Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1868-02-19
VOL. 14.---N0. "a.

Congress. Whatever it shall deem necessa-
ry, whether 1t be in the way OF colored suf
frage, whether 1t be in the way OF military
power-whatever Congress shall deem nee
essary In the execution # this guarantee is
conclusive upon the courts upon every
state, and upon the people OF this nation.
Slr, when Congress entered uron this
work 1t mad become apparent TO all men
that loyal State governments could not he O.
rected and maintained upon the basis of the
white population. We had tried them
Congress had attempted the work of recon
structlon through the constitutional amend
ment by leaving the suffrage with the white
men, and by leaving with the white people of
the South the question to when the color
ed people should exercise the right OF sutf-
rage, II ever; bat when it was found that
those white men were as rebellious as ever.
that they hated this Government more bit
terly than ever; when it was found that
they prosecuted the loyal men, both white
aud black, IN their mids; when it was found
that Northern men who had gone down
thefe were driven out by social tyranny. by
a thousand ahnoyances, by the insecurity of
life and properly. then it became apparent
to all men OF intelligence that reconstruction
could rot take place upon the basis of the
white population, and something else must
be done,
Now, sir, what was there left to do? Eth
er we must hold these people continually bv
military power, or we must use such ma
chinery upon such new bass as would en-
able loyal republican State governments to
be raised up and in the last resort-and L
VIII say Congress waited long, the nation
waited long, experience had to come to the
rescue OF reason before the thing was done
In the last resort, and as the last thing to
be done, Congress determined to dig through
all the rubbish, dig through the soil and
| the shifting sands, and so down to the eter-
nal rock, and there, upon the basis of the
everlasting principle of equal and exact jus
tlce to all men, We have planted the column
OF reconstruction; and. sir, it will arise slow
| y but surely, and THE gates OF hell shall
| not prevail against it. Whatever dangers
We apprehend from the introduction of the
right OF suffrage of seven hundred thousand
men, just emerged from slavery, were put
aside III the presence of greater danger
| Why. SIR, let me say frankly to my friend
frohi w lsconsin that L approached univer-
sal coiored suffrage III the South reluctant
/! ly. Not because 1 adhered to the misera
! bic dogma that this was the white man 5
! GovernMcnt, but because | entertained fears
about at once entrustinga large body Of men
Just from slavery, to whom education had
been denied by law, to whom the marriage
relation had been Denied who had been
made the basest and most abject slaves, with
| political power. And as the Senator has
referred to speech which l made in Indi-
ana III 1860, aHow me TO show the principle
that actuated me, for in that speech / said
I'm regard 10 the question of admitting the,
| freedmen of the Southern States to vote while /
admit the equal rights of all men, and tha in time
all men will have the right to vote, without dis
tincuon of color race, L yet believe that in tho
case of four million of slaves, Just freed from
bondage, there should be period of probation
and preparation before they are brought to the
exercise of political power"
Such was nv feeling at that time, for il
had not then been determined by the bloody
| experience ofthe last two years that we could
not reconstruct upon the basis o; the white
population, and such wa the opinion of
great majority OF the people of the North;
and 1t was not until a year and "a half after
that time that Congress came to the conclu-
sion that there was no way left but to resort
to colored suffrage to all men except those
who were disqualified by the commission of
high crimes and mlsdemeanors.
Mr.. President we hear much said in the
course of this debate and through the press
| about the violation OF the Constitution IL
Is said that in the reconstr5oliou measures
OF Congress We have gone outside of the
COn>tlt utIon, and the remark of some dis.ip-
guished statesman Of the Republican party
Is quoted to that effect
Sir, if any leading Republican has ever
said SO he spoke only for himself, not for
another. | deny the statement ~ toto. |
insist that these reconstruction measures are
as fully within the powers Of the Constitu-
ton as any Legislation that can be had, not
only by reason, but by authority. And who
are the men that are talking so much about
the violation of the Constitution, and who
pretend to be the especial friends of that
instrument? The great mass of them only
three years ago were in arms to overturn the
Constitution and establish that of Montgom-
cry in Its place, or were their northern
friends, who We're aiding and sympathizing
in that undertaking.
L had occasion the other day to speak of
what was described as constitutional Union
mana man living inside of the Federal
lines during the war, sympathising with the
rebellion, and who endeavored to aid the
rebellion by insisting that every war measure
tor the purpose OF suppresslng 1t was vlo-
lation of the Constitution of the United
States. Now, these men who claim to be
The especial friends of the Constitution are
the men who have sought to destroy it by
force of arms, and those throughout the coun-
try who haye given them aid and comfort
Sir. YOU will remember that once cele-
brated French woman was being dr. gged to
/ the scaffold, and as she passed the statue of
liberty she exclaimed How many crimes
have been committed in thy name ?'' and L
can say to the Constitution, how many crimes
against liberty, humanity and progress are
being committed in thy name bv these men
who, while they loved not the Constitution,
and sought It's destruction, now, tor party
purposes, claim to be It's special friends.
Nv friend from Wisconsin yesterday COM