Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-04

approval and SANCTION OF tnaC Cabinet 1t
there is any doubt upon any measure it is
upon the recent veto message; but up to
and including that message, so far as we
iknow--snd in matters OF this kind we can
not rely, upon. street rumors-Andrew
JOhnson's plan has met the approval of the
Cabinet of Abraham Lincoln. He has ex-
ecuted every law passed by Congress upon
every subject whatever, and especially has
he executed the Freedmrn's Bureau biHn
And after showing. that the President
had swept away the whole superstrncture
of the rebellion, provided for the execu-
ton of all the powers of the Government
within the late rebellious territory, and ex-
tending our tax laws, he says:
Eb ''And then in the oath of amnesty he
provides that any person claiming the BEN
eft of the amnesty should swear that he
will abide by and faithfully support all
laws and proclamations which have been
made during the existing rebellion with
reference to the emancipation of slaves.'
Then he goes on and excerpts from the op-
Grafton of this amnesty some fourteen
classes OF persons, more than, quadrupling
the exceptions of the previous proclama-
ton of Mr., Lincoln; so that if there was
ANY departure in this connection from the
policy adopted by Mr.. Lincoln, it was a
departure against the rebels, and especial
ly against those wealthy rebels who gave
|! life and soul and power to the rebellion. I'd
These were the agencies and orgaus un--
der which the plan of reconstruction was
to go on. Now I ask you. what conditions
were imposed on these people ? First, the
adoption of the constitutional amendment.
He was not willing to leave the matter to
their amnesty oath or to the proclamation
of President Lincoln, but he demanded of
them the incorporation in their State con-
stitutions of a prohibition of slavery, and
the adoption by their Legislatures of the
constitutional amendment so as to Secure
beyond peradventure the abolition of
slavery forever and ever throughout the
United States. This he required in every
order issued to the South, aud demandedit It
as first and preliminary condition to any
effort toward reconstruction. Next, he de-
manded a reputation of the rebel debt, and
a guarantee put into the constitutions of
| the respective States that they never would
under any circumstances pay any portion
of the rebel debt. Next, he secured the
enforcement Of the test oath SO that every
officer in the Southern States under the
act OF Congress was compelled to take that
oath; or if he could not find officers there
to do it, he sent officers from the Northern
States to do it, SO that this law, the most
Objectionable of any to the Southern peo-
pie, was enforced in all instances at the
South" sa' 'a' Ni' aAiC.hHta "ri
Senator Sherman then proceeded to reply
to the objections urged against this policy
!
"Now what are the objections to this pol
icy? The first objection that have heard
made most cOmmonly,aDd which have
made myself, is that the President was too
liberal in the exercise of the pardoning
power. But when we remember that there
were more than five times as many includ-
ed in his exceptions as were included in the
exceptions in the proclamation, and that
the number of persons excepted is sub
stantially Insignificant, and that we cannot
know all the circumstances which sur
rounded every particular case of pardon,
it is hardly fair, for us to arraign the Presi-
dent of the United States"
| And then with regard to negro suffrage,
Senator Sherman says: sat ~; -
but the principle objection that has been
made to his policy is that he did noteXtend
his invitation to all the loyal men of the
Southern States, including the icolored as
well as the white people, = a
3" Now, let US look at that question. In
every one of the eleven seeded States, be-
fOre'the rebellion, the negro was excluded
from the right of voting by their laws. 1t
| is truey the, Senator from Massachusetts,
would say these are all swept away. Ad
NIT that, but in majority of the Northern
States to this hour there is denial of the
| right! of suffrage to the colored population.
In Ohio. Pennsylvania. and New York,
that right is limited, and these three States
ed States. In a large majority of the States,
Including the most pOpulOus, negro suf-
Pfrage is prohibited. And yeeyou ask Pres
ident johnson, by simple mandatory pro-
clamation or military order, to confer the
franchise on class of psople who are not
only prohibited from voting in the eleven
Southern States, but in majority of the
! Northern States, and indeed think iD all
the States except six.
Further. it cannot be denied that the
prejudice OF the army of the United States,
who were called upon to enforce this proc
lamation within these States, was against
negro suffrage. Whether that prejudice is
wise or unwise, blinded or aided by the
| light of reason, L shall not say. i never
myself could see any reason why, because
man was black, he should not vote; and
| yet, in making laws, as the President was
then doing, for the governmento of the COM
munity, you must regard the prejudices,
not only of the people among whom the
laws are to be executed, but the prejudices
OF the army and the people who are to ex-
ecute those laws, and no man can doubt but
! what at that time there was a strong and
powerful prejudice in the army and among
all classes of citizens against extending the
right of suffrage to negroes. especially down
in the far South, where the great body of
the slaves were in abject ignorance"
| Aud again:
| 'A0u Is HOG I'll. LII Tile Only pldu
Congress has ever proposed for the recon-
,struetion of the Southern States, the Wade
and Davis bill to which have referred so
often, Congress did not and would not
make negro suffrage a part of their plan.
The effort was made to do so, and it was
abandoned. By that bin the suffrage was
conferred only upon WHITE male loyal citi-
zens. And in the plan adopted by the
| President he adopted in this respect the
very same conditions for suffrage prescribe
ed by Congress- -@gHT1 zsz1Cui H. o..
s'Now, have we, as candid and honorable
men, the right to complain of the Presi-r
dent because he declined to extend suffrage
| to this most Ignorant freeu population
| when we have refused or neglected to ex-
tend it to them or to the negroes of this
District and to the colored men who may
! 90 into the Territories? No, sir; whatever
! may be our opinion of the theory or right of
every man to vote-and do not dispute or
contest with honorable Senators upon that
point-I say with the PRESIDENT that to ask
of him to extend to four millions of these
| people the right of suffrage when we have
not the courage to extend it to those with
| in our control, when our States, represent
ed by US here on this floor have refused to
do it, is to make OF him an unreasonable
demand, in which the people of the United
States will not sustain. Congress" -,. a...
And now, upon this plan of President
johnson, based, as Senator Sherman says,
on the plan of President Lincoln, the
Southern States proceeded in good faith to
the work of reconstruction. They remod-
led their constitutions; prohibited slavery
forever; repuOiated the rebel debt, and Sc
cured the freedmen in all civil rights, the
same as white citizens, the right OF Suffrage
excepted. The machinery of the State
governments was put in motion on loyal
basis; the laws of the United States were
enforced /; taxes assessed and collected; !;
but one thing remained to complete the
| work, and that was representation in Con-
gress. In course of time Legislatures were
elected. and Sen atOrS and Rnnrasenfativas