The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-06-12

II f0rceu INTO the union on this
footing, that theomoment they get the
power, they will take the ballot from
him and put him down on his old level
of a serf, where he must inevitably go
when the power of the general gov
eminent is withdrawn If he has not the
ballot to protect himself.
These are not idle assertions. This
determination on the part of Southern
rebels crops out constantly and every
where in Southern prints and speeches.
We chance TO have before us the
Richmond Whig OF recent date, now
one of tho most violent rebel papers in
Virginia, in which we find this idea
explicitly set out. The Whig some
time since declared that when the
Southern States should be admitted TO
representation in Congress and have
their civil governments fully restored,
tho ballot would be taken from the me-
gro by State legislation. Whereupon
the New York Times, commenting re-
marked:
1.-THE notification is plain and abovebcard.
All that has been done is 70 be undone, the
dogma that This is white mans Govern
ment is to be reafiirmedI' &C., &C.
Replying to this the Wing says:
According TO the Times own showing, the
Radical forin Of reconstruction Will not be a
settlement OF the disturbing quest on, but
mere makeshiIL-a temporary patching up;
Rut why should The Times feel surprised
Wnen VIZ, say that when the people of the
southern States are allowed TO act Tor thein-
selves they will act as the ItHIeS does In New
York, and as tile white people act IN the oth-
ar Northern SlateSi Tney nave the right to
nix suffrage 70 suit themselves, and are not
pronounced factious when they do SO. When
we have the same power, why should our
action be questioned? Congress either has
or hes not the rig lat TO eStRDllsh negro Auff-
r re in the southern States II It has not
the right to establish it here ermanenuyb by
n condition in the nongrel Constitution, as
the Times admits IL Las not, then II has no
right To establish IL TEN pOFaIIly. The aTgu.
ment is clear. " II docs 50 d0dint our c01I-
sent, IN defiance Of our JOLsheS and projects, in
uOEdtt0n Of he COIStiutfon, i0Iy should 1ce not
sion, we will have the right" II there shall
be- trouble about II, they viii be responsible
who make the trouble.
In another article in the same issue
tho Wing says still more strongly and
explicitly:
AT last II IL announced with n flourish of
tTuIapets that the Senate has passed the bill
for ARKANSAS with vie constitution, not
ratified by "A II ajority OF The voters, and con-
tanning Il provision that would keep 1t as an
State.
IThe "provision" referred to is the
following condition embraced in the
act of admission:
That the Constitution OF Arkansas shall
never be so amended or changed as to de-
prlve any citizen or class OF citizens IN the
United states OF the right 10 vote who are
entitled To vote by the Constitution herein
TgCo zuIzed, except AS n punishment Tor such
mes AS axe NO n felOuies AT common law,
.gnele 4 they snail have been duly convict
cd, under law equally applicable 10 all The
inhabitants OF said staIe; provided, thatany
alteration of said Constitution, prospective
III lIs elect, may be made IN regard To time
and place OF residence VI the VoLers.l
This Dill, which, on account OF IL Senate
amendment, goes back 10 the House, Will
then go before The President, who Will veto
IL, anu then 1t Will come back for final aC-
lOu. suppose II passed over the veto; sup
posi- other bIlS for tue admission OF OLuer
states 10 he carried through the same pro-
cess; suppose ouch states TO be allowed par
lIcl patton III the Presidential election and
admission TO Congress, all UILS LDtLL not put The
uuuf touch ttIOH TecOnStJuctIOH. There are con-
dttiOnS that tCtu Keep The IChOLe question Of re-
construction open. One Of these conditions
requires that the States thus reconstructed Shuil
,leger dbridys suffrage, nor discriminate nth
reference 10 race or cOtOT-Me meaning q,
IUhtCh IL nat negro suffrage anal not be tEteT-
IrTett run. SOn, here Is qncAtLOn for the gu
DTcHIe Court lUIItcl Il cannot escape ana IUhich
Il m,llt UCJudtedte as soon as At Is dHOlVed free
dom III uc.tOH. Again, the latest platform O
| inc very party unueT whose auspices recon.
sLrucuUn Ia being carried on recognizes the
stale, now Ia their practical relations Win
| the government rs having inc exclusive
| control over suffrage within their borders
| whenever Congress admits The Southern
| states mo Inc Union, their rights Will, even
in Fiidlcitl COnteInp lutlOn, De lIle same. The
| platform VIII cover them us II now cOVen
| the others, and they can eat conventions dnC
| FsyikI:C ADDTuVe 10 sun themselves. They IDti
do a. and thus ie same qIe4tOn ICiiclI the Rad
ieut, pretend To jUiSh to settle, aud IUhich IheI
hare declared reconstruction should settle IUll
ton Is no nualty, no settlement, no pnCln
cLuOn.
Tie country cannot, therefore, ye
afford to experiment with any party
mude up from tho debris of the party
of the rebellion. II the rebels them
selves were willing to give up the OLD
grounds of difference, we shOnld only
be 100 glad to do it. But we see they
are still resolutely intent on carrying
out their dangerous theories. Therefore,
the men who call upon us to ignore this
existing condition of facts and shut
ous eyes in blind confidence are either
knavcs or fools; and whether one or the
other, their counsel is unsafe.
We submit the first thing the Amer
lean people have to do is TO give the
finishing touches to this Stutes
rights rebellion. Minor matters must
DO attended, 10 but SO must this first of
all; for If through failure to secure a
reconstruction of the South on n basis of
loyalty, the disloyal party OF the coun-
try grasps the power OF the government
the finances, and the management of
the public debt would hardly be worth
looking after. Congress is trying very
hard to complete the work OF re-
construction aud look after the mat.
tiers recited by tho Post ut the same
time, and i'll both it meets with bitter
OF enemies and the sneers
of pretended friends like the Post. 1t
cannot now be long till the re-admis-
sion of the Southern States will be
Then If the power of the
National Government can be kept in
proper hands few years to enforce the
of their admission, the road |
to pacification and internal tranquility |
is broad and straight. If not we are
again at sea and will have the rebellion
10 fight over. Therefore there can be
no reformation OF parties now with
safety TO the Republic, Until the rebel
States are fully re-admitted with
such irrevocable guarantees as will
forever close the questions involved in
the rebellion. tho integrity of the Gov
eminent will be perilled by putting