The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-01-26
@taha :free TraOer
Theodore TAltOn's Lecture.

A very respectable audience--numbering
perhaps three hundrsi-gsihered at Wash>
1ngtor Hall on Monday evening, to hear the
lecture CT THEODORE TiLroS,-the third in
the course of lectures given under the aus
pices o. the Lal,es Society Of Plymouth
Church.
Mr.. T'ilton is quite young man-appa>
rently little over % stands fall six feet in
his s,ockings-slonder, straight as an AFRO W,
with a handsome, intellectual coun, enancs,
IA full head OF HAIR, not pare in the middle,
but rakishlv brushed to one side. and wears
Byron;c collar, which give. all the more
prominence 70 his crane like mock.
As speaker his manner is slow and de,
liberate, approaching to GOODNESS, except
occasionally, when Il Seward-hs fires
up, and then he thunders and flashes for
minute like q small tempest.
1t was, however, paipable misaomsr-
almost a fraul-.o call his effort lecture.
A lecture implies instruction-at least tho
u:terance of something ont Of the beaten
path. Mr.. Tiltoa gave Us simply radical
stump speech, and III /. ther. was nothing
and of which tho big snl little Tfibun:s
daily, AM tie Lsd:ps.lsni weekly, give u. a
comprehensive summary. II. lau1.i the
radical c1ngress-was exceedingly bitter in
every allusion to President Johnson, and
WAS wholly oblivion. to any distinction bs>
tween norshera democrats ard southern :r.i-
tors. The burden of his speech, however,
WAS plea for negro suffrage. That WAS his
"corner stone OF reconstruction" The
southern states were-well, perhaps not
strictly speaking, outside OF the Union, bu,
they ware out OF Congress. IL other words,
they were subjec. to the Government of the
U. s., but had no right 70 any share in il:
Before thsy can be admitted TO any sush
share, Suffrage must be conferred upon the
negro, as fully as it is row enjoyed by the
white nan. Hox conferred? b. the state. !?
No. By virtue of any provision Of the Com
stitution? No. By means Of the cOnstitu-
tioual amendment? No. By virtue OF any
provision of the constitution vet to be pros
posed and adopted? No. By what power,
than, was this great cornsr STONE Of recoE>
strueton TO be laid ? B. Congress, said Mr..
Titon, and the only doubt he permitted him
self to indulge Of the entire i'm naculacy of
that body, was the expression Of fear tina.
they might, IN the last pinch, lack tie requi,
site backbone TO pu! the great MEASURE
through. As he made no pretense of de-
ducing the power of congress to foree negrs
or sim partiai suffrage, IS he caiisd it, upon
the southern states from the constitution, our
Curiosity was pu. on the 4ti ctre to learn
whence 1t came. The process Of ratiocinaL
ton by which he invested cons-es. with this
power va: luminous rs it WAS curious The
recent war WAS not civil var-It was a
revolution. There has been a ptling :nests in
American politics; ths nation ha. be sn r gen
Grated and born anew. The constitution Is
obsolete, so far as it would sb.truct the tree
progress of thu new ideas Hitherto this
nation has not been republic: our boasteo
liberty has been a nockery, Our flag a
''tiaun;ing lie" The constitution has been
tissue of ''palpable incongruitiqs," which
Goi excited the revolution and raised up the
radical congress to Correct. The decision
OF the Supreme Cour;, that the constitution
i. a law for ruers and people in war and in
peace; =. and that 40 dostune ia more
pernicious than tia. anT OF lis provis; ous
c..a be suspended during any emergency of
the government, is Infamous = tn. solemn
pledge. made BY congress n tha .,ils; of the
war, that the war was not wlsed for subiu,
CATION, but to preserve the rights of the
states unimpsirsd ! anil the law of nations,
as laid down by Fat;el, that "all proAise5
made to al enemy in the Course Of War are
obligatory o. the return OF pace" were
mare Pigments Of diseased brrins. unworthy
OF 3 moments attention. The southern
states hal been sabiugated il fact, their
people were at the mercy of their conquerors,
'hs radical cougres.-all their rights wsre
forteited-;here were no rights under the
constitution for ttsm-tasy mus, taxa what
ever their imperial conquerors may, i. their
good pleasure. be pleased to grant
This, We -olemnly affirm, is a. honest pro
sentation Of the character and substance Of
Mr.. Tilton's doctrine and argument. Oh
course to such raving there can be NJ replv.
Men whose political IDEAS have b2com, TIN.
obfu,ca:ed snd .ntanzled, are 80 i'm ,ervious
to reason and logic as Gibra!ts. is to 4 pom,
Ern.