The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-09-12

ing to the few colored people among
rs, his natural right TO participate in
his own government. And we must
not forget that during our war, the
colored people Of Ohio hevo fairly
won their right to vote. Long be.
forc public opinion justified the for.
nation OF negro troops in Ohio, they
formed companies in Ohio aud Joined
Massachusetts regiments, Before the
war closed more than their ratable
proportion Of males entered the ser.
vice and behaved gallautly.
Now, when you are excluding from
the privileges of manhood tho sneaSs
whO aed to Canada, can we do bottcr
than to put in their stead on who.
without hope OF office, without any of
tho houors of military service, with.
out even tho recognition of tn, State
Of their birth, voluntarily assumed
the hazard aud danger of the strilc2
Can the body of our people whose
country has been saved from deadly
peril, whose property has been pro.
tocted by the horoism Of soldiers.
white or hlack--can they 20 with
good heart to the polls when a wound.
ed b ack soldier looks wisliully but
in vain to share tho same high privi
lege of an American citizen--oan We
refuse him the same means of protect.
ing his wife, his family, his Kindred
that We cherish for ourselves as oul
most precious legacy No fellow,
citizens, this question is settled
When We were drawn To the necessity
of employing negro soldiers, wo were
bound to give them votes. la the
language of an American General,
when they drop the musket you eau
not withhold from them tho ballot,
Again, fellow citizens, a decent
consistency demands it of us. We
have through your Representatives
in Congress, for high national purpo.
ses, prescribed negro suffrage for the
South as one OF the conditions OF
representation. Can We refuse it at
the North2
After the gravest consideration, We
saw no safe basis of reconstruction il
the South except general suffrage
white and black. may speak OF
our reasons hereafter, but now We
have the simple fact that we, with the
will aud power of conqucror, en-.
grated upon the registry of votes
700, 900 black men who had recently
been slaves. We did it to secure for
ourselves and the whole country. u
broader aud more loyal basis of Gov
ornmont, aud to secure us against fu
ture wars aud rebellion.
Shall we now, when the question
affects our own registry, refuse to in.
sort seven thousand men of the same
coloy. mcn who were born among Us,
who have always been free, who are
FAR more intelligent thau the new cit
izeus of the South, aud very many oI
whom have fought our battles with
courage and tidelity2
| eau only say, my fellow citizens,
that If thought the people Of Ohio
could be guilty Of so grave an ;ucon.
sistenoy, so grave an injustice, would
not represent them with that faith
and confidence 1t has been my pride
to feel for them.
The logical consequence Of the
great events through which wc have
passed is to broaden the elective fran.
chise, to strengthen tbs National Gov.
ernmont, and TO harmonize il with
the principles laid down in the De-
claration Of Independence. This
amendment tends in the Same direc.
tioh. aud | beg of you to do as you
have done during the war, to disro.
gard the sneers of a party that lives
upon petty prejudice, Let US do an
act Of justice worthy Of the great
Republican party, by ensrafting in
our State Constitution the general
principle, that whether man be rich
or poor, white or black, learned or
ignorant, ho shall stand equal before
the law in rights, privileges and i'm
After making some remarks on the
general features of the contest in the
State, Senator Sherman came to the
question of the national finances.
There are some questions not spec
tally involved in this canvass, but
which are very important. can
only allude TO some of them very
briefly, aud chiefly in reply to what
Judge Ranney said to you the other
day. They are financial questions
growing out of the war. You will
observe that their doctors do not
lgree at all 81
Judge Thurman, Judge Ranney,
Mr.. Vallandlghan, and no doubt
many others, talk about debt aud
taxes and banks merely to excite op
position but the Democratic party
have not aud dare not take definite
ositions on any Of them.
Until the last "nigges.is exhaust
ID, they will not meet Fairly these
great questions.
Judge Rapney is opposed to an in
crease Of paper money, while Thur
man wants to pay off our bonds in
more greenbacks, or rags, as he calls
hem, aud Vallandigham is is 10 fav.
'r Of paying the whole debt by au
ssue Of greenbacks. The question
With you will be whether the Union
par y, which is entitled to The credit
If the wonderful success ofour inan-
'ial measures, can best solve all new
problems as they rise. or whether the
public credit can be safely committed
% party that during the war tried
III they could to destroy our credit.
Let US look at some Of these mat
,ers. They talk of our large public