Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-02-05

A--
y events of this war. The American pee
5 pie have been educated rapidly ant
the man who says he has learned moth
: ing, that he stands now where he dix
six years q is ike an ancient mile
I, post by the side ola deserted highway
We, Mr.. President, have advanced stel
by step. When this war began we dit
not contemplate the destruction of sla
very. 1 remember well when the Crit
tiden resolution was passed, declarinj
that the war was not prosecuted for con
quest or to oYerturn the institutions o
anyState. know that that was intend
ed as an assurance that slavery should
not be destroyed, and it received the
vote I believe, ofeVery Republican mem
Der IN both Houses of Congress; but in
few months after that time it was found
by the events of the war that we could
not preserve slavery and suppress the
rebellion, and we must destroy slavery
NOT prosecute the war to destroy sla-
very, but destroy slavery to prosecute
the war. Which was the better2 To
stand by the resolution and let the
Union 60, or to stand by the Union
andlet the resolution 60? Congress could
not stand by that pledge, and it was
more honored in the breach than the
I observance" Mr.. Lincoln issued his
proclamation of emancipation, setting
free the slaves of rebels. 1t was dicta-
ted by the stern and bloody experience
of the times. Mr.. Lincoln had no
choice left him. When we began this
contest no one thought we would use
colored soldiers in the war. The dis
tinguished Senator sitting by me here,
(Mr. Cameron) when in the winter of
1861 he first brought forward the prop
o%sition, as Secretary of War, to use col
ored soldiers, was greatly in advance of
public opinion, and was thought to be
visionary; but as the war progressed it
became manifest to all intelligent men
hat we must not only destroy slavery,
but we must avail ourselves of every
fundamentally in our power for the
purpose of putting down the rebellion,
and the whole country accorded in the
use of oolored soldiers and gallant and
glorious service they rendered. In 1864
a proposition was roughtforwardi in this
body, to amend the Constitution of the
United States by abolishing slavery.
We do not think that is very radical
now but it was very radical then it
was the great measure of the age, and
almost of modern times, and it was final
ly passed-an amendment setting free
free every human being within the lin
its of the United States. But, sir, we
were very far then from what we are
now. All will remember the celebrated
Winter Davis bill, passed in June 1864,
which took the power of reconstruction
out of the hands of the President,
where it didnot in fact belong.
l refer to Nh. Lincoln; but if that
bill had passed, it would perhaps have
resulted in the destruction of this Gov
eminent. We can all see it now, al
though it was then thought to be the
most radical measure of the times.
What did it propose ? 1t proposed to
prescribe a plan to take effect when
the war should end, by which these
rebel States should be restored. Irefer
to that bill simply TO show how we
have travelled. 1t required but one
condition or guarantee on the part of
the South, and that was that they
should put in their Constitutions pro-
vision prohibiting slavery. 1t required
no other guarantee. Itrequired no equal
izstion Of representation no security
against rebel debts, or against pay
ment for emsncipated slaves; and it
co6ned the right of suffrage to white
men. But it was thought to be a great
step in advance at the time /; and so ii
IVES; but events were passing rapidly,
and in 1866 the President came forward
with his proposition, and l am stating
what is true from an examination of the
documents when 1 say that, but for the
want of power with the President, his
scheme in itself considered was far
more radical than that of the Winter
Davis bill but events were rapidly
teaching the statesmen OF the time
that We could not reconstruct upon
that basis.
FoR3EARANcE OF CONGRESS.
Still, Congress was not prepared to
take 8 forward step until the summer
of 1866, in the passage of the Constitu-
tionsl Amendment, which we now re-
gard as q halfway measure, necessary
and vital as far as 1t went, but not
going far enough. That was rejected,
and we were then compelled to go
further, and we have now fallen upon
the plan of reconstruction which | have
been considering. II has been dictated
by the logic of events. 1t overrides all
arguments. OVerrides all preiudices,
overrides ali theory, in the presence of
the necessity for preserving the life of
this nation; and if future events shall
determine that we must go further, |
for one am prepared to say that | will
90 as far as shall be necessary to the
execution of this guaranty, the recon.
struction Of this Republic upon a right
basis, and the successful restoration of
every part Of this Union.
Mr.. President, the column of recon
struction, as l before remarked, has
risen slowly. 1t has not been hewn
from a single stone. It is composed of
many blocks, painfully laid up and put
together, md cemented by the tears
and blood of the nation. Sir, We have
done nothing arbitrarily. Wehave done
nothing for punishment; aye, too little
for punishment. Justice has not had
her demand. Not a man has yet been
executed for this great treason. The
arch iend himself Is now at liberty
upon bail. No man is to be punished;
and now, while punishment has gone
by, as We all know, re are insisting
only upon security for the future. We
are simply asking that the evil spirits
who brought this wal upon US shall not
again come into power during this gem
Grafton, again to bring upon us rebel
lion and calamity. We are simply ask
ing for those securities that we deem
necessary for our peace and the peace
of our posterity.
Sir, there is one great difference be-
tween this Union party and the So
called Democratic party. Our princi-
pies are those of humanity they are
those Of justice; they are those of equal
rights they are principles that appeal
to the hearts and consciences of men
while on the other side we hear appeals
to the prejudice Of race against race
The white man is overwhelmingly in
the majority il this country, and that
majority is yearly increased by half a
million of white men from abroad, and
that majority gaining in proportion
from year to year, until the colored
men will finally be but a handful in
this country; and yet We hear the
preiudioes of the white race appealed
to 10 crush this other race. and 10 pre-
vent il from rising TO supremacy and
power. Sir, there is nothing noble,
there is nothing generous, there Is
nothing lovely. in that policy or that
appeal. How does that principle com