The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-02-06

upon them, that they never made
them; and they viii throw them
Of, and with them will go those
provisions which were iDcorpora.
ted therein, declaring that slavery
should never be restored and that
their war debt was repDdiatcd.
Those provisions were put into
those constitutions, hut they have
never been sanctioned by the pco~
pie Of those States, and they will
cas-: ihem out as not being their
act and deed rs soon as they shall
have been restored TO. political
pawer in this Government. There.
tore | say that even If he comedies
that the President had the pow CT ,
which lie bad not, to Start forward
IN the execution Ct this guarantee,
there can still be nc pretense that
those governments are legal and
unauthorized aud that we are
bound to recognize them. s,
The President of the United
States. in his proclamation declared
that those governments were to be
formed only By the loyal people Of
those States; and l beg leave TO
call the attention of the Senate TO
that clause in his proclamation OF
reconstruction. He says:
"And with authority to exercise,
within the limits OF said State, all
the powers necessary and proper
to enable such loyal people Of the
State of North Carolina TO restore
said State 70 lis constitutional reIa
tons with the Federal Govern
ment."
Again, speaking Of the army;
"And they are enjoincd to ab.
stain from in any way hindering
impeding or discouragiEg the 10y
al people from the organization OF
u State government as herein au.
thorized.'
Now, sir, so far from those State
governments having been organ
ized By the loyal people, they were
organized by the diSIoyal, every
Office passed into the hands Of o
rebel; the Union men had 90 par:
or lot in those governments, and SO
far from answering the purpose
Ior which governments are inten-
ded, they failed 10 extend proicc.
tion 10 the loyal men. either white
or black The loyal men were
murdered with impunity; and /
will thank any Senator upon this
floor to point TO u single case in
any OF the rebel States where a
rebel has been tried and brought
to punishment hy the civil author
ity Tor the murder Of q Union man.
Not one case, | ain told, can be
found. Those governments utter
iy failed in answering the purpose
Of civil governments; aud not only
that, but they returned the color.
ed people TO Il condition Of gu 81
slavery; they made them the slaves
of society, instead of being as they
were before, the slaves of individ.
uals. Under various forms Of va.
grant laws they deprived them o.
the rights of freedmen, and placed
them underthe power and contro
of their rebel masters, who were
filed with hatred and revenge.
But, Mr.. President, time passed
on, Congress assembled in Decem.
Der, 1861. Fof u time it paused. 1t
did not at once annul those gov.
ernments. 1t hcsitated. At last
in 1866, the constitutional amend.
ment, tho fourteenth article. was
brought forward as basis Of set.
tlement and reconstruction; and
there was tacit understanding
though i. was not embraced in any
law orresolution, that ifthe South,
ern people should ratiiy and agree
TO that amendment, then their
State governments would houccep.
ted. But that amendment was re.
jected, contemporary rejected.
The Southern people, counseled
and inspired by the Democracy Of
the North, rejected that amend.
ment They were told that they
were not bound 10 submit to any
conditions whatever; thar they
had forfeited no rights by rebel
lion. Why, sir, what did We pro-
pose by this amendment? By the
first section we declared that all
men born upon our soil were citi-
IONS of the United Statcs-,a thing
that mad long been recognized by
every department Of this Govern
ment, until the Dred Scott decis-
ion was made in 1857. The Sec
ond section provided that whore a
class or raco of men were excluded
from tho right Of suffrage, they
should not be counted in the basis
OF representation--an obvious JUS
tice that no reasonable man for a
moment could deny; that if four
million people down South were to
have no suffrage, the men living in
their midst and surrounding them
and depriving thcm of all political
rights, should not have members OF
Congress on their account. l say
the Justice Of The second clause has
never been successfully impunged
by any argument, | care not how
ingenious it may be. What was
the third clause? 1t was that tho
leaders otthe South, those men who
lad once taken an official oath to
support the constitution of tho U.
States, and had aflerwdrd commit
ted perjury by going into tho re-
be!Iion should be made ineligible
TO any Office under the Government
of the United States or ofa State
1t was o very small disfranehlse'