The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-02-06

@itN 'NOutu fNifiJNEtu ltltf- uiQata lH1e
portant and perhaps hereafter 10
be regarded as vital amendment
they wOes committing themselves
10 principle, as thoy had been be.
fore by declaration, TO the doctrine
that this Governments was bound
10 pay for the slaves, and that il
was just!nnd right that we should
assume and pay tho rebel debt.
This amendment, as / have boz
fore said. was rejected. and when
Congress- assembled Ii December,
1866, they were confronted by the
iact that every proposition OF conf
promise had been rejected; every
half way measure had been spurn.
I'd by the rebels themselves, and
they had nothing leit 10 do bat to
begin the work Of reconstruction
themselves; aad in Febianry, 1867,
Congress for the first time entered
upon The execution Of the guaran-
teo provided for 10 the Copsiilu-
ton, by tho passage oi tho first
Reconstruction Law. A supple.
nontary bill was found necessary
in March, another ono in July, ard l
believe anolber is f9Rld necessary
at this time; but the power is WITH
Congress. Whatever II shall deem
necessary, whether it be in tho
way Of colored Suffrage, whether il
be in the way ofmilis&ry power
whatever Congress Shall deem. nc
ccssp,y in the execution OF this
guarantee is conclusive upon tho
courts, upon every State, and up.
on the people Of this nation.
Sir, when Congress entered up.
on this work it had become appars
ent to all men that loyai repubIi-
can State governments could not DO
erected and maintained upon tho
basis Of the white population. We
had tried them. Congress had at.
tempted the work OF reconstruc.
ton, through tho constitutional
Amendments, by leaving tho srl.
lrsge with the white men, and by
leaving With the white peop!a Of
the South TIE question as TO when
the colored people should exercise
the right of suffrage, if ever; bat
when it was found that those white
men were as rebei,lous as ever,
that they hated ibis Goyernpcnt
more bitterly than ever; when it
was found that they prosecuted
the loyal men, beth white and
b!acl; in their midst; when it was
found that Northern men who had
gone down there were driven cut
BY social tyranny, by thousand
apnoyances, By the Insecurity Of
life and property, then it became
apparent 20 all men Of Intelligence
that reconstruction could not take
place upon Ihe basis Of the wbito
population, and something elso
must be done.
Now, sir, what was thcro left to
doY Either We must hold these
people continually hy military
power, OF We mus Use such ma
chmery upon SUCH new basis as
would enable loyal republican State
governments 10 be raised up; and
IN the last resort, aud l Will say
Congress waited long, the nation
waited long, experience had 10
come TO the rescue uirea5on be!oro
the thing was dOne--in The last re-
sort, and as the last tLiDg to be
dCuc, Congress determined to dig
through ali lhcrubbish, dig through
the soil and The sLi.lingsSnds, ,.aud
10 go down to the eternal rock,
aud there, upon the basis OF the
everlasting priuclpie OF equal ana
exact justice TO al. men, we have
planted tue column OF recoEslguc-
lion; and, SIR, it will a!ise slowly
but surely, and The gates Of hell
shall not prevail against it, What
ever danger We apirehend from
The introduction oE the right Of
suffrage OF seven hundred thou
sand inen, just emerged from slav-
cry, We're put aside in tho pros
euco oi greater danger. Why,
sir, let me say frankly to my friend
rom Wisconsin, that | approached
aniyersal colored suIrago IN tho
South. reluctantly. Not because !
adhered To the miserable Dogma
that this was the wh,te man 's gov.
eruDeut, but because | eutertaia.
I'd icars about ut once intrusting q
large body OF men just from siav-
cry, TO whom edCcaiion had been
denied by law, TO whom tho mar
riagc relation had bGen denied,
who had been made the bascst and
most abject slaves, with political
power. Aud as the Senator has
referred 10 u speech which made
in Indiana, in 1850, allow inc 10
show The principle that then actn'
.uted me, tor in that speech l said:
ain regard to the question Of ad-
hitting the freedmen OF the South
Isrn States TO vote, while l admit
the equal rights of'ail men, and that
in time all linen will have the right
10 vote without distinction Of color
or race, ! yet believe that in the.
case OF four millions OF slaves just
freed from bondago there should 10
u period Of probation and prepar-
alton before they arc brought to
the exercise ofpolitical power"
Such wasmy fco'ingat that time,
for it had not been determined by
the bloody experience Of tho two
wears that we could not reconstruct
upon thu basis Of tho white popu-
lation, and such was the opinion Of
f,i I. l., 4 4 I. -,