Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-04-20
The JscObIn Party-RecOnstruic-
tionANegro Suffrage and NIiIi-
tary DespOfism.

successful close by force of arms, utterly
repudiating the often proclaimed pledge,
that it was waged for the restoration of the
Union, inaugurated, a series of despotic
usurpations to secure what they called its
fruits, looking exclusively to the perpetua--
tion of mere party ascendency, without re-
gard to the Constitution of the United
States, which they had sworn to support,
tor the future harmony and prosperity of
our common country. . President JOHNSON,
for adhering to the restoration policy of
his predecessor, and endeavoring to carry
out in good faith the very platform upon
which he wasgelected, is violently assailed
and threatened with impeachment by
Congress bent on realizing the very defini-
ton of tyranny by accommodating all pow
ers, legislative, executive and judicial, in
its own hands, to be exercised after the
fashion of the Jacobin French Convention,
on the maxim that the end justifies the
means, cloaked with pharisacial can't of the
God -be-praised barebones parliament, as
Stunning to be the Almighty's Vicegerents
on earth.
The Union of these States hereafteris to be
made dependent upon an arbitrary majori-
ty in Congress, who may exclude the duly
elected and qualified representatives of any
State until it conforms its Constitution to
their villa fitting counterpart to the doc
trine of secession, which subjected the
Union to the ewill of each individual State.
Another illustration of the fact, that ex-
tremes frequently meet. Indeed, the whole
doctrine of the Radical party, that the peo-
pie have no right to form or alter State
Constitution, without some. preliminary act
of Congress was fully discussed and repu-
dated at the time of the admission of Cali
fornia, even in the case of a Territory. An
examination OF the debates at that Pc
riod, and the protests of HUNTER, Ma
SON, BUTLER, of South Carolina, JET
FERsoN DAVIS, and six other seces-
sion Senators, presented August 14th,
1850, [see Con. Globe .2lst Vol. pit 2d
PIP. 1871 will show that the same denuncia-
tions of President TAYLoR's action, in in
viting the people of California, through
General RILEY, the Military Governor, to
inaugurate State Government through
convention, were then made as the Radi-
Gals utter now. against President JOHNSON,
and were boldly repelled by CAss, DOUGLAS,
BENTON, EWING, CLAY, and other Union
Senators, who refused to admit the protests
to place on the Journal.
Modern Radicalism has stolen most ofits
arguments in favor of the Military Recon-
struction bill from this secession magazine,
as there is not the slightest pretense that
Congress, in undertaking to set aside the
Civil Governments of ten States, is acting
under the power to guarantee to every
State in the Union a Republican form of
Governments" which clause of the Consti-
tuition the Federalist, No. 43 Madison PIP.
POP, thus expounds:
"That if the General Government should
interpose by virtue of this Constitutional
authority, it will be of course bound to pur-
sue the authority. But the authority ex-
tends no farther than to guaranty of a Re-
publican form of Government, which sup
poses pre-existing Government of the
form which is to to beguaranteed. AS long,
therefore, as the existing Republican forms
are continued by the States, they are guar
anteed by the Federal Constitution. When
ever the States may choose to substitute
other Republican forms, they have right
to do so, and to claim the federal guaranty
for the latter. The only restriction i'm
posed on them is, that they shall not ex-
change Republican for anti Republican
Constitutions"
What Radical Jacobin dare claim, that
the present Constitution of Georgia, Mis-
sissippi, or any of the so-called seeded
States, is less Republican now than before |
slavery was abolished? These Republican
forms being the only re-existing Goven-
ments, now claim to exercise State Author |
ity, the Supreme Court OF che United States.
which is an equal coordinate branch of
the Government, is bound to enforce the
Federal guaranty, and take care that
Congress, by unconstitutional legislation
through military despotism, does not set
up another State Government for revolu-
tionary purposes, hoping to make ques-
5ion between conflicting State Govern
ments, so as to bring the subject matter
under the SUPPOSED rule in the DoRR case.
If such a precedent is admitted, Congress
may at any time overthrow " any State Gov
whose politics do not suit them,
by setting up, through its own action, by
military satraps, another State organization.
The disguise is so plain. that in the Georgia
case, the Supreme Court, having obtained
jurisdiction by process before the projected
new State Government is inaugurated, has
made itself master of the situation. ita
The proposed Constitutional Amend
ment, Art. XIV, was never offered in good
faith, but used merely to amuse the people |
and bridg over the late elections, SO as to
secure the Radicals an additional pretext
to force negro suffrage on the so-called Sc
ceded States and the whole country. For,
if this amendment was intended as a final |
ity, it having been already ratified by more
than three-fourths of the States represent
ed in Congress, why did not that body de-
clare it adopted, on the Radical theory, and |
admit duly qualified representatives from
all the States, rather than risk the validity |
Of the amendment abolishing slavery, by |
declaring illegal, the State governments, |
whose assent gave it the requisite constitu- |
tional ratification? The answer is, that the |
majority pow in possession of Congress,
never intenu to risk their political power,
by a return to constitutional government, |
and the military reconstruction bill, will. |
if necessary, be applied to every State to
enforce Negro Suffrage under SUMMERS
pending law, if the people can be "educa-
ted up" to that point.
Negro Suffrage is the great sine qua non
to the restoration policy advocated by the
Radicals, because they thought it would |
degrade the people of the late rebel States
in their own estimation more than any |
other punishment, and furnish an influen-
tiaI element in their midst, to be welded,
politically, by designing men, to shake the
whole social fabric, whenever partisan
ends were TO be snbserYed. Statesmanship |