Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-02

men who had been stricken by war.
whose fields had been devastated, whose
money had been lost in Confederate
bonds, went to work, the better It would
be for them and for the country.
would have selected few of the rebelli-
Gus leaders-the men who planned the
great wickedness, who sat in Congress
and sent dispatches incorporating us
to their constituents, and would have
pardoned the rest. Atthe same time, /
would have said, Amend your State con-
stitutions, revise Your statute books,
emancipate your slaves, and make all
equal before the law. You would gladly
have done this. Our only object was the
good Of all classes, and we desired to do
injustice to none. -,l....
The misfortune was here. When Pres
ident Lincoln fell by the assassin's hand,
class Of men clustered around the now
President and whispered in his ear their
plan for the organization OF great con-
servative party, of which he might be
the leader. Conservatism is always
sign of error, and when a man calls him
self conservative, he means wrong
When the Radicals in any country are
pushed off, there are few earnest men
left. Returning, will say that, con-
trary to the will of ninety-nine out of
one hundred of the men that raised him
to his high position, johnson adopted
policy of his own, and for eighteen
months governed you as he chose, and
you humbly bowed To his Commands
He assumed all that Congress now as
sumes and you who endorse the Presi-
dent should never speak of the usurpa-
tiens of Congress. "My Policy ruled
for many months, and then perished un-
der the stern condemnation of the Amer
lean people, and will rise no more to ocurse
you or your country. Congress at
length settled upon plan of reconstruc-
ton. And let me say that this bill had
no father, but was made up of contribu-
tions from various quarters, and was the
result of much anxious thought and
prayer. 1t is wiser than We then knew |;
and verify believe it was framed by the
hand of God.
Since the passage of that bill there has
been mighty change in the South. In
some of the States where outrages upon
freedmen were of daily occurrence, not
single case of the murder of colored
man has been reported to the authorities
for weeks. This is not owing to the pres
ence of the military; for while all of US
have dread of power when it ia used
against US, yet you are not the people to
be intimidated in the cause of right. 1t
is owing to the fact that TO the black man
we have confided the ballot for the pro-
lection of their life, liberty, and happi-
ness. The result is plain. You colored
men are now feared and respected for
your power. Your hands are weaponed,
and everybody knows it. [Great laugh
ter and cheers from the blacks The
plan of reconstruction will be adopted, as
tidings from all parts of the country pro-
| claim; manhood suffrage will be ac-
knowledged. and men who can take the
| test oath will go to Congress. The whole
people, from the Potomac, or even from
Maine, to the Rio Grande, will be divi-
ded into two great national parties. Let
all who favor the bondage of men, who
are opposed to ouLiversal suffrage, favor the
denial of citizenship and cling to the her
esy of secession, all who hoped to get in
Congress and then manage to repossess
the reins of the government, go together;
and trust they will. There is party
to which they can go, which has always
sympathiZed with them, for the Demo-
Gratis have upon every question voted
against the rights of the colored man.
Upon the other hand, let all who be-
lieve in the sublime creed of the Decla-
ration of Independence. that "all men
are created free and equal, )" who are for
manhood suffrage without qualification,
for building school-houses who wish to
live under the old flag, and die for it if
necessary; let them go with the great
National Republican party; for here |
give notice that the Republican flag will
be carried in triumph all over the land.
and thousands will be ready to die in its
| defence. 1 need not ask this emancipa-
ted throng where they will go, for they
well know who fought their battles,
maintained the creed of liberty, and
gave them the ballot as their due.
/ am opposed to black or q white
mans party, but am in favor of that par
ty which carries the flag of freedom and
keeps step to the music of human eleva-
ton. But, my friends, maintain the dig
nifty of your newborn citizenship, en-
terrain no revenge against any, let the
past prejudices be forgotten and deeply
buried. [Good! good!] Do nothing to
ALLEVIATE the races; for you have your
rights and no power on Gods earth can
deprive you of them.
A new era is upon rs, and the great
American Republic is marching on to
power and glory, and will be the leading
nation of the world. You will be its
citizens, and rs good as any of them
Your vote must be for equal rights, lib
erty, education, and the development of
your resources. Discard the curse of
black and white men--the whisky bottle,
III a. SOII "OiSp EJupBotb
your Government, and go where you
belong-to the great Union party of the
United States. 1t has more strength,
weight, and intelligence, than any other
party which ever existed in the United
States, and nineteen-twentieths of the
Christians of the North are its strong
supporters. Let me lay down its plat
form, and If there are any here to-day
who, having been convinced Of past er-
rors, are now desirous to do right, let
them boldly come forth and stand with
us. If any amid the smoke of battle
have cast aside their delusions, = let them
sauarely come out and march with us to
victory. We are for equal rights, unity,
liberty, humanity, justice, the develop
ment of resources, and a free education.
Come, then, and put the power in the
hands of progressive men, who will
make this old Commonwealth, as it de-
serves to be, a great--a magnificent
State. And now, in conclusion, let me
remark that the great party which in a
few months will canter over the Presi-
Dental field with less resistance than
ever before, does not beg for votes. But
we know you will come right, and are
confident that old Virginia will soon be
foremost I'M the ranks of radicalism. =
Don't wait for Others, but come now, If
you accept these principles, and then
you will assist in the further dissemina-
tion of the doctrines of Peace, Human