Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-09-11
THE CHRONICLE.

(Cdnetuded from FIRST Fage.I
lash, TO have their blood coined into gold,
and their unrequltted toll piled up into an
empire Of wealth. But at last under the
persuasion of another's lash-God's-my
country decided to 'let the people go"
when all at once, in an hour, changed by
the force of one decree of Godlike justice,
I these four millions stood up before the
world freemeni And, stranger yet, these
men we're loyal almost to a man. And
as they arose from ehattel to man, at the
very instant of their transformation, they
proffered to their government the arms,
LOYALTY, faith, devotion and courage,
which free meu owe to their country, ask
ing back in return only the rights of a
man. And they guaranteed the proffer by
two hundred thousand of their race in
arms for the life of the Republic!
HOW THIS GREAT QUESTION WAS DECIDED.
Such was our country's condition
when.the Congress vas demanded to
dispose of the most momentous ques-
ton by far ever disposed of in the his
tory of free governments. The theatre
of our action was the World and His
tory. The spectators were u Nation,
the nations and God. The subjects of
our enacting were what shall the
foundations be of the new Republic ?
Shall it be MAN-man before his Coy
eminent and its law equal, or shall it
not be that? To whom is intrusted by
our Constitution and the public law
the reorganization of the lost govern
ments of the reYolted States and the
restoration of the Republic with these
States as great parts Shall it be only
those who destroyed these States and
sought the Nations overthrow, o r shall
it not?
To these momentous questions each
party has answered.
THE ANSWER or H DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
The Democratic party North and
! South answer that call through the
war, "and ofcourse since it ended, these
rebel States .'had the right to repre-
sentation in the two Houses of Con-
gress." They hold that now and ''all
through the wan in q State where eV-
cry voter is engaged in actual war for
the destruction of his government,
and has worn allegiance 70 a govern
ment in rebellion against the Union;
and in a State where as & fact, every
legislator, Judge and officer has sworn
to support the rebellion, and where, as
q fact, there is no State Constitution,
law, legislature, judge or officer that
recognizes or obeys any law of the I'm
ion that in such State now and du-
ring the heat of the rebellion there
was and remained sucha Republican"
and loyal State government and cleo
tors as that its Legislature could elect
the Senators of the United States, and
could make Jaws for and elect Repre-
sentatiVes in Congress and a President
of the United States And moreover,
they allege that the rebels in these
I States, sin the heat of the contest"
and when in actual battle, have the
power to fix the qualification of cleo
tors, and TO nae that no man shall
either vote or hold Office who has not
committed treason against the United
Statesl
What l have now ascribed 10 the De-
mocrstic party is the exact legal posi-
ton it occupies. 1t is one which ex-
pressly and literally submits the con-
troll of the government of Dur country
to them whe are in actual war for its
DEATH
THE ANSWER OF TIKI UNION PARTY.
The Union party hold, on the contrary,
| that, whilst it is true that no State can Sc
cede from the Union nor withdraw either
IFS territory or its people from the jurisdic-
ton of the United States, or from any
obligation of its people to obey the laws,
yet it is possible for the people of g State
to turn traitors, make war against their
country, overflow the republican govern
ment of their State, and to enforce obe-
dience TO q rebel one in its place. They
hold that when the people have in fact
done this, that State has ceased to have
republican government, and the exact
thing has happened which our wise Con-
stitution foresAw might happen, and has
provided for by requiring the United
States 70 guarantee to such State q repub-
liccan government. The Union party hold
thst, as the UNITED STATES effects the
guarantee, and not the President or the
rebels who overthrow the republican gov
ernments of their States-the United
States holds the power to decide hoaO the
republican government shall be guAran-
teed, whether by letting only the traitors
vote who destoyed the government. or by
admitting to vote, all loyal men. The
Union party, moreover, holds that it is
the United States that determines iCAen a
government Of 8 revolted State is so se-
publican and loyal as that the United
States will assume to defend and guarantee
its perpetuity.
So, my fellow citizens, upon these mo-
mentous questions the two great parties of
the country divide. The one, the COM
psnion and ally of the rebellion all through
the war, decides at its close, that
the rebels and their States shall
go, all stained with the blood of their
murders and treason, from rebel
battle fields, where your loyal sons defeat
ed them, straight to the Congress and
Presidential College OF the UnIied States,
where they shall make the laws for the
men who overthrow their treason and
that their power as rulers and electors
shall be augmented by their rebellion by
the proportion of tYo-ffths Of all their
recent slaves And that the whole race of
loyal men of the South who helped save
the government from these mems treason
shall have no power in the government!
The Union party have, as / said, found
by sad and overwhelming proofs that the
recent rebels do not wish our govern
ment we'll, and would destroy it if they
could-that therefore new Republican
State governments, safe and fit to gov
ern in this Union, can not be based on
their suffrages alone; and that those now
claiming representation arenot safe, loyal
or fit to be guaranteed by the United
States. The Union party demand that
these governments shall be based on the
suttrAges of all loyal men, Is equals be-
tore the law.
THE OHIO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
1 have alluded to the strange fidelity to
our government, duringsnd since the war,
TO this race. / have said that 10 hsVs, in
our methods Of reeonstERctiop, placed this
loyal race under the heel of the rebel
race, and to have deprived them Of the
civil and political power necessary to their
existence and protection as q race, would
have been an examale of ingratitude and
inhumanity not matched In the practice of
any civilized goyernment-a ~wickedness
which, if we msy learn ought by the retri-
buttons of God, we were msds 10 feel on
account of our treatment of these people
during the wa, you'd have brought to
our ASTON either eEtRntion or new disas-
ter. But it would have hesn more than a