Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-09-15

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State Government. let the capital of the
country support the United States Govern.
ment. But have spent more time on this
subject than 1 had intended TO-. 9lJ a.f
QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY
| - .yaz .-s. VOTERS. f-.T af+ 71. -r
/ j wish now to ask your attention for
awhile, that we may discuss some considera-
tions that ought to influence our votes at the
coming election. The war came to a close
in April, 1856. In 1868, General Grant, in
accepting the nomination as candidate for
President, closed his letter by saying, "Let
us have peace" In the name of Heaven, at
the end of three years after the war closed,
why is that General Grant has to say, alet
us have peace 2" Why have we not had
lpeace? Why did peace not come with the
close of the war, when arms were laid down
| in the South, when the people of the South
came home, when your brothers and friends
went home to receive a cordial welcome.
| Why did peace not come with all the bless
ings that attend it g1Who has prevented
| itR Why, instead of peace, concord, union
and happiness, have we had discord and
strife, and destruction to trade, and him
drance to prosperity You know that when
the war closed there was but one thing
needful, and Mr.. Lincoln said that one thing
4 /"
practical relations to the Government. They
were not out of the Union they were not
| lost as States : but their practical relations
for the time being had been. disturbed. Mr..
johnson issued his proclamation, or rather
Mr.. Lincoln's proclamation for the language
| was Mr.. Lincoln's, to North Carolina and to
the other southern States Mr. johnson
said to the people of those States, "Amend
your constitutions SO as You may conform
| to the sentiment of the North" He was
going great way. "Amend your constitu-
tions SO as to make them conform to the re-
suits of the war, and then it is all right; we
close up and are friends again" JTff5 5a
WHAT THE NORTHERN PEOPLE DEMANDED
.-ff . OF THE SOUTH. 'se. .arlff .s
What did you demand then In 1865
what did you demand of the South
You demanded that they should acquiesce
in the results of the war in Just three par
ticulars. You demanded that they should
forever renOunce slavery; that they should
repudiate the Southern debt, and that they
should repudiate the right to secede from
this Union. These were the demands you
made, and If there is a man here that can
suggest any other demand that was made
by any radical of Gibson county in 1865, let
him name it. You said it was enough that
they should comply with these demands.
Well, the Southern people accepted of the
1t was the white people, though, and they,
in the fall of 1865, amended their constitu-
tions repudiating the Southern debt, repudi-
ating forever the right to secede, and de-
claring slavery at an end forever. vHas.
Now, gentlemen, with your permission
will read you little of what Governor Nor
ron said at that time quote what he said
becanse he was then Governor of the State
and the head, as he still is, of the Repub-
lican party in Indiana, and because the
ablest man of the Republican party in the
State of Indiana. On September 90, 1865,
he said: ms a .gufi - a-.L egli
4" l desire in the first place to remark that
while the general condition of the country
is most promising and favorable, know
there are those who take gloomy views of
what is called the work of reconstruction,
but to me the prospect seems highly encour-
aging. The war terminated suddenly, and
the submission on the part of the Southern
States has been more complete than had
expected" -ar 9fs la-5 'raHg gs g.
That was the concurrent testimony at the
time, and General Grant, in his report to
the President of the United States, which
report Charles Sumner characterized in the
Senate as a whitewashed report for the
South" said that the condition of society in
the South was very favorable to complete
restoration of relations, and then when the
work was done, when.there was good feeling
down there, when there was harmony be-
tween the two sections; when this Union
was once more being closed up, why was it
that these relations were broken up and
strife commenced again? / will tell you
why. ..,.; .-,- 49, ... ~,
.- WHAT CONGRESS DEMANDED, !. .-5 Al @.
b. Just then Congress met-this Radical Con-
gres, this curse that has brought SO much
woe upon this land, this curse that has
brought so much trouble instead of blessing
that Congress met. Congress said, (" we
know that you have complied with the de-
mands of the North, that you have renowned
slavery, that you have repudiated the South
ern debt and right to secede, and that is
all that the men of the North demand of
you; but We have some demands to make.
we have conditions to impose for political
purposes and political ends" And what
were these conditions ? First, they estab-
lished a Freedmen's Bureau in violation of
the spirit of the Constitution. They estab-
lished that government down there, and
placed the agents of that Bureau between
the white men and the negroes. They in
terposed that agency for political and par
tisan purposes. .--s-r rH.l7f- a-.Ft H
Right here L want to say to you that this
Congress, in my Judgment, has insulted the
intelligence of the people more than any
other legislative body ever dared to do since
the world began. They established the Freed
mems Bureau, and that rests upon the doc
trine that the negro is not able to take care
of himself. The agent of that Bureau went
into any part of the South, and if a negro
made contract for q months work or for
years work, with a white man, that con-
tract had first to be laid before this agent.
If he approved of it, it was all right; if he
did not, he would say to the negro, "You
stupid fool! you have made a contract in
which the white man has the advantage of
you. 1t shan't stand; 1 will tear it up, and
will make contract for you" And so by
the law of Congress the intelligence of the
Freedmen's Bureau agent is substituted for
the stupidity of the negro. s.. ~.
They passed this bill one year, and what
did they do for the next? Incompetent to
same negroes, by another act of Congress,
are placed in control of State governments,
with the capacity to lay the foundations of
government, and to build up the institu-
.tions under which the people may live and
prosper. The same negro that Congress says
is not competent to make contract for a
months work, is competent to be a legis-
lator and State-maker, and law-giver to all
the land. CLaughter.l And you are told
that this is right, that it is good govern
ment. tell you that it is destruction, and
it is your duty as freemen of the land to
see that this country shall not be destroyed.
IA voice" Well tell them so in Novem-
ber."1 --r-5 ..- .- ss--F., II a.. ,---s.ys- ..sf
Yes, it is going to be told in November
The machinery is going to be turned back
ward, and we are going, after November,
to commence new. Things have been going
on in the course of destruction long enough.
We can not afford to go further. You can
not afford, as men of business, to hand over
the prosperity and greatness of this coun-
try into the hands of the negro. 1t is not
right. How does it affect you? Why, we
wanted the Union restored these three wears
We wanted harmony; we wanted love.
There are some gentlemen who say they
can't think of having harmony with rebels.
They say they are altogether too good to
mix with those rebel fellows. 81 .9,-- -
Do you recollect the wholesome lesson
that we have in the New Testament, the
beautiful story of the. Prodigal Son ? That