Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-02-07

The soil and the shifting sands, and 10
down to the eternal rock, and there up
on the basis Of the everlasting principle
Of equal and exact justice 20 all men,
we have planted the column OF recon-
struction; and, sir, it viii arise slowly
but surely, and 'ths gates Of he'll shall
not prevail against it," Whatever dam
gers We apprehend from the introduc-
tion Of the right Of suffrage Of seven
hundred thousand men, Just emerged
from slavery, were put aside in the pre-
seuce Of greater danger. why, sir,
let me say frankly to my friend from
Wisconsin that ] approached universal
colored suffrage in the South reluctant
Iv. Not because adhered to the BafN-
erable dogma that this was the white
mans GfOYernm ent, but because en-
tertained fears about az once iutruntinR
q large body Of men just from slavery
to whom education had been denied by
law, to whom the marriage relation had
been denied, who had been made the
basest and most abject slaves with po-
litical power. And as the Senator has
referred to speech which made in Inc
diana in 1865, allow me TO show the
principle which actuated me, for In that
speech j saids
''In regard to the question Of admit
ting the freedmen Of The Southern States
to vote, while i admit the equal rights
of all men, and that In time All men
will have the right to vote without dis-
tiuction Of color or race u yet believe that
in the case Of four millions Of slaves
lust freed from bondage there should
bo period of probation and prepara-
tiOn before they are brought TO the e1-
erciBe Of political power"
Such was my feeling at that time, for
it had not been determined by the
bloody experience Of the last two years
that we could not reconstruct upon the
basis Of the white population, and such
was the opinion Of a great majority Of
the people Of the NOrths and 1t was
not until a year and half after that
time that Congress came TO the ccncla~
resort to colorec. suffrage and suffrage
to all men except those who were dis
qualified by the commission Of high
crimes and nnisdeneanors.
Mr.. President, we hear much said in
the course of this debate, and through
the press, about the violation Of The
Constitution. 1T is said that in
the regOnsbructiOn measures Of Cone
gress we haTe gone outside Of the
Constitution, and the remark Of some
distinguished statesman Of the Repub-
lican party is quoted to that effect. Sir,
if any leading Republican has ever
said so he spoke only for himself not
for another. i deny the statement IN
toto. I insits that these reconstruction
measures are as fully within the pow
ton that can be had, not only by rea-
son bnt by authority. And who are
the men that are talking so much about
the violation Of the Constitution, and
who pretend to be the especial friends
Of that Instruments The great maRsof
arms to overturn the Constitution and
establish that of Montgomery i'm its
place, or were their Northern friends,
who were aiding and sympRthizing in
that undertaking.
had occasion the other day to speak
.
al Union mana man living inside Of
the Federal lines sympathizing with the
rebellion, and who oendeavousd 10 aid ths
rebellion by insisting that every war
measure for the purpose Of suppressing
it was violation Of the Constitution Of
the United States. Now these men who
claim to be the especial friends Of the
Constitution are the men who have
sought to destroy it by force Of arms,
and those throughout the country who
have given the aid and comfort. Sir,
YOU viii remember that once a oalebr8-
ted Frenchwoman was being dragged
TO the sgadold,. and as she passed The
statute of liberty she exclaimed 3 Chow
many crimes have been committed in
thy name :" and I can say to the Con-
stitudon, how many crimes against
liberty, humanity, and progress are be-
ing committed in thy name by these
men who, while they loved not the Con-
and sought its destruction,
now, for party purposes, claim to be its
especial friends.
DDCIE ~ sOPHIsERIES.
Ny friend rom F sconsin yesterday
compared what he called the Hadical
party OF the North To the Radicals Of
The South, and when he was asked The
question by some Senator, 'tWhO are the
radicals OF the South" he said, 'they
are the secesaiouiBts,H Sir, the aecea-
sionists Of the South are Democrats to-
day, acting in harmony and concert
with the Democratic party. They were
Democrats during the war who prayed
for the success Of Mcclellan and PEN
dleton, and who would have been glad
TO vote for them. They were Democrats
during the war, men who sympathized
with the rebellion, who aided in bring
ing it on. These are the radicals Of the
South, and my friend from Wisconsin,
after all, is acting with that radical
party.
The burden Of his speech yesterday
was that the reconstruction measures OF
Congress are intended to establish me-
gro supremacy, Sir, this proposition Us
without any foundation whatever.
believe it was stated yesterday by the
Senator from Illinois MFR. Irumbuli)
that in every State but two the white
voters registered out mum bered the
colored voters and the fact that i'm two
States the cOlored voters outnumbef
the white voters is owing to the simple
accident that there are more colored
men in those States than there are
white men. Congress has not sought
to establish negro supremacy, nor has
it sought to establish the supremacy Of
any class or party OF men. il it had
sought to establish negro supremacy, 10
would have been an easy matter by exc
Guiding from the right Of suffrage all
men who had been concerned ia the re-
bellion, in accordance with the prOpO
sition of the distinguished Senator from
Massachusetts Mr.. Sumner), in his
speech at Worcester, in 1866, BE pro
posed to exclude all men who had been
concerned in the rebellion, and confer
suffrage only on those who were left.
That would have established negro sue
premacy by giving the negroes an over
Whelming majority in every state; and
if that had been the object Of Congress,
it could have been readily done. But,
sir, Congress only sought to divide the
political power between the loyal and
the dislOyal leaders, leaving all the rest
OF the people TO vote. They have been
enfanchised on both sides, that neither
should be placed in the power Of the
other. The rebels have the right 10
vote so that they shall not be under
the control and power Of the Union men
only; and the Union men have been
allowed to vote so that they shall not
be under the control and power Of the
rebels.
This is the policy, to divide the polit-
ical power among those men for the
protection of each. Sir, the charge that
we intend to create g negro supremacy
or COlored State Governments is With
out the slightest foundation, for it
would have been in the power Of Con-
gress to have easily conferred such su-
premaCy by simply excluding the dis
loyal from the right of Suffrage pow
er which it had the clear right TO eXer-
else.
Now, Mr.. President, allow me TO Con-
slider for a moment the amendment Of
fered by the Senator from Wisconsin,
and upon which his speech was made,
and see what is its enecs-T viii not
say it's purpose, but its inevitable eject
should it become q law. I viii ask
the Secretary TO read the amendment
which the Senator from Wisconsin has
proposed to the Senate.