The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-02-22
TIE CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND-
MENT.
Speech of Senator Geo. Reed, of Mani
towec, delivered IN the State Sen
ate, January %, 1857.
FConcluded.l

! state shortly before his laniented death
and the same has been repeated by presl
j dent Johnson, that the two races cannot
! live together on terms OF political equality
and TO make the attempt would result IL
/ the determination Of tie one OF the other.
! \ ct il ought to be borne IN nlind that during
| the war large majority OF the blacks, H.
Guiding ti,e most Intelligent and industrious,
remained faithful 10, ali! adhered TO the Tor
tunes OF their masters, ana hy their laborz
! iengtnened out the life OF the rebellion; but
now that emanclptl0n has been thrust
upon them would ii not be safer to manifest
/ towards them a confidence IN their capacity
for seltgoyernment by making them amena-
| bic only to such laws as govern the whites,
! and by honest endeavors through national
appropriations OF lands and proper educa-
tional facilities to give them homes and the
right understanding OF their privileges and
Responsibilities as constituent portion OF a
! self governing people!
! The lines Of caste between the two races
will never be obliterated-the blacks will
constitute the laboring and social class, will
not result from political equality. The
whites will continue to be the superior, di-
recJiDg. controlling and governing power III
| the state, and should make every honest
endeavor 10 remove as far as in their power
/ all cause Of distTust and discomfort FROM the
minds OF the laborine masses, as he highest
good Of each will result from pleasant and
harmonious relations between them as the
employers and the employed This, 1t Is
believed, will be done, unless northern OH
clousness should intervene TO prevent.
The blacks are already secured III Their
freedom By the constitution of the United
States, and by the constitutions and laws
of the several late rebeliouS states they
have been invested with all the rights en-
jOyed by the whites, except those higher
rights that result from the exer lSe OF the
governing power IN the state ; but the point
zeal party which controls the quasi ieglsla-
! tive branch Of the federal government and
represents a majority OF the people III the
states represented in congress, dlstrust OF
affect to dIstrust the good faith OF the peo-
pie in the unreprescnted states Ill then
! adoption Of the constitutional amendment
! abolishing slavery, and in changing their
, own Fundamental laws in conformity with
its requirements and believe, or affect to
/ believe that, these people if now admitted
under their present political organization,
to representation In congress, viii proceed
to change their state constitutions and laws,
and deprive the blacks OF all political II hts
under them and III order to secure what
they call republican government IN those
states, aud restore harmonious relation be-
tween the north and south, they demand
as a condition precedent to representation,
the adoption Of constitutional amendment
which will degrade nine-tenths Ut the pres
ent voting population Of the south by sub
uniting to an official disfranchsement of
their most trusted men, and the transfer
OF the governing power into the hands OF an
lmbecile and revcngeful minority, whose
sole pretensOnS rest upon their NOISY boast
Of hatred of scceSsionistS and their promises
to disifanchise all who were engaged iii the
rebellion, and entlanchise the Ignorant
blacks who would constitute large nlajori-
ty Of the voting and ruling population.
What kind OF a structure OF republican
government would that be resting on toun-
dation whose corner stone is antagOnlsm OF
the blacks to the whites, and what would
be that national Gni0nlsm based upon ten
such bastared republics as these; resting III
their tuIn upon the hatred between races
evoked by the mad spirit OF Sectlonailsm? 10
adopt this plan OF reconstruction, which
uses only the two worst elements III south-
ern society, and what in hacknled phrase
are termed loyal blacks and loyal whites,
would be to commit a terrible mistake
1t is a well known fact THAI a majority OF
the people OF the several southern states
We're opposed to secession and to the var,
but another fact Is equally well known to
the northern mind, that the doctrine OF al
! iegance TO the state was paramount To any
obligation due to the federal authority, and
was unnecessarily accepted by the southern
mind it had been i,r years taught from
! 81, h
| press, until lew II any doubted It's correct
ness or binding force upon the consclences
and action Of the citizen, and when THEN
| duly constituted authorities passed theii
| ordinances of secession, and when called
upon to enforce these ordinances most of
the citizens believed it would be treason to
the state not to obey that call.
| Most Of those whites who refused to fight
when their states called, and whom it is now
proposed by the congressional party to in
| vest with the control OF the political organi-
! cation Of their state government, believed
! in the doctrine of state supremacy, and had
and have no more love for the Union than
| these who had the courage to fight IN what
they believed to be their line Of duty, and
are now regarded whether justly or not, by
large majority Of the southern people, IL
the same light that we at the north regard
ed those who dodge the call to arms" by
our state and federal government, as Cow.
ardly sneaks." They constitute but small
minority Of the white population, while
only small proportion of this minority pos
sess character tor honesty and capablllty
that should entitlc them to the confidence
and support OF any community.
Reconstruct not the southern society upOI
such rotten foundations
But we have been told by the senator
from the Sth, (ShoIes) that the duty OF rat
flying the now you shall and now you shanl
amendment, is forced upon us by the over
powerlng voice Of an overwhelming MAORI
ty OF the electors Of the northern states,
deny Mr.. President, from my stand poin
| the truth Of the assertion
| What do the figures show?
| The complete official returns of all Tho
state elections last held in the so called 10y
al states establish the following interesting
/ facts The democratic, or Union party
| polled | 800, 900 out Of 4 600, 900 A change
Of fifty votes i'll a thousand-or fifty thou
sand in a million-less six per cent would
have given us majority of the popular vote
In Pennsylvania, New York and Indiana
casting seventy-two votes In the electoral
/ coilppn and I 6On p0n hv tho paoDlo w,