Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-09-09

owned, say SlUUl HoELu Ol property
have the right TO vote. Not much
harm would have come of this, for the
negro vote would have been scattered
and neutralized. But noll This is q
white mans Government Prejudice
excluded reason. How did it result
The State is reduced TO a military dis
trict, with a provisional government,
subject to the order of the General
Commanding The freedmen are en-
titled 10 full suffsage and the right to
hold office. These terms, imposed by
the General Government, have been
submitted to and acted upon. A clear
maiority of twenty thousand votes has
fixed the matter. So, bad was again
made worse.
Let me ask, why did General Lee
surrender? Because he could not help
it! For the same reason, we must sub
NIT to the political, not the social (for
that is thing under our own control)
equality of the freedmen. This is the
siIuation'-the question is, shall we go
on and again make bad worse, or shall
we try to make the best of it?
What is the reason that the negro
vote, instead of being scattered, is con-
centrated with the full force of a solid
column? It is carried by the violent
opposition made 10 the will OF the Gen.
eral Government in regard to Recon
struction.
The freedmen have still an unde-
fined impression that there is still a
wish to reduce them TO slavery. They
certai-ly have a well founded belief
that there is determination to deprive
them of political equality.
This makes them pull together :
remove the pressure and their vote
will be ncutralIzed and unless | mistake
the power and effect of ahe superiority
of the white man, aided as he is by
education and the possession Of the
wealth of the country, in few years
they viii vote as before 1885. In the
borough of Newbern, CASTOR; Hills
boro, Nash; Halifax, Daniel; Sauls'
bury, Mckay; Edenton, Johnston ;
WILMINGTON, and Mesres, it was then q
subject Of remark: The free niggers
always vote for the most respectable
men! How is this pressure to be re-
moYedi By giving them assurance
that we 'acquiesce,' and are content to
allow them political equality. How is
1t that assurance to be given BY cleo
ting Grant and Colfax. Then we shall
have peace, and the country will have
repose, which it so much needs. But
elect the candidates of the other party:
this certifies to the freedmen that we are
not content to let things stand as they
are; il is an open declaration OF war,
and they will stand firm iT. solid column
against us, supported by what has been
called in derision, the mean white
men, but supported by enough to give
them a msiority of twenty thousand
votes. What is to be the resultI Agi'
tation, of course, but there is reason to
fear worse may come of it. Has 1t ever
been known that four millions ot
people, after enjoying political rights
for wears, could be reduced TO vsssaiage
without a civil war? And such civil
warl The mind revolts at-its contem-
platIon. The war we have just passed
through is as nothing compared TO L.
Some suggest, How can our condition
be made worse? We have Legislature
composed of men who pay no taxes,
but have unlimited power to tax us
We have incompetent judges, clerks,
etc. Our ancient mode of judicial pro
ceeding is ''torn up by the roots. :" aud
many who are strangers to it are put IN
high places So much of this as is true
is 10 be regretted. We must accept
the situation and make the most OF It,
Divine inspiration teaches US it is hard
to kick against the pricks.' Are we
not, my friends, in some measure tc
blame for this condition OF things
Had we at an earlier day come out
lopenly for Reconstruction, according
to the General Government, is it not
fair to presume that the Conservative
element would have entered more
largely into the composition OF the
Convention and Legislature, and OF the
high places of trust and contidencer
my conclusion is, we must concedt
TO the freedmen political equality, i
we can only satisfy them we do SO II
good faith by voting for Grant anC
Colfax. Then there will be an end o
the strife. The contemplation of wa
and bloodshed will be put far from US
4 The freedmen will become satisfied
that it is for their good interest t
allow US to have the guidance of publi'
affairs, and the innate power and Vigo
of the white msn will convince th'
world that we are able to carry q weigh
of four millions imposed on US by tn
lunaccountable DEGREES of Providence
and still work out our destiny as tn,
grandest Republic that has ever beef
known among the nations.
at is said by some, The politica
equality of the freedman is fixed TACT,
but it is necessary to agitate and blus
ter about notification and war, II
order to restore the Constitution an
State rights, and to turn the Radical
out of Office
"In regard to restoring the Constitu
tion and State rights, no one pretend
that the Reconstruction measures G
the President, or of the General Gov
, ernment (for sn act passed over th
veto is an act of the GoVernment) ar
in accordance with the provisions o
the Constitution. 1t is also clear tha
they are not unconstitutional, but ez
ira constitutional; that is, acts done t
meet an emergency, not foreseen b
the trainers of that instrument. Sue
is the decision of our Supreme Court
by the concurrinR opinion of the thre
, liudges Battle, Reade, and Pearson, i
1.-TWO cases-er paTte Hughes; Cook y
Cook: Phillips Reports. So, the suG
! gestion of restoring the Constitution
{ a pretext, and the notion that, as tn
|, State has never been out of the Union
she instantly after the surrender wa
, entitled to all the rights of State, q
/ if nothing had happened, is failacy
r Your son rebels he is still your sor
but is he entitled to the rights an
privileges of a child, until he atone
: and is reeonciled to his parentsi 81
! restoring State rights is out OF the queI
tion.
I ain regard to turning the Radical
e out of power, it is strange that men ca
be so carried away by party prejudic
/ as to be willing TO put the lives an
e: fortunes Of the people on a venture, !
: order to obtain an object SO insight
o can't. compared with the fearful cons'
l auences by which it may be attended
= We agitated and clustered about sece
j. sion and war, when not one in ten e.
5 pected it would come to that. Shs
D we now agitate and bluster about nu
e LITIGATION and war and be surprised
a similar resultI Should We not tax