Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-19
COLUMBUS, o., FRIDAY MORNING, !

q
bills to protect them from the power of the
Federal Government. They forget that
when power is contided, it is used as the
passions of the times direct. 'iA '7 tH
+ They desire also to introduce a new po-
litical element into our system, aud to
hand oyeriith absolute control of six
States of the Union, the largest, wealthiest,
most productive of the South, to thellately
enfranchised negro. 1t is not a question
of negro voting only. It i the absolute
surrender of these States to the control and
government of thehegroes. p tis the trans
fer Of political power to them. 1t is the
substitution of their ignorance and inca
pacity and inexperience and passions for
the discipline and experience OF the white
man. 1t IS the degradation of the Govern
ment to the, level OF these voters, and the
destruction of the value and purity of the
ballot bv comforting It so laVishly on all
sides. 1t is the exacerbation and embitter<
ing of, the spirit, of races by subverting
their normal and accustomed positions and
placing the intelligence apdSsuperiority OF
the, one. under the control of the members
ofthe otherrs5 oy, s,,s, g ,gss ...,.1e.. ,.,,.,
:. In one word, the whole system of recon
lstructiop, advocated by the Republics
,party--the test which they set up of 10y
atty and intelligence-eonsistsi in the con-
solidation of the Government, the confer
ring of suffrage on. the negro in all the
States, and the absolute transfer to him of
all the political power of six States.-----
-l-Is.this- svisea- ts.ft statesmanlikeP Shall
it be adopted? Will it restore peace, and
order, and fraternal feeling, and stimulate
industry to repair the ravages of war?
Will it conduce to chat stability in legisla-
ton, that harmony in society, that hope
fulness of the future which are essential to
a prosperous community? laiei s. h39uil
81 address you for the moment simply as
Northern men, as a Northern. community.
leave out of view the feelings and wishes
and Interests Of the people of the South.
make no appeal to your sense of justice. or
your fraternal affection for men of our lin
cage and race mon ..tr ..-, -iI1 sVS
l address the question to your immediate
and personal and material interests. VIII
this policy conduce to your interests? Will
it tend to increase the prosperity and hap
piness of this community? Will Minne-
sofa, will the North, be made stronger or
treer or more contented by pursuing to the
very end this change of our governmental
and political system? [Cries of mo, no.'']
II have said this policy subjects six
States to the, domination of the negroes.
They will have Immediately the right of
suffrage; they will have inevitably and nee
essarily the right to hold Office; they will
have greater political privileges than you
confer upon women,up your sons who are
twenty years of age, upon intelligent and
educated residents of foreign birth; they
will have a majority of voters. Will the
laws of the Federal Government affecting
this community be more benificenJ when
they are subjected to the influence of such
voters? VIII the presence of fifty mem
bers of the House and twelve Senators,
elected by such constituencies, inspire you
with more confidence in the wisdom of
the laws or the purity OF the Government !?
You are an agricultural people. Your
products are bulky; they follow naturally
the channel of cheap freights; your best
markets are on the bank and at the mouth
of the Mississippi River; your interests re-
quire that the communities whom you feed
should be rich and prosperous and popu-
lous-that their policy should be peaceful,
and stable and wise-that their industry
should be active-their civilization ad-
vanced-their laws effective. Your advan-
tage is to be found, not only in selling for
money, but in making exchanges for the
products oftheir industry. Will the value
or the pleasure of your intercourse be en-
haneed by this substitution of the negroes
for the whites in political power?
We are told that the interests of the
North require harmony and repose; and
that, to secure these, we must have guaran-
tees against another rebellion. Will this
change afford any guarantee p Will the
negroes be always quiet and submissive,
and understanding? Will they possess
always reverence for Federal law?
Has there been no rebellion, no revolu-
tion in Hayti? Has England had no trouble
in jamaica? Or is it part of this plan of
peace that they shall restrain the turbut
lence of the white race, and to be to them
a perpetual menace? Guarantee of peace
President Arista. in the height of his pow
er. at the head of the Republic, exclaimed,
Unhappy Mexico-she is doomed to the
agony of perpetual anarchy by the con-
fiicts of her races" .'H.
There can be no guarantee except JUS
tice, good government, absence of all
causes OF discontent-aye, even of discon-
tent itself. And in the many wrecks which
are strewn along the pathway OF history,
there is melancholy proof that even these
will not always suffice. Eternal activity
of the human intellect is the condition of
its vigor. RepOse is stagnation-stagna-
tioh is death. We need not wonder that
its ceaseless- motion fails sometimes in an
upward and onward step. It's effoRts are
the parent of all progress. Its struggles
put all things to the crucial test. Its touch
is the great dissolvant of commingled truth
and error, and that it should sometimes
to acts Of apparent, or even real
evils, to causeless rebellion against our
good and wise Government, is but the
badge of its human infirmity.
But suppose this work fully accomplish
ed suppose the Government thoroughly
consolidated; suppose the constitutional
amendments adopted, and reconstruction
perfected on the basis proposed. 1t will be
strong enough to execute the Civil Rights
bill, strong enough to execute the duties
assumed TO themselves now by the militia
ry commanders. 1t will have large army
and a large navy. The number of its civil
snapLoues will be increased, and they will be
spread over and throughout the country,
as we'll as collected at Washington. The
power of the President will be vastly en-
haneed, and the subjects of the attention of
Congress will be ten-fold multiplied.
/ Will the Government be better or safer
or more economical than the one we have
heretofore had? Will there be fewer taxes,
or lighter burthens, or less corruptions?
The taxes collected by the Government last
year were five bundled and eighty mil
lions. Will they be less? The taxes col
lected by England amounted to four hun
dred and eighty millions. The taxes col
lected by France were three hundred and
ninety millions. You pay one hundred
millions more than England, one hundred
and ninety millions more than France. Dc
you want this excess still greater?
France hds property, rc7rt anu personal
as a taxable basis, amounting to forty thou
sand millions of dollars. Great Britain has
property, real and personal, amounting tC
thirty-siX thousand millions. The United
States have property of the same kind
amounting to sixteen thousand Millions
France and England pay no more loca
taxes, while the people of the United
States, in addition to the sum have stated
pay for the State and county and munich
pal taxes nearly two hundred and fifty
millions. Will this change reduce oul
taxes?
Do you believe our financial system will
be improved?
TIE national debt exceeds twenty-five
hundred millions-and the annual interes
| is not tar from one hundred and forty mil
| lions. Each sixteen years the amount o
interest thus paid is almost as great as the
| whole debt. Will it be reduced? ? -
The capitalists have two thousand mil
lions of Government bonds. They paiC