The Placer herald. [volume] (Auburn, Placer County, Calif.) 1855-1991, 1868-09-12

nelr party would surely Do swept from
power at this Presidential election. They
knew that their party and its policy stood
alike condemned on their merits by the
people. Well they knew, too, that no man
actively identified with radical ideas and
measures could be nominated for President
with any rational probability of an election.
Their only hope was in the military and
personal popularity of Gen. Grant as the
successful General of the war. Having
nominated him Us party necessity, their
great effort now is to carry the election on
his popularity and on q revival of the ex-
piring passions of the war. At the same
time they seek toignore the real vital issues
of the contest, or to obscure them by a
system of extreme Misrepresentation and
personal abuse.
As it is the interest of our opponents to
occupy the country with false issues, to the
exclusion of true issues it should be our
duty, rs it is our policy, to keep the true
issues steadily before the people. These
issues are:
The restoration of the Constitution and
the Union in the Government and in
the States.
Reform in finance, in taxation and ex-
penditure.
When the war was over the people of the
South, having fought us like mon, acqui-
esced like men in the result The Repub-
lican candidate, Gen. Grant, went in
person among them and reported his obser-
vations to the President. The General was
then satisfied that the temper of the South
was excellent that the leading men there
accepted the decision of the war as final
and as settling forever the questions which
had divided the people-slavery and seces-
sion that the people were anxious to return
to their relations with the Union as speedily
as possible. He expressed a pointed and
significant wish for q commingling be-
tween the citizens of the two sections, and
particularly of those interested in the law
making power" What light is thrown
upon this suggestion by subsequent pro-
ceedings of Congress?
At that time the people of the South
fully accepted the situation. All they
asked was that their States might be re-
stored without delay to their relations with
the Union. They were ready to yield, and
they did yield frankly and cheerfuly to all
the conditions which any one thought of
demanding at that time.
| In the most binding forms OF political
obligation they abolished slavery; abjured
secession rejected the Confederate debt;
and recognized fully the authority OF the
Union and the Constitution. They ac-
all the objects of the war.
In all these proceedings the ten States
were acknowledged by the Governmentand
dealt with as States in the Union. Having
cheerfully and frankly given these great
pledges of their good faith and duty to the
Union, was anything more demanded of
them Not at that time. There was them
and had been since an early period OF the
war, party within the Republican party,
not yet at its head, though bold, bitter
and determined, which insisted on
policy of what was called Reconstruct
ion-the word and the idea borrowed from
Secession. This policy was on the theory
that the ten States had committed suicide,
had ceased to be States, and were, practi-
cally, conquered territories, or, at least, to
be dealt with as such, as much 30 as was
California. That in the territory of each
of them new State was to DO built
up from the foundation, on the basis
of universal suffrage to the negro, with
such Acknowledgement of the whites as
would secure to the negro vote the political
control and that all this reconstruction
was to be by the action of Congress.
l say there was such u party in the Re-
publican ranks, though not at their head.
Its leaders were men of vigor, OF force of
will and answering purpose. Their pol
icy had not in 1865 obtained the control of
the Republican party. Indeed, it was
earnestly opposed, especially as to universal
negro suffrage, by the large majority OF
the leaders and q still larger majority of the
people of that party. In 1865, and until
period of 1866 that party, as repre-
sen ted and controlled by its leaders and its
political conventions, seemed as much
against negro suffl age in the South
ern States us the Democratic party is to-day.
In the course of 1866 a change had come
over the counses Of the Republicans. A
conflict had arisen between the President
and Congress as to the policy of the latter
towards the Southern States, in which the
masses of the people there strongly sided
with the President. 1t became evident
that, without some very radical change in
the elements of political power in the ten
States, such thing as dominant Repub-
lican party there was political impossi-
bility for many years.
THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT.
Then it was that the Republican leaders
in Congress proposed a new amendment to
the Constitution, known as the 14th amend
ment 1t was general in its terms, but
was framed to operate mainly on the ten
States.
call your special attention to the pro-
visions of these amendments. l do 80
because in the rush of new events and
especially of changes in the Constitution
avowed and tacit for the past three years,
the entire character of this 14th amend
ment may not be perfectly distinct in your
minds.
1t contains four sections. The first relates
to citizenship and its privileges.
The second apportions representation
among the States,-denying it for any pop
ulation excluded from voting for race or
color.
This second section, you observe, was
meant to bring the Southern States to give
the franchise to their negro population, uni.
versally or in great part, under penalty of
losing proportionate share of their Rep.
resentation in Congress.
There is q section guaranteeing the ma
tional war debt and forbidding the pay
ment of the Confederate war debt.
The people OF the Southern States, though
objections may have been urged to the sec
ond section as an improper attempt to coerec
them into negro suffrage, were on the whole
prepared to accept the three sections l have
stated to you.
But there was another section to which
they could not give their assent. will
read it to you:
"SEo. 8. No person shall be Senator or
Representative in Congress, or Elector OF
President or Vice President or hold any
office, civil or military, under the United
States, or under any State, who having pre-
viously taken an oath as member of Con-
gress, or as an officer of the U. 8. or az men,
Der OF any State Legislature, or as an execu-
tive or judicial officer of any State, to sup
port the Constitution of the United States,
shall have engaged in insurrection or re.
bellion against the same, or given aid and
comfort to the enemies thereof. But Con-
gress may, by vote of two-thirds OF each
House, remove such disability"
Here let US pause moment to con-
slider what was demanded Of those ten
States, and we ask the many fair, right
minded Republicans to consider 1t with US.
When those people, having fought for their
cause with valor which no true man will
deny, having made for it every sacrifice,
and borne for it every suffering which
devotion could inspire or endure, folded in
silence and sorrow the flag of their cause
around its staff, and laid it in the grave OF
their Confederacy, they had lost all save
THAR honor TT OlId annlauaa