The Evansville journal., 1868-01-22

POLITICAL rights" Our language is
/ distorted in order that we may be
/ placed IN a false position.
/ Il Is evident, IN reading the para
/ graph quoted, that it refers only to
/ the late rebel States, and not to the
/ whole United States. It would be
absurd to require the people in the
! late rebel States to guarantee rights,
/ Justice and protection outside of their
respective States as a condition of
their admission to fellowship and
representation In the Union. Only a
very careless or very unfair reading
could justify such construction.
The expression relative to the ex-
| tension Of political rights to all per-
sons alike IN the late rebel States is
perhaps not sufficiently explicit. {Of
course it was not meant that. t.political
rights-the elective franchise, for in
stance-should be extended to mi
nors. women, Indians, idiots, insane
people, and persons disfranchised for
crime. 1t was not deemed necessary
to be so exact IN the use OF language
as to except all of these classes in
terms. 1t was thought that the or
dinary manner of expressing such
ideas in newspaper writing was sufh-
cient for our purpose.
1t was, however, meant by the
writer of the communication, that as a
preliminary and requisite in recon
struction the adult male negroes az
the tate rebel States should be allowed
to vote when not disqualified by some
of the causes above stated. There are
certainly few, if any, Republicans who
will not insist that the negroes there
shall have his posent ard efectual
means of protecting their rights and
perpetuating their freedom. With
out negro suffrage in the late
rebel States, as a means of keeping
the element lately In rebellion in
check, and giving the people who
were loyal during the rebellion some
chance TO protect their rights, [ think
reconstruction would be farce and
an outrage on those people, white and
| black, who have stood by the : stars
and stripes" / pity the Republican
who is so squt amish and prejudiced
on the subject of negro suffrage that
he is not willing to see it exercised
even in such desperate circ umstanees
as exist in the South. Because
we are willing to see it exercised
| there, it does not follow that we
are in favor of its extension all over
the Union. That is a question for
each State that did not forfeit its con
troll of the subject by the crime of
rebellion, TO determine for itself In its
own way. The question is not up for
| discussion In Indiana, nor is it likely
to be soon. The hullabaloo that our
po itical opponents have raised and
are raising about it, is merely intended
/ to throw dust into the eyes of peo-
pie whose prejudices are stronser
| than their reason. Let no thinking
| Republican be deceived. s.d -
/ The leading idea, in writing the
paragraph on Reconstruction, was to
/ disabHse the minds of those who
think or pretend to think that the
1 Republican party intend to prevent
/ the late rebel States from being rep
| resented Ia Congress, and to debar
/ them from an enjoyment of the bene-
/ fits of the Union, until after the next
| Presidential election. We do not be-
/ lieve that any considerable number of
the party, if any at ali, have such an
| intention or desire. So far as : Six
/ IO0puDllCals are CO1cGI4eQ We
would not, for mere party pur-
poses, if We could, prevent the
" reconstruction - of those unhappy
and perturb bed States a moment lon
ger than the interests of humanity, the
welfare of the whole people and the
/ perpetuity of the Union require. We
/ say hasten reconstruction, but do not
t hasten so fast as to outrun the rights
Of man and the eternal justice of God.
/ If we do, reconstruction is only an
other term for oppression to the loyal
element in the South, and decay
aud death to our whole political
system. After all that has passed
the negroes in the late rebel States are
| entitled to the elective franchise.
/ It Is right and necessary
that they should exercise it to Offset
the votes Of inveterate, unrepentant
and implacable rebels. Without it
/ their freedom, which cost so much
/ blood and treasure, would, like
/ Dead Sea fruit, turn to ashes on their
lips and be mockery in the sight
Of Heaven. ONE OF THE SIX
A Card from the City Surveyor.
Editors Journal:
Will you have the kindness to pub
lish the following correspondence and
communication, in justice to one who,
when assailed, is denied the privilege
of replying in the columns of the
/ Daner making the attack