Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-03-04

from the hands of half a million pat
riotic black men and empower :heir
late masters TO defeat constitutions
that secure equality of rights and
privileges.
The Senator has no word of cheer
to give, no helping hand to extend to
SIX hundred thousand black men and
a quarter of a million white men who
are struggling In the States of the
rebellion to bring those recreant Com
monwealths back into these Cham
bers with constitutions embodvine
the spirit of loyalty, liberty, and jus
tice. Nothing is clear to the vision
of hat Senator but negro supremacy
an army despotisn, a rising empire
impending civil strife, and war OF
races. Patriotism sees with clear
vision the Presidents ephemeral crea-
tions from the Potomac to the Rio
Grande passing away; lawlessness,
disorder, and brutality vanishing, and
regenerated Commonwealth and law
and order and liberty SLOW Y but sure.
" rising in the asCendancv. The
Senator talks wildly about despot-
ism and of forcing negro suffrage with
the bayonet Of the regular Army
Does the Senator know that for
more than twenty months under the
Presidents policy lawlessness, disord-
er, violence ran riot that white 10y
atty was oppressed degraded, and in
suited that black loyalty was wrong
ed, outraged, and murdered, and that
for all these wrongs, outrages, and
murders no white man was brought to
execution2 Does he not know that
when the reconstruction act OF the ID
Of March last become the law of the
land it gave peace, order, and protec-
tion to the section of the country
Does he not know THAT under the
protection of the Army he now assails
the people of those States have en-
joyed during the past ten months q
degree of liberty, of order, of law. and
of personal security such as they have
not pos essed for the past thirty wears ?
Thought and -epoceh ana the press
have been free. Under tho protec-
tion of that law patriotic and liberty
loving men have for the first time dur
ing the last generation breathed out
their feelings, sentiments, and opin-
ions in that section of the country.
Protected by the law, by the bay
onets Of the Army and the ballots in
the hands of more than six hundred
thousand freedmen the great questions
of restoration, Of civil rights, Of
political rights and privileges. of edu-
cation. Of material development have
been discussed on every square mile
of rebel soil. Heart, conscience, and
reason have been addressed IN tones
as earnest as ever issued from human
Iips; sad hearts have been lightened
and darkened intellects instructed
and the fruits are rIpenIng before the
eyes of the nation. The nine consti-
tutional conventions, in all of which
there are some black men, are con
their deliberations in man
ner that should win the respect if not
the admiration Of the country. There
NAV not be Madisons and Marshalls
in those conventions, they may not
have the learned and elaborate dis
cussions that distinguished otter con
in the olden time, but these
plain. unlettered men, patriotic, liber
ty-loving, and just, are Incorporating
into their constitutions all thai Is
great and grand and glorious in the
constitutions Of the most liberal and
enlightened States. They viii give
those ten southern States constitu,
tious more liberal, humane, and just
than those Commonwealth ever
knew.
Sir, the eminent men who made the
constitutions of those southern States
in the early DAYS Of the Republic,
could they return to earth, might bow
in profound reverence before the
senses of Justice, the love of liberty,
and the spirit of liberality manifested
by the members of those conventions.
Within thirty days the constitutions
of those States viii be before the peo-
pie for their adoption. and the Sena-
tor from Wisconsin and the Admins
tration and the Democracy, now pro-
poses to defeat the final consumation
of a work so glorious ? Sir, ! say %
the Senator from Wisconsin that If he
and his associates In these Halls. II the
President of the United States, if the
Judges Of the Supreme Court, viii let
alone the laws of the land, recon
struction in ninety days VIII be an
achieved success. Why, sir. in the
name Of our rent, torn, and bleeding
land, viii not the Senator from Wis
consin and the President of the Unit
ed States allow the loval people Of
those States to accomplish the work
We have committed to them? Why
does he propose TO smite down half
million Of loyal men and allow the
traitors, the unrePsntant rebels. the
men who stand before the Christian
world today The champions of the in
human, unchristian, and barbarizinr
sentiments Of the past to vote down
constitutions framed TO secure equal
civil and political rights and priv
ilegcs?
Sir. l now charge that this prop
osition made by the Senator Is an un-
patriotic proposition that 1t Is prop
osiuon TO keep those States out of
the Union. to keep their Representa-
tives out of these Chambers, and TO
Il