The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-04-04

ciaSseS oi the Sootuern people. II YOU
expect to take these new organisations
out of the hands Of the rebel classes OF
the South, it must be done by educating
all the other people there II IL we'll
known that large number Of Southern
men. especially those who have been
Shareholders. have been in favor OF col
ored suffrage for months past They
have been in favor Of it upon the ground
that their late slaves are ignorant and
/ that they can control them That they
| will be able to do this to . large extent
we cannot deny. and the only way In
which we can take the control Of the
colored people of the South out Of the
hands of their late masters 10 by educa
| ting them. 1850
| The Constitution requires .sthat the
| United States shall guaranty to every
State in this Union . rcpubiican form or
government Sir, that guarantee can
/ not be executed in the Southern States
! unless the people of these States are ed.
| ucated We cannot maintain and exc
cute that guarantee where one half or
four sevenths Of all the voters can Meth
er read nor write. 1t is of the very es.
sence of reconstruction that these peo.
pie shall be educated We cannot expect
successfully to carry on loyal State gov
ernments in the South and to reconstruct
society upon permanent basis of LOYALTY
unless there shall he system of com.
mon schools established open and free
to all, without distinction of race or
color
1t has been said by several Senators
with whom l have conversed that We
must leave this matter to the people Of
the several States. Why, sir, it has al
ways been TO the interest of the people
OF the South that they should educate
the poor whites, but they have not done
1T. The leading classes kept them in ig-
norance because they could thereby the
more readily control them, and the edu-
Gated classes of the South will now re.
fuse to establish voluntarily system of
common schools, especially when they
hold the property, and the taxes neces-
sary to be raised for thst purpose must
be collected off their property They.
will never do it unless they are coerced
to it by the terms of reconstruction-
Sir, We cannot reasonably expect, we
have no. right to expect that these men
will come forward volurta and es.
tablish system of common schools to
be supported by taxation, when the rebel
educated classes hold the property and
will have to pay the taxes. @sq
1t has been said by one or two Sena.
tors with whom have conversed on this
subject that it will, be time enough to
raise this question when these States
come here with their constitutions. saw.
sir, not so. Let US lay down all the con-
ditlons that we expect to demand let US
now prescribe all the terms which we ex-
pect them to comply with in their consti
tntions. 1t will not do when they come
here to say to them, ssYour constitutions
are not complete. because they contain
no provision upon the subject of educa-
tion.' That will require them to go back
to the people, and will involve the calling
OF new conventions That might. per-
haps, he properly regarded as breach
OF faith. Let us now prescribe all the
conditions that we mean to require them
to comply with. If we intend to require
them to insert provision in their State
constitutions making it obligatory upon
their Legislatures to establish q system
OF common schools, open and free to all,
without regard to race or color, now is
the time to prescribe it, and not when
they have formed their constitutions. and
come here and ask their acceptance and
tor an admission of representation under
them.
Now, sir. have we not perfect right
TO make this requirement of them! IL
We have right to require that they
shall establish universal suffrage ia their
constitutions, we have an equal right TO
require them to make some provision to
quality men to exercise the rig ht of suf
frase The education of the people is
essential to the execution Of the guar.
antee that we shall secure to each State
a republican form of government; it is
Indispensable to the success of republi.
can form of government; and we cannot
hope for successful reco struction except
upon the basis of making provision for
the speedy education of all the people
of the South. We cannot leave this 10
the gradual progress Of events. We have
brought to the polls by the late act Of
Congress some seven hundred thousand
men who but three or four years ago
were slaves, most of them plantation
slaves, but very few Of whom can read
and write. The condition of the country
has made it necessary that they should
be suddenly brought to The polls, and
without previous preparation by educa.
ton, and now that it is done, it Is . mat
ter Of the first Importance to the people
of this country that We make positive
provision for the education Of these
men. 1t is due TO them and it is also
due to our own people that this should
be done. We cannot afford to trust TO
chance upon SO important a point l
therefore deem that part Of the resolu-
tons Of the Senator from Massachusetts
as of vital importance, and il it il COM
petent for US TO pass . supplementary
bill to perfect the reconstruction bill
passed but few days ago, it is compe-
tent for US to put into that bill this nror,-
osition contained in the resolutions OF
the Senator from Massachusetts. The
Importance Of it cannot for one moment
be oyerestimated.
Something Was said in the discussion
OF yesterday with regard to the stains of
the rebel States I do not know that it
is pertinent to this discussion to argue
that question can only say that on
that mint have al8axa diAa.>a f-..