Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-30
O., WEDNESDAY MORNING,


ed it on the ground that it originated anG
was attempted to be carried through in 8
manner not usual in the formation of Con
sttntions for free Republics One prece-
dent only occurs In our political history
namely: the attempt to force upon Kansas
a pro-slavery Constitution manufactured
for her in Missouri. That failed and ruin.
ed the party who attemptedit. :.
The President also disapproves of the Re-
construction Acts, now in process of being
forced upon the Southern States, and /
concur with him. The measure rikes me
as neither wise nor just. Admit that the
rebels are treated in it with mercy; that
they all deserve death as punishment for
their treason. without regard torthe means
by which they came or were forced into 1t;
that instead, they are merely placed in po-
litlcal bondage, under their former slaves
Still the punishment is arbitrary and un-
lawful; it has no constitutional warrant,
and no one is bound to submit to it any
longer than constrained by actual force
and it is not likely to conciliate the XII IDLY
feelings of the men of the South whom il
proscribes and places in subjeetion.s The
measure, as view ii, is unwise and unlaw-
full as to them. and unjust and degrading
to us of the North who never rebeled.
Carry it into effect and it gives to the plan
tation negro ofthe South a large excess of
power i'll the Government of the Union
over that enjoyed by one of our Northern
citizens. For example: the prescription
of the-whites gives to the negroes in Lou
isiana, efficiently, the power. of the, State
ernment, and the State is to have power II
the Union due to its whole popu-
lation, white and black. The census
of 1860 gives Louisiana an aggre-
gate population of 70S.000, composed
Of $4,000 white, and 35l,O0O blacks. The
State, therefore, will be entitled, under the
reconstruction resolutions, to seven Repre-
sentatives in Congress, of which 351 600
blacks will be the whole efficient constitu-
ency-the white men who can read and
write and cipher as far as the rule of three,
having no more to do with it than their
mules and horses. So that $4,000 manu-
mited slaves send member to Congress,
and 100000 citizens of Ohio do the same
thing, and no more. One manumtted
plantation negro in Louisiana will, there
fore, have political power in the House of
Representatives equal to two citizens of
Ohio, and the preponderence will be con-
siderably greater, in the Electoral College,
for President. The 1000 Louisiana ne
groes will be entitled to two Senator's
100000 citizens of Ohio are entitled to
two. One Louisiana negro will, therefore,
have political power in the Senate more
than equal to six of our citizens. To prove
the reconstruction scheme a wrong against
us, citizens of a Northern State, who never
rebelled, 1t were only necessary to show
that one of us, a citizen of Ohio, is as good
as manumitted plantation negro of Louis
lana, and ought to have a voice as potent
In the General Government of the Union
The Constitution as it is, involves ine-
qualities in this particular among the cit
izens of the different States, and I would
not amend it to remove them; it works no
mischief, for we are all one people, of the
same race, of like intelligence, In all things
alike, morally and socially. But 1 would
not amend the Constitution to increase it
where it exists, or to create it where it ex-
lists not; and, especially, would not give
this enormous excess of power to men of
different race, who are not and can new
er be our associates; of whom we know
little socially except that they are igno-
rant and degraded, and nothing politically
except that they have always been, and
are, a disturbing element in our system.
Their degradation, ignorance aud immor-
ality. the bitter fruits of slavery and op-
preston, ,entitle them to our commiseration,
but do not entitle them to place so much
above us in the scale of political power
1t would be much smaller concession by
us to the A African, and more reasonable and
just, to give each negro in Ohio ten votes,
than to give the negro in the South the
power over us, in the union involved in
this plan OF reconstruction. 1t may be
said, and truly, that this inequality will
ne--ss--s.temporary; that but one generation
OF prescribed white men have to die off,
and all will be right; a white man
in the North will at length become equal
to negro in the South. This is true; even
less than the truth; it is impossible that
these proposed negro republics shall, by
their own action, ever come into being; or,
If created by external power, shall stand
al fo, 81, ,,rr1a l.
no attempt to carry them out, or any pre-
tense of the kind, beyond the next Presi-
dental election. In the meantime, there
will be war to the knife of black against
white; of barbarism and poverty and power
combined against intelligence and proper
ty, which can be restrained only by mill
tary power; and the United States will be
compelled to keep up standing armies in
all the reconstructed States until they shall
be again reconstructed. During this pro-
cess, the five Brigadier Generals will not
only be autocrats each of his district, but
will control the vote of the nine States, and
send to the Senate eighteen Senators, to
the House eighty-two members, and give,
in the electoral college, one hundred votes
for President. This will be better than
the proposed negro supremacy, as our mil
tsry officers are generally humane and in
telligent men, and know how to govern;
but it were not well to invest even them
with such eXorbitant powers.
But look further to consequences. If there
shall be a majority of constitutional votes
for one candidate for the Presidency, and
if the one hundred military electors, add
ed to the minorityemake majority of the
whole, there will arise question which
can be decided only by the sword ; and the
army of the South, if united under their
five Generals, will settle the question OF
legitimacy at Washington, as the Prae .ori-
an guard were wont to do at Rome, aud the
Jarissaries at Constantinople.
For these reasons, concur with the Pres
ident in disappearing this Congressional
plan of reconstruction; and the vote at the
late election in Ohio has strongly pronounc-
ed the disapproval of the people, and their
obiectibns " ill not be removed when they
consider it in connection with its attendant
consequences.
On the whole. 1 do not think it will be
practicable further to inflame the public
mind against the President, or longer to
retain party power by waging war against
him. Whether he betrayed his party in
the absurd hope of thereby perpetuatins
his own power, or sacrificed power and
party on the altar of his country, ceases tc
be question of national importance. l,
is question on which opinions differ
and can be better settled when the country
is relieved from its present disturbed con.
dition.
BY retracing their steps, which have beer
obviously taken in wrong direction-by
an honest effort to restore the Union, withou
regard to party supremacy-by follow
ing, promptly and cheerfully, the late in
dications of the public will, the Republi-
can party may deserve and assure the con.
tinuance of political power; and they car
secure it by no other means. Denuncia
tion can now avail nothing. Our republi