The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-11-29
Letter from Hon. ThOS. Ewing
LANCASTER. Ohio, Oct. 10, 1868.
on the Reaction
SEEN IN THE LATE ELECTION

LANCASTER. Ohio, Oct 10, 1868.
To the Editor Of The Cincinnati Commercial:
! Ny opinion is often asked as to the
cause of the Republican losses at the late
election, especially in Pennsylvania and
OHIO, and the best means to relieve our
country from its unhappy complication
and restore harmony and union. lam
alEays prompt and free to give my opin-
ion on political questions, aud choose,
now to give 1t through your widely cir
culated paper.
By publishing the enclosed you will
Oblige Your obedient servant.
,aaE- --- 7. EWIEG.
TIE cAUsE OF REPUBLICAN, LOSSES AT
THE RECENT ELECTIONS.
am we'll salis fed With the result of
our eIec,ion-We may consider il a tie
the 100 900 majority, which, when we
were altogether Union war party, elected
! Brough our Governor, has been driven
off by lew Radical leaders, whom the
Republicans IN The TWO Houses have al
lowed to rule and perhaps 10 ruin them.
Tbera is q very large number of Old-line
| Wings. and Of those who inherit their
PrepOssessiOps aud opinions, who went
with the Republicans at the late election
In all things except the constitutional
amendment, because they feared 10 place
power in the hands of their old opponents,
the Democrats, while hey heartily dis.
approved tie txtrtme Radical policy OF
the Republican party. This class of
voters is very nearly numbered in the diff
ference between the Democratic vote for
Governor and the vote against the con-
| eulutIonal amendment. On the whole,
the result. has shown tEGt-it lew election
we're TO take place at once, il would be
in the pc wer of the Conservatives to give
large msjorily to either side at pleasure.
This may, or may not be, the case year
TO come-either party when IN power
may, within that time, utterly destroy
itself past the possibility of rescue. The
present tendency ofIhe Conservatives is
to unite with The Republican party. il that
| party will, in obedience TO Wha; they now
know to be the will of the people. recall
their proscFiPtive mandate. and leave the
intelligence OF the Southern States free to
act in modifying aud carrying on their
! State governments, and desisI from fore
ing on them negro suffrage and quasi
negro, quasi military rule. This they
will do it they read Alright, and profit by
the lesson which has just been taught
them. sgfrr-.
The two propositions, namely: that OF
giving suffrage to the blacks, and deny
ing it TO the whites as punishmant for
past political aud military otfenses. were
tor the first time submitted to the people,
and their opinion asked upon them at the
late election in Ohio.
Ohio was selected as the most decided
! ly Radical among the great States, and
the questions were put TO her people, first
of ali, ia the confident expectation that
their authority would be obtained for
fastening the Reconstruction Acts on the
South, and extending them over the Bor-
der States. under The assumption that the
government of no State can be Rapubli.
can, that does not admit negro sutftsge
and prescribe men who have been rebels.
Both these questions were involved aud
discussed in the Ohio election; the Re-
publican orators insisting that it would
be Inconsistent and unjust to force negro
suffrage on the South, and not accept it
for ourselves. This was manifesily true;
we could not, with any pretense of politi-
cal justice, place the whole South under
negro government, by admitting all black,
and excluding so many white voters as
would give tue negroes a majority every
where, and at the same time refuse TO suf
tier 1000 negroes to vote in Ohio, with
500, 600 whine voters to control them.
When The people of Ohio refused TO ae-
cept negro suffrage as part of their own
system, they were guilty of no inconsis
tency aud 90 Djustice-they had infiict-
ed neither prescription nor negro suffrage
on tire Sou,h-as far as II had been exec
culed, it was the act Of their public SER
wants, and they, by this vote, refused ii
their sanction. THIS was the response
OF the forty thousand majoriIy who voted
against the constitutional amendment.
They disAPprove prescription for past
political or military offenses, and they
disapprove of The attempt to force negro
suffrage upon an unwilling people.
have no doubt large majority of the
Republicans in the Two Houses of Con-
gress are Conservative 10 their opinions
and feelings-that, as a matter of choice,
they would prefer, for themselves and
their neighbOrs, white TO negro rulers,
and would rather soothe and heal the
wounds OF the Union than sggravate and
jnfame them. Fortunately, for them and
for the nation, the Ohio election has
shown, before il Was too late, that it will
consist with the will of the people to act
in accordance With such feelings and con
victiOns. therefore most earnestly hope
that the conservative Republicans of Con
gress will detkrone their despolic leaders.
| keep out Of those pens of political bondage
called Congressional caucusss, and take
control OF the Two Houses; for they can
do 1t readily, if each aud all will but keep
themselves IRE" TO vote aud act according
to their conviction, and thus renrsseni
each bis district, instead of all renr.sent.
ing q caucus. And they should al o6cs
Fsscind all measures which operates a.
mere insult and annoyance 10 intelIigsn,
men OF the South; give over The effort 10
establish negro government by the dis
IrancbIstment of che whites; repeal their
ordinances placing the Southern States
under military government. aud make
Itbe military there sgsin subordinate 10
the civil power, aud repIacs It where the
Constitution places il, under the control
of the ExecutiVe-admit al once the Iowa
, and legally qusli6sd Senator'S and Repre-.
seuIativee, from the ten excladed States
-, v,orrsf- adhesion !, -ss.st.5r,F =; a :