Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-09-20

canoe. That makes me believe that there
Is some truth in the rumor that the Radi-
cal managers have issued secret circular
saving: s'Vote for our candidates; stick to .
the candidates; but as to the amendment,
you may let that go to Old Nick for all we
care" Laughter.] The great thing is to
| stick to their candidates and vote for the
party. That is the old trick. They don't
care whether you vote for the amendment
or not, provided you send up Radical ma
iority to the Legislature. to adopt an
amendment to the Constitution of the
| United States, cramming the negro down
| your throats, whether you like him or not.
| They don't care straw what you do with
the constitutional amendment proposed by
the Legislature, so that you give them
sufficient majority to pass an amendment
to the Constitution OF the United States.
Do that and they will put the negro upon
you very quick, no matter what majority
you give against the constitutional amend
i ment this fall. So a man simply stultifies
himself who says he will vote against the
amendment, and for the Radical candidate
TO the Legislature, who, the moment be
goes into the. Legislature, will vote to force
negro suffrage upon the people. 1t is
simply qualification. Applause. s
ts.f5 RECONSTRUCTION.
| But General Hayes says the question of
reconstruction is tine great issue; but what
kind of reconstruction dues he propose as
the great issue? If he had said that it
would be of the greatest benefit to the
country to have a restored UDion-that the
| benefit of that would outweigh the benefit
of any thing else, should not dispute his
proposition. But what is this reconstruct
| tiOn which he claims overrides every thing
else? 1t is that reconstruction which shall
be carried into effect by the loyal men, and
| by that he means, first, all the Radical par
| ty at the North; and second, the negroes at
the South. E-aF
But he purposes to exclude from this
work OF reconstruction the whole body Of
| two million Democratic voters of the North,
and all the intelligence, or nearly all the
intelligence, and education, and experience
of the white race at the South. They are
all to be kept out. According to his theory
it is to 60 on indefinitely: for until the last
cap-stone is put on this theory of recon-
structiOn of theirs, until that is done, he
says this country can not be safely admin
istered by any but these Radical
hands. Why, if the people of
this country are to be kept out of power;
if the men who have plundered the Treas
| ury, robbed us of our public lands, and
| squandered our money ifshoddy contract
o. and thieves in Office are to run riot on
the peoples substance until these Radicals
| get done with their reconstruction plans.
you may just as well wash your hands of
| the whole business, and cOnsign this coun-
| try to them for all time to come. How
many Radical reconstruction plans have
| they had. A year ago they proposed con-
stitutional amendmenG to the South. Did
they tell them that when they accepted it
the Union would be restored? Not at all.
Then they proposed another plan. Do they
even say now, If you accept the present
plan every thing shall be settled? No, not
bit of it. Thad. Stevens says, speaking
of Senator Wilson's assertion of that kind
at the South, that Mr.. Wilson had no right
to be going round peddling promises of
peace and amnesty;that he intended to bring
forward his Confiscation Bill again, and, if
possible, to force it through. So the truth
is, that were the South to form govern
ments tomorrow, under the reconstruct
ton plan, there would be no certainty that
contiscation would not, nevertheless, be
forced upon them, if it was necessary still
to keep these Radicals in power.
BINGHAM VS.. STEVENS.
have, again and again, discussed the
Radical reconstruction plan, which Cen
eraI Hayes lauds and for which he voted.
cannot, at this late hour, go over that sub
iect TO day. But there are some brief OBJ
servations that [ desire to make.
Mr.. Bingham says that that plan is
strictly constitutional. Mr.. Thaddeus
Stevens says that it is '',cholIy outside of
the Constitution. Mr.. Bingham's whole
argument is based upon an assumption
the assumption that the rebellion destroy
ed the autonomy of the Southern States;
that, when peace came, there were no or
ganiZed State governments at the South.
Were this so, it would not authorize Con-
gress to subject peaceful people to mill
tary law, for Congress has no such consti-
tutional power. But the fact is not so. The
Southern States with the exception of
Virginia, mutilated by force) were pre-
cisely the same States that they were be-
fore the rebellion, with the same bounda-
ries, and most, if not all, of them, with the
same constitutions. To say that they had
no organized State governments, as Mr..
Bingham does, is simply to shut our eyes
to the truth.
This sophistry of Bingham is treated
with utter scorn and contempt by the mas
ter spirit of the Radicals, Thaddeus Ste
ve,s In a letter written to Colonel Sam
uel Shock, on the 26th of last month, and
which you can find in the newspapers, he
says:
sLANcAsTER, Pa, Aug. 26, 1867.
"Colonel Samuel Shock, Columbia, Pa:
DEAR SIR: You are right in suuposing
that Congress made mistakes,as is the inev-
table lot of man; but you mistake in sup
posing that there is any law to prohibit the
removal of the district commanders with
out the consent of the Sc nate.
"Soon after the commencement of the last
session of Congress 1 reported bill from
the Committee of the House of Representa-
tives, which contained provision prohib-
iting their removal without the consent of
the Senate. 1t passed the House and was
sent to the Senate.
'sThe Senate struck it out and returned
it to the House, who refused to concur in
the amendment. The result was a COM
mittee of conference. where an animated
contest ensued. There were several other
questions in controversy between the
Houses, which the House offered to yield
if this could be granted. The Senate per-
severingly refused, declaring that they
would sooner lose the bill. AS that would
frustrate all our legislation it could not be
allowed. The House yielded. with warm
ing of the evils it would infllct upon the
country. Some of the members of the Sem
ate seemed to doubt their power under the
Constitution, which they had just repudia-
ted, and wholly outside of which all agreed
that we were acting, e'se our whole work
of reconstruction was usurpation; or, per-
haps, they had desire to be thought
to be graVely conservative and magnani
NOUS"
Now, my friends, you see how these ora
cles of the Radicals stand. Bingham says
we RAIDS are working under the Constitu-
tion. '.If that be so,' replies Stevens,
tour whole work of reconstruction is usur-
patton"
The short answer of honesty, to each of
them, would be-: 1.-The Constitution, Mr..
Bingham, does not confer upon Congress
the powers you claim, and therefore, your
plan is usurpation. Youhave no right, Mr..
Stevens, to exercise powers not conferred
by the Constitution, and, therefore, your
plan is usurpation."
But there is one thing in this letter of
Mr. Stevens to Colonel Shock, to which 1
wish to refer particularly, and to ask Gen.
eral Hayes a question upon it. Mr.. Ste
vens, if apprehend his meaning correct
ly, affirms, as fact, that al the Radical