisted upon and obtained.
4 4 4 X #
For the first time in our history,
every American patriot sees the mean.
ing Of those great words, ETERNAL
VIGIL lNcE rs THE PRIeE OF LIBERTY"
We in Missouri, especially under
stand their import. 10 have been n
loyal Missouriap through the last six
years, ought to make man familiar
enough with rebelism aud rebels, ncv-
ar TO leave either unmatched. In Of
fetal action / will not nor will l let
20 any lawful hold that can DO taken
If them. | will do nothing in re-
fenge, or from malice; but to the
'urthest and latest reach Of my voice
md vote, rebels shall be made tofeel
hat the day is past, never to return,
when they can hope to rule this land,
,r shape its destiny. its policy, or its
thought. EI1 .f ta
To carry this out in its integrity,
his whole country must be made
stranger TO the power, Of oligarehy
md tho influence Of caste, based on
he color of the skin with which the
great creator has, in His wisdom,
,lothed his creatures, A man, what.
,yer his color must be held to be n
man, everywhere, under all circum-
stances to every intent, before every
and this nation must, to the
utmost limit of its -rightful power,
guaranty his manhood's rights to
him, Whoever would rob him Of them,
or under whatever protext tho rob
berry is perpetrnted Or threatened. A
nation that wouldstand idly by, and
let millions Of its citizens be 50 rob-
bed, whether by individual lawless-
ness, or by organized communities
assuming to act through law, ought
itself to be despoiled.
Thus speaking, you will probably
have anticipated my next words-the
negro must be cnltnnchised. With
out that, he cannot be really free, nor
can tho nation be calm, As .Ong as
he is disJranchised, the nation carries
within itsOlfa magazine ofoppression
aud wrong, which, as sure as human
rights are reality, will one day cx-
plodc and shake it to its center
With the bsllotin his hand the negro
can and will quench the spirit of rc.
bellion, to its very last spark with
out II he, by his very helplcsshcss,
invites aggression, aud stimulates tho
greed of tyranny--the same tyranny
which begot th, late rebellion, aud
would to-day light the ires of anoth-
or, if it dared. This truth is ever
before me not dragged forth 20 re-
vive waning enthusiasm, or spur n
tagging purpose, but always rising
up OF itself, always looking me full in
the face; always exacting attention
and respect, always demanding obe.
dionce to its stern mandate that the
negro be fully and irrevocably enltan.
ohised, i'll know myself, | will not
shun its gaze, or refuse it respect, or
deny it obedience. Whenever and
however tho subject may properly
come up, l will demand and uphold
Impartial suffrage, by which | mean
suffrage for tho black mau ON precise
ly the same terms as for the white
man, lfnoro be required Of him to
eutitle him to vote, there is, there
can be no other possible reason for IT,
than that God made him black and |
will not stamp Gods work in him
witk any badge Of degradation and
contempt, which the aristocratic pride
tho unreasouing prejudices, or the
wicked ingenuity of men may devise.
To secure the great end of negro
euilNnchisement, | will take no by
paths, nor will enter into any bar.
gains which may, in any possible de.
gree, weaken the heal,hfal power OF
Radicalism in this nation. Least OF
all will | give for il the cnfranchiso.
ment Of rebels. 1t is right to make
the negro voter, let il be done be-
cause it is right, not as a swap with
rebels, We swapped bullets with
them for four years, aud they got
considerable the wors, of the bargain;
| do not propose now TO swap ballots
with thom, for in that dioker We
should bo sure 10 lose,