Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-08-31

suffrage from intelligence, and vests itin
ignorance; which imposes constitutions
on unwilling communities, under threats
Of military coercion, and calls them free
States; which would impeach an honest
President for attempting to protect and
defend violated Constitution, and de-
prives an upright judiciary Of its legiti-
mate jurisdiction, lest il should commit
the same offense; which Furnishes crimes
Cancelled by the pardoning power, and
compels citizens, by the test oath, to testi'
fy against themselves and which arro-
gates to itself, over ten States, notwith.
standing the constitutional Limitation Of
its authority, all the powers claimed and
exercised by the veriest despot on earth.
But there seems to be q pause in the
mad career Of the usurpers. Reconstruc-
ton, lately urged on with railroad speed,
seems to be suddenly suspended. What
is the matter2 Do the tools so eagerly
grasped by the usurpers begin to cut
their own fugers2 Do the negroes begin
to rebel against their new masters2 Is
it certain that their new fedged voters in
the South will not vote against the Radi-
calls in the approaching Presidential
election ? Behold their expediepts to
avoid such calamity The first is, 10
take from the people in the reconstructed
States the right to vote for electors. The
second is, to deny to the unreconstructed
States the right to choose electors in any
mode. By these two expedients they ex-
pect to secure the electoral votes Of the
one class of States, and avoid the danger
of having the votes Of the other cast
against them. OF the latter class Of
States are Virginia, Mississippi and
Texas. Is Virginia in the Union, or out2
She went to war to get out, and was
forced to stay in. If she is not in now,
who has put her out? What but Con-
gress2 And has Congress power to put
States out of the Union ? They have
practically usurped that power, and
have passed an act prohibiting that and
the other unreconstructed States from
taking part in the approaching Presiden.
tlal election. If Congress can at will
put States out of the Union. and can es'
tablsh military empire out of the
Union, woe be to the cause of liberty
within the Union
The members of Congress cannot es-
cape their responsibility to the people,
and their allegiance to the Constitution,
by any such subterfuge. The people will
ask them why they denied all representa-.
ton to the Southern people in Congress,
when, in their unquestioned privilege to
judge of the qualifications of their own
members, they had the power to exclude
all members elect who had taken part in
the rebellion, or were disloyal to the Gov
ernment They will ask why they sus-
pended the writ of habeas corpus in ten
peaceful States, subjecting the people
thereof to military despotism, when the
Constitution expressly forbids the sus-
pension of that writ except "in cases of
rebellion or invasion" and then only
when "the public safety may require it ?"
They will ask why, when there was no
resistance to the civil courts, the citizens
of Ten States have been subjected to mill
tary tribunals, in violation of positive
law, and the most sacred principles of
free government They will ask why so
many little States have been carved out
of the Western wilderness; why the
President has been impeached, and the
Supreme Court threatened and para.
lyzed; why Congress has usurped the
power to regulate suffrage in the States
why, in the exercise of this nsurped pow.
er, every male negro in the South twenty
one years of age has been made a
voter, and multitudes of white men
disfrsuchised; why, by er post .facto
laws, they imposed new disabilities upon
men who had been pardoned by the Pres
dent; why they have removed them from
many of the most notorious rebels, and |
enforced them upon the less guilty and,
finally, why they propose to deprive even
the negroes, as well as the whites, in the
South Of the right to vote for Presiden-
tial electors ? To all these questions,
and many more, the Radical leaders can
in truth give but one answer, and that is
'' We intend to keep possession of the
We feared the people of
he Southern States would vote against
MS if they were suffered to remain in the
Union, and for that reason alone we prac.
Iically thrust them out We knew they
would still vote against us if allowed toi
come in on the basis of the Constitution,
md for that reason we had to legislate
outside of the Constitution, assume the
power to regulate suffrage, enfranchise
he negroes, disfranchise the whites,
and impose upon them consttu
ions virtually Of our own making.
Fearing there might be some resistance
% our plan for securing to our party the
gotes Of the South by disfranchising the
whites, and subjecting them to the gov
srnment of their late slaves, we thought
t necessary to suspend the writ Of habeas
,orpus, aud put them all under martial
aw.
"The President was in our way, and
We stripped him of his legitimate powers
IS far as we could by legislation; aud,
aot Satisfied with that, we would have re.
moved him from office but for treason in
,ur own ranks. 1t was rumored that the
Supreme Court would set aside all our
legislation outside of the Constitution,
aud to prevent that we restricted its ju-
-isdiction, and denounced its members.
Sad to relate, our new fiedged voters Of
he South most ungratefully showed
ligns unmistakable Of disposition to 90
over 10 the enemy, so, to make sure Of
be votes of the reconstructed States for
,ur candidates next fall, we havs ad
Tised their Legislatures, composed chief
y Of oar minions, to take the appoint
nent OF electors into their own hands
nd as Virgins, il reconstructed, would
follow the example Of the
Idjoining States-Marvland and Ken I
ucky-and 20 for the Democratic ticket 8
y an overwhelming majority, We de- !
ermined 10 prevent that catastrophe, !
nd have decreed BY act Of Congress. ,
hough outside Of the Constitution. i,
hay be. that she. as well as Mississippi .
nd Texas, shall have no vote Al all. We d
emove the disabilities Of every red 4
anded rebel who vii vote our ticket Il