The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-02-06

| u1se Sot oeyono our keeping ana t0oy
are fully restored TO their political rights.
they will then rise up and declare that
those constitutions are not binding up
on them. that they never made tnen
and thew viii throw them or and with
them will go those provisions which
were incorporated therein. declaring
that Slavery should never he restored
and that cir war debt was repuiiaaed
Those provisions were put into those
constitutions, but they have never been
sanction ed by the people Of those St%ses
and they will cast them ont ~ not being
their act and deed as soon - they shall
have been restored to po.,,ical power in
this Governments. Therefore I say that
even If he comedies tina. the President
! had the power. which he had not, to start
! forward in the execution Of this xuaran-
/ tee. there can still be no pretense that
I those governments are legal and author
lied and that we are bound to recognize
them. The President of the United
States. in his proclsm nation, declared
that those governments we're to be form
ed onl, hv the loyal people OF those
States; and oeg leave to call the atten-
tion of the Senate to that clause in his
proclamation of reconstruction. He
says:
And with authority to exercise, withia the limits
OF said State al the powers necessary and proper
enable such loyal Psonle Of the State of North Caro-
lima 10 restore said State t. its relations
with the Federal Government"
Again. speaking of the army:
"And they are enoined to abstain from in any way
hindering. impeding. dscoursRng the loyal people
authorized"
Now. Sir. so faI from those State gov
ernments..having been organized by the
loyal people, they were organized by
the disloyal; every Office passed in
to the hands of Rebel the Union men
had no part Or lot in those governments,
and, SO far from answering the purpose
for which governments are intended,
they failed to extend protection to the
loyal men. either white or black The
loyal men were murdered with impunity,
and will iank any Senator upon this
floor to poiat to = single case in any Of
the Rebel States where Rebel has been
tried and brought to punishment bv tho
civil authority for the murder Of Union
man Not one case, I am told. can be
found. Those governments utterly fail
ed in answering tho purpose OF civil
governments and not only that, but
| thev returned the colored people to q
condition of quasi slavery they made
them the slaves Of society. instead of
being. as they we're before. the slaves Of
individuals. Under various forms of
vagrant laws they deprived them Of the
rights Of freemen. and placed them uu.
der the power aud control Of their Reb.
ell masters. who were filed with hatred
and revenge. But, Mr. President, time
passed on. Congre q assembled in De-
>ember, 1865. For . time it paused II
dia No. at once annul those governments.
IL hesitated At last, in 1866. the Con-
stitutionai Am.adment. the l4tn Article, |
was orous u FORWARD as basIs Of set
tlem-nt aud reco0s.racsi,n and there
was a tacit understanding. though It Was.
not embraced in any law or resolution.
that it the Southern people should ratifyI
and agree TO that amendment.ted.c con
State governments re-fhe Southern
But that spsiea and inspires: by the
Teot,e of the North, rejected that
Da.v6t. They were told that they
A'hot 4 bound 10 submit TO any consii-
We. whatever; that they had forfeited
u'i right. bv rebe lion Way, Sir, waat
dill we p, oppose bv this amendment BY
the frat section We declared that all men
horn upon our soil were citizens OF the
II ,ited States thing that had long
been recognized by every department OF
this Government until the Dred Scott
decision was made in 1857 the second
section provided that where class or
race OF men we're excluded from the
right of suffrage they should not DO
coan ed in the base of representation - .
AZ obvious justice that no ressonabte
man f,r moment could deny; that II
4 oOo. 900 people down South were TO
have no suffrage, the men living in their
midst and surrounding them. and depri
wing them OF all political rights, should
not have members of Congress on thier
account say the Justice VI the sec-
ond clause has never been successfully
impugned by any argument. care not
how ingenious il may be. What was the
third clause? II Vas that the leaders OF
the South, those men who had once ta-
ken an official oath 10 support the Con
stitution OF the United States and had
afterwards committed perjury by going
| into the rebellion, should be made ineli-
chile to anv office under the Coyernmens
of the United States or Of . State. II
was . very small disfranchiseme0t IL
was intended To Withhold power from
those leaders by whose inssrumsntAltty
we had lost nearly half million livse
| and untold treasure The Juseace -
that disfr reimbursement could D0s b DIS
/ proved. And what was the fourth ctaase
! OF the amendmentl That this Govern
ment should not assume and pay any
mart OF the Rebel debt; that 1t should
never paw the Rebels for their slaves
This was bitterly opposed in the North
A we'll ~ in the South. How could any
|, man oppose that sossd0sDt unless be
va. in favor Of this Cosefu0eot $3.50
. ming . portion or Ill Of the Rebel dsbs
, and in favor of paying the Rebels Tor
. their slavss7 Whsa the Dsmossa1ic
party North and Soath oppeesd thas
most important and perhaps heeoaleW =
be regarded - vital a@end0aoes they
: were coumitting ths0selvee ID pstoeipse.
{ - they had been before b 0selarseioe.
. TO the doctrine that The COverpss
-. !, - ;ns. ..d ri~ht~aax Ne shouid