Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-10-14
THE CHRONICLE.
From the GAINESVILLE COurier.l
THE UNION MEETING LAST NIGHT.
Gen. Garfeld'S Magnificent AddEeSS.

; Fellows Hall last evening to welcome
! and listen to the Hon. JAS. y. GAR
D FIELD. was one that did credit alike
to the city and speaker, saying to all
/ that the fires of patriotism and loyal
: tv are still brightly burning on the
banks of the Muskingum, and inspi-
, ring the speaker to one of the best
efforts of his life. After a neat and
y pertinent introduction, the speaker
; came to the great question at issue in
the present canvass, Reconstruction,
and spoke thereon substantially as fol-
lows
; So, then, the issue is made up. The
doctrine of Frank Blair and Wade
1 Hampton has become the unanimous
doctrine of the great Democratic par
ty.
On that issue General Blair declares
the battle is to be fought-that that
that issue overshadOws and overrides
all other questiOns-that, 10y the side
of il, all others are mere trities.
Let me here say TO the Democracy,
the Republican party accept the ehal-
Ienge, and are ready to meet the
Democratic party on theirown chosen
ground, and fight the battles of this
campaign.
/ 1 need not review all the eTeconstruc-
ton measures. Many of the ques-
tions are already settled. But / will
state briefly the grounds, first, on
which both Democrats and Republi-
cans agree, and then the grounds of
difference between them.
All parties agree that when thea
bellion collapsed in 1865, the whole
Confederate establishment fell into
ruins; that all the State Governments
of the eleven rebel States We're utterly
! destroyed, and that there was no Off
Ger left, from Governor to Constable,
which the National lGOvernmentcOuld
or did recognize. All power in all
/ these States was based upon Confeder-
ate establishment, and when that eX-
ploded all fell together. To prove
! this l need only quote Andrew John
son, the leader of the Democratic par
! ty. He declared on the 29th of May,
/ 1865, in one of his letters, thatall civil
] government in the rebel States was
overturned and destroyed. On this
question then both parties agree
There is no issue here.
But further, both parties agree that
after the disappearance of State Gov
ernments in the South it became the
duty of the United States to guarantee 4
to those States lately in rebellion a re-
publican form of government. This
was acknowledged to be in accordance
with the Constitution. BY the wis
dom and forethought of our fathers an
important clause had been inserted in
the Constitution, and here had at last
arisen a case for the exercise of the
power
Thus far no difference of opinion
had arisen between the two paTties.-
But at this point a very curious ques-
ton arose. 1t was this: Who is the
United States? While this question
was before the country, a humble in
dividual from Tennessee stepped for
ward and said, Gentlemen, l am the
the United States. / will do the work.
Congress at the time was not in ses-
sion, and could not contest the claims
of this gentleman, who claimed to be
the United States, Mr.. Andrew John
son, of Tennessee. So he went TO
work to construct Republican forms
of government for the rebel States.
He first picked out certain men whom
he appointed Governor, putting one ,
in each State Those Governors fixed
up their State Constitutions, but with
a solitary exception THAT of Tennes-i
see.) they were never submitted to the !
people at all. And when Congress
met, Mr.. johnson came To the door {
with whole armful of documents, [
and said: Gentlemen of Congress,
here are some States / have been max {
ing. | want YOU to take them in {
Laughter. l have also, he said, I
elected eighty men as representatives
Of these States, whom L want you to I
admit as members of your body :
We looked at johnson and then at
the representatives, and then at the |
litter of States he brought us. We
looked at the workman, and then at I
his work, and said, Mr.. Johnson: in g
the first place, you are not the United
States. Laughter and applause. !
And in the second place, if You were t
you have made wretched bOtch of
your work.
Congress looked at the eighty repre- |
sentatives who were asking to come 7
n, and they saw, with three or four [
exceptions, every man among them
lad blood on their hands. Every man 4
lad either been Il leader in the rebel a
lrmy or had assisted in getting it up Il
md carrying it on. We were asked ;
~ the Democratic party andby John ;
on TO admit these unwashed, unpar- r
loped, unhung rebels, whose hands {
we're still red with the blood of your =
TO seats in the National Con-
,ress, to make laws for you and me, c
nd for our children to come after US. e
Congress refused to admit them il
congress said. You cannot come in s.
lere with your bloody hands TO con- Il
rol the affairs of this great nation. :
The question then arose seriously, el
Tho has authority to build up repub- a,
lean governments in these disorgan- a
zed rebel States? On looking into {;
he Constitution we found the ques- n
ion had been decided as long ago as :.
S42 Chief Justice Taney had deliv- $:
red decision, in which he decided al
nat in any case where the validity of b
State government was called inques- -
on, it was not in the province OF the W
upreme Court or the President to Il,
ecide, but the whole question resided n,
Dlely with the law-making power of M
ne country. 1t was, therefore, clear Ct
: the duty of the Congress of the d,
Tnited States, i'm the language of the Dl
to guarantee republican I'll
Drms of government to the rebel oil
tates of the South. The work was a 10
ifficult one. We felt this. We knew fiji
nat under the treason law passed by cl
ne first Congress and approved by llu
Washington We might have tried, 81
and hung every rebel in the
Outh. But Congress determined to nj
o nothing for vengeance. A plan was q,
lerefOre, framed with the design of n,
scuring justice to abby which all h,
len would be equal before the law: 80
plan that would protect all in their 40
ghts and secure the country against ri
reBelliOn in the future. ta
The plan was submitted to the peo- m
lie in the Congressional campaign of ~
S66, and it was app. owed by the most
vote ever given in n u
election. FOur-fifths Oc
the Union members of the FOrtieth sSG
ongress were elected on that issue. IN
We built at last upon the sure fOun- ~
alton of loyalty. We had found that 10
hatever might be the color of a OF
lan's skin, if he was friend Of the "
oveTnment, and not excluded by q
is of treason, he should be counted
a part Of the great political struc- Pc
Ire. On that broad basis Congress l
the South. Eight of oA
lese States have been admitted, after sc
leir constitutions was framed and l'
10 the people. Eight States ul u
ave adopted the constitutional amend O'
Ient. Three States have rejected the an
ID. 4. 9. ..