The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-29
BY Hon. j. Y. DOOLITTEE
Continued


The first assumed that peace had
come; that the States were in the Union,
with governments organized, with Leg
islatures having power to ratify or TO
reject constitutional amendments; and,
Furthermore, that those governments
were in the hands of white men, with
power, as in all the other States, to ad-
nit or to exclude negroes from suffrage.
And, in case the amendment were adopt
ed by three fourths of the States, the
only effect of admitting or excluding
negroes from the ballot, in any State,
would be to change its number of votes
in the other House of Congress, and in
the Electoral College.
The second assumes that we are still
at war; that the southern States are not
States in the Union at all, but con-
Quered provinces, with no Legislatures
which can either ratify or reject con-
stitutioual amendment, that the white
people of those States shall no longer
have any power over the question of
suffrage; that Congress by the bGyOnet
will enfranchise the blacks; and thus
by military power and negro votes com
pei the adoption of new Union and n
new Constitution. Because they reject
ed the constitutional amendment Con-
gress resorts to the bayOnet and negro
suffrage to compel its adoption.
True, / admit they did reject the
amendment. But how did they reject
itf By the votes of their LegiSla.
lures. They could reject it in no other
way, for it was only TO their Legisla-
lures that Congress submitted the ques-
ton. But how could their Legislatures
reject it if they had no Legislatures at
alIi If they Lad Legislatures which
could reject it they had Legislatures
which could ratify il. To do either is
the highest act of State Legislature, for
it then acts upon the fundamental law
not only of its own State and people,
but of all the States aud all the people
of the United States. Conceding they
had power, as you claim, to reject your
amendment, by what shadow Of right do
you deny to those Legislatures power
to choose Senators in this body! As
we'll deny to living body the right to
breathe.
Bat perhaps you say if they had rat
fled the amendment, then they lad
Legislatures which had the right to
vote. But as they voted to reject it
they had no Legislatures, and no right
to vote. In other words, if they voted
with you they had right to vote; i:
they voted against you they had no
right to vote at all.
Again, sir; all the world knows the
whole object of tho war was to put
down the rebellion and to maintain the
union of States under tie Constitu-
ton. Every act and resolve OF Con-
gress, every dollar spent, every blow
struck, every drop of blood shed, was to
compel the people and the States of the
South 10 live III the Union and obey
the Constitution. And now that We
have succeeded, now that the people
aud the States of the South have sur
rendered to the Constitution and laws,
ven say they shall not live in the Union
under this Constitution at all. They
first form another Union, and come into
that Union under another or an amend
ed Constitution.
Mr.. President, having thus shown
that this first answer to that question is
unreasonable, Inconsistent, aud absurd,
l repeat the question a second time.
Why press this negro domination over
the whites of the South! What reason
can you givef
A second answer is, because the ne
groes were loyal and the whites disloy-
al. Let Us examine this bold assertion.
Is it true' Were the negroes loyal dur
ing the rebellion Recall the facts
VINO does not remember that at least
three fourths of all the negroes in those
States during the whole war did all in
their power TO sustain the rebel cause
They fed their armies; they dug their
trenches; they built their Notifications;
they fed their women and children.
There were no instructions, no upris.
ings, no effort of any kind anywhere
outside the lines of Our armies on the
part of the negroes to aid the Union
cause. In whole districts. in whole
States even, where all the able-bodied
white men were conscripted into the
rebel army, the great mass of negroes,
sf whose loyalty you boast, under the
control of women, decrepid old men and
boys, did all they were capable of doing
to aid the rebellion.
Again, sir, the assumption is equally
orOundless that the whole of the white
population, or a majority even, ever
voluntarily engaged in the rebellion.
1t is true, the great majority in the end
were compelled to acquiesce; bat it
it was not until after the Federal Gov
ernment, speaking through President
Buchanan, had abandoned the loyal
peopIe OF the South and declared
that neither the President nor Con-
gress had the power to make war to
compel the States to remain in the
Union; in a word, it was not until after
President Buchanan, in his message of
December, 1850, declared that this Gov
ernment had neither the right nor the
power to defend itself from overthrow
at the hands of the radicals of tho South
that majority q the Southern people
were disposed to consent to secession,
nor did theyeven then aequiesce in re-