The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1868-02-20


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
negro supremacy. Sir, this PROPOSE
tion is without any foundation what
ever. believe it was stated ycster-
day by the Senator from Illinois (Mr.
TrumbulD that in every State but
two the white voters registered out
numbered the colored voters; and the
fact that in two States the colored vo-
ters out-number 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. If it had
sought to establish negro supremacy
it would have been an easy matter
by excluding from the right of stuff
rage all men who had been concerned
in the rebellion, in accordance with
the proposition Of the distinguished
Senator from Massachusetts (Mr.
Sumner, in his speech at Worcester
in 1865. He proposed 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 supremacy by
giving the negroes an overwhelming
majority in every State; and if that
had been the object Of Congress it
could have been readily done. But,
sir, Congresshas only sought to divide
the political power between the loyal
and hedisloyal. Ithas DISTINGUISHED
some fifty thousand disloyal leaders,
leaving all the rest of the people to
vote. They have been enfranchised
on both sides, that neither should be
placed in the power of the other
The rebels have the right to vote SO
that they shall not be under the con-
troll 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 di-
vide the political power among those
men for the protection Of each. Sir,
the charge that we intend to create
negro supremacy or colored State
governments Is wfuhvuo tfIv .l:xLx..s
foundation. for it would have been in
the power of Congress to have easily
conferred such supremacy by simply
excluding the disloyal from the right
of Suffrage power which it had the
clear right to exercise.
Now, Mr.. President, allow me to
consider for moment the amend
ment offered by the Senator from
Wisconsin, and upon which his speech
was made, and seewhat is it's effect
| will not say its purpose, but its in
evitable effect-should- it become a
law. | will ask the Secretary to read
amendment which the Senator from
Wisconsin, has proposed to the SEN
ate.
The Secretary read as follows:
"Prouided, nevertheless, That upon
an election for the ratification of any
constitution, or of officers under the
same, previous to its adoption in any
State, no person not having the quail
ifications of an elector under the CON
stitution and laws of such State pre-
vious to the late rebellion shall be al
lowed to vote, unless he shall possess
one Of the following qualifications,
namely:
l. He shall have served as a soldier
in the Federal Army for one year or
| more.
2. He shall have sufficient educa-
ton to read the constitution of the
United States and to subscribe his
name to an oath to support the same;
or,
3. He shall be seized in his own
right, or in the right Of his wife, Of a
freehold Of the value of $3.50"
Mr.. Morton. Sir, these qualifications
are, by the terms of the amendment
to apply to those who were not au.
thorized to vote by tho laws of the
State before the rebellion-in other
words, the colored men. He proposes
to allow colored man to vote ii he
has been in the Federal Army one
year, and he proposes to allowa rebel
white man to vote, although he has
served in the rebel army four years
He proposes that colored man shall
not vote unless he has sufficient edu.
cation to read the constitution of the
Hnited States and to subscribe his
name to an oath to support the same,
whereas he permits Q rebel white
man to vote who never hoard of A
and does not know how to make his
mark even toaCnote given for wills.
Ky. [Laughter.)
Again, sir, he proposes that the
colored man shall not vote unless he
shall be seized in his own right or in
the right of his wife Of q freehold OF
the value Of $3.50, a provision which,
of course, would cut off nine hundred
and ninety-nine out of every thou
sand colored men in the South. The
colored man cannot vote unless he
has freehold Of $3.50, but the white
rebel, who was never worth twenty
five cents, who never paid poll-tax in
his life, never paid an honest debt,
is to beSllowed to vote. Sir, what
would be the Inevitable effect of the
adoption Of this amendment? Tocut
off such a large part of the cofored
vote as to leave the rebel white vote
largely in the ascendency and to put
these new State governments there
to be formed again into the hands OF
the rebels. Sir, / will not spend long.
er time upon that.
My friend yesterday alluded to my
Endorsement of the Presidents policy
in a speech in 1865. Inever endorsed
what is now called the Presidents
policy. In the summer of 1865, when
saw a division coming between the
President and the Republican party,
and when | could not help anticipa-
ting the direful consequences that
must ressul; from it, I made a speech
in which ! repealed certain statements
that had been made against the Pres
identl and denied the charge that by
issuing his proclamation Of May 90,
1866, he had thereby left the Repub-
lican party. | said that he had not