Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-11-12
Hon. Thomas Ewing on the Result of
the Elections.

Hon. Thomas Ewing has written a letter
to the Cincinnati Commercial, in which he
gives his views of the result of the late cleo
tions. We make the following extract from it
The President also disapproves of the re-
construction acts, now in process of being
forced upon the Southern States, and | con-
cur with him. The measure strikes me. as
being neither wise nor just. Admit that the
rebels are treated in it with mercy; that they
deserve death as punishment Tor their trea-
sou, without regard to the means by which
they come OF were forced into it that in-
stead, they are merely placed in political
bondage, under their former slaves Still tho
punishment Is arbitrary and unlawful; it has
no Constitutional warrant, and no one is
bound to submit to it any longer than con.
strained by actual force-and it is not tikely
to conclitte the kindly feelings OF the men
OF the South whom 1t pruscrIbes and places
III suhjectiUu. The measure us | view IT. Is
uuwlse aud unlawful as to them, and unjust
aud degrading to us of the North who never
rebeiied. Carry it into effect and it gives TO
the plantation negro of the South large ex-
cess OF power III the government OF the u
Mon over that enjoyed by Que Of our Northern
citizens. For example, the prescription of
efficiently, the power Of the State in the 10.
cal and also in the General Government, and
the State is to have power in the Union due
to its whole population, white and black.-
The census Of 1860 gives Louisiana an ag-
gregate population Of 7US.OOO. composed OF
357 UUO whites aud 35l 900 uegroes.
The State, therefore, will be entitled, un-
der the reconstruction resolutions. to seven
Representatives IN Congress OF which SOL
UUO blacks will be the whole efficient constit-
ucncy-the white men who could read and
write and cipher Us !ar as the rule Of three.
having no more to do with it than their mules
aud horses. So that $4,000 ranumitted
slaves send member to Cor .ress. and 100
Uu0 citizens OF OHIO do the same thing. and
TO more. One manumtted plantation me-
gro in Louisiana, will, therefore have polit>
zeal power i'll the House of Representatives
equal to two citizens OF Ohio, aud the pre-
pomderance will be considerably greater, in
the Electoral College, for President The
sol, GOO Louisiana negroes will be entitled to
two Senators-2 100000 citizens of Ohio are
entitled to two. One Louisiana negro will
therefore, have political power in the Senate
more than equal to six of our citizens. To
prove the reconstruction scheme a wrong
against us, citizens of n Northern State. who
that one of us, citizen of Ohio, is as good
as manumitted plantation negro of Louisi.
ana, aud ought to have u voice as potent in
the General Government of the Union.
The Constitution as it is involves ineuual>
tiles III ti;ls particular among the citizens of
the ditEeu ent States, and | would not amend
ii to remove them it works no mischief. for
VIC are all the people of the same race, Of like
intelligence, in all things alike, morally and
socially. But | would not amend the Con.
stitutIon to increase it where it exists, or to
create it where it exists not, aud especia IL
would not give this enormous excess of power
to men OF different race. who are not aud
can never be our associates; of whom we know
little socially except that they are ignorant
and degraded, and'nothing politically. except
atthey have always been, and are disturb
ing, element in our system. Their degrada>
tion. Ignorance and immortality, the bitter
fruits of slavery and oppression, entitle them
to our commiseration, but 60 not enti,le them
to place so much above US in the scale of
political power.
1t would be much smaller concession by
us to the African, and more reasonable and
just, to give each negro in Ohio ten votes
than to give the negro in the South the power
over Us, in the union involved in this plan of
reconstruction. 1t may be said, aud truly,
that this inequality Will be but temporary
that but one generation of prescribed white
men have to die off, and all will be right; a
white man at the North will at length become
equal to a negro in the South. That is true
even less than the truth. 1t is impossible
that these proposed negro republics shall, by
their own actOn, ever come into being; or, If
created by external power, shall stand alone
Tor single moment, There will be no at
tempt to carry them out, or any pretence of
the kind, beyond the next Presidential elec>
tion. In the meantime, there will be war to
the knife of black against white of barbarism
and poverty and power CONT Dbiued against intel.
ligence and property, which can be restrained
only by military power; and the Uuited
States will be compelled to keep up standing
armies in all the reconstructed States until
they shall be again reconstructed. During
this process, the five Brigadier Generals will
not only be autOcrats of each district, but will
control the vote of the nine States, and send
to tho Senate eighteen Senators, to the House