The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1867-12-11

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Personal freedom, pr per;y and life, If as
sailed by the PISS on, prejudice ur lncapaciy
of the ruler, have no security whatever. 1t
has the effect Of a bill Of attander or bill
OF pains and penalties, not upon few in.
dividuaIs, but upon whole masses, incIud
ing millions who inhabit the subject States,
and even their unborn childred
These wrongs being expressly forbidded,
can not be consfitutionally Inflicted upon
any portion OF our people, nc matter how
they may have come within our jurisdiction
and no matter whether they live in States,
Territories, or Di-tricts.
| have TO de,ire to save frcm the pIoTcT
and just consequences of their great crime
those who engage in rebellion against the
Government; but as mode oI punishment,
the measures under consideration are the
most unreasonable that could be invented.
Many of these people are perfectly innocent
Many keTt their fidelity to the Union un.
tainted to the last; many we're incapable of
any legal oiFehse. A large portion even of
persons able to bear arms were forced II tC
rcbelli9nagainst their will, and Of those
who afe guilty with their own consent, the
degrees Of guilt are as various as the shades
of their character ana temper But these
acts of Congress confound them all together
in one common indiscliminatc punishment
Veneence upon classes, sects, or parties, or
upon whole communities, for otfenscs cons
mitted by them against the governments to
which they owed allegiance, was common
in the harharous agcs Of the world, but
Christianity and civilization have made such
progress that resource to a punishment so
cruel and unjust would meet with the con-
demnation Of all unprcjudiced and right
minded men.
The punitive justice of this age, especi-
ally of this country, docs not consist in
stripping whole States Of their liberties,
and reducing all their people, without dis
tncti9n, to a condition Of slavery. 1t deals
separately with each individual, confines it
self to the forms OF law, and vindicates its
own purity by an impartial examination of
every case before competent judicial tri
bunal.
II this does not satisfy all our desires
WITH regard to Southern rebels, let us con
sole ourselves by reflccting that free con-
stitutiOn, triumphant in war, and unbroken
in peace, is worth far more TO us and our
children than the qualification Of any pres
cnt feeling.
| am aware it is assumed that this sys,
TEN of government for the Southern States
is not to be perpetual. 1t is true this mill
itary government is to be only provisional,
but it is through this temporary evil that a
greater evil is to be made perpetual. II
the guarantees Of the Constitution can be
broken Professionally to serve a temporary
purpose, and in a part only cf the country
los hon nd
all time. Arbitrary measures often change,
hut they generally change for the worse. =
1t is the curse Of despotism that it has no
hating place. Lutermittcd exercise Of its
power brings no sense Of security to its sub.
jects, for they can never kuow what ore
they will he called 10 endure, when its red
right hand is armed to plague them again,
nor ii it possible to conjecture how or why
power unreslrained hy law may seek its
next victims.
States that are still free may de enslaved
at any moment for il the Constitution does
not protect all, it protects none.
THE NEGRO QUESTION.
It is manilestly and ayowedIy the object
of these laws to confer upon the negroes
the privilege of voting, and to disfranchise
such number of white citizens as will give
the former a clear majority at all elections
in the Southern States. This, to the minds
of some persons, is so important that vi
olation of the Constitution is justified as a
means of Bringing it about. Morally, the
argument is false which excuses a wrong
because it proposes to accomplish deslra
bic end. We are not permitted to do evil
that good may come; but In this case the
end itself is evil as we'll as the means. The
sutiuqation Of the States to negro domina~
ton would be worse than the military des-
notism under which they are now suffering.
1t was believed beforehand that the people
would endure any amount Of military OPP
preston, for any length Of time, rather
than degrade themselves by suhiectCn TO
the negro race; therefore they have been
left without choice. Negro suffrage was
established by act of Congress, and military
officers were commanded to superintend the
process clothing the nrgrO race with the
political privileges wrcstcd tlom the white
men.
The blacks in the South are entitled to
be well and humaneIy governed, and to
have the protection of Just laws for all their
rights of person and property. If it were
practicable at this time to give them a gov
ernment, exclusively their OVID, under which
they might manage their own affairs in
thcir own way, it would become = grand
question whether we ought to do So or
whether common humanity would not res
oure US to save them from themselves
But under the circumstances this is only
a speculative point. 1t is not proposed
merely that they shall govern themselves,
but that they shall rule the white race,
make and administer State laws elect Pres
idents and members Of Congress, and shape,
to a greater or less extent, the future desti-
ny of the whole country. Would such q
trust and power be safe in such handa? The
peculiar qualities which should characterize
any people, who are fit to decide upon the
management Of public affairs for great
State, have seldom been combined, 1t Is
the glory Of white men to know that they
have had these qualities in sufficient meas
ure to build upon this. continent great 20
ltical fabric, and to preserve its stability for
more than ninety years, while in every 9TH
er part of the world all similar experiments
have failed.
But if any thing can be proved by known
facts-if all reasoning upon evidence Is not
abaudoned-it must be acknowledged that,
in the progress of nations, negroes have
shown less capacity tor goycrumen, than
any other race OF people. No independent
government Of any form has ever been sue.
cessiul in their hands. On the contrary,
wherever they have been left to their own
devices they have shown a constant tenden,
cy to relapse into barbalism. In the South
ern States, however, Congress has under>
taken to confer upon them the privilege Of
the ballot. just released from slavery. it
may be doubted whether, as class, they
know more than their ancestors how to or.
ganize and regulate civil socisty. Indeed,
it is admitted that the blacks of the South
are not only regardless Of the rights OF
property, but their voting can con,ist in