The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-02-13

bill, passed in June, 1864, which
took the power of reconstruction
out of the hands of the President,
where it did not in fact belong.
refer to Mr.. Lincoln = but if that
bill had passed it would perhaps
have resulted in the destruction of
this Government. We Gun all see i.
now, although 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. 1 refer to that
bill simply to show how we have all
travelled. 1t required but one condi-
ton or guarantee on the part of the
South, and that was that they should
put in their constitutions provision
prohibiting slavery. 1t required no
other guarantee. 1t required no
equalization of representation; no
security against rebel debts, or
against payment for emancipated
slaves; and it confined the right of
suffrage to white men. ABut it was
thought to be a great step in advance
at the time; and SO it was; but
events were passing rapidly, and in
1868 the President came forward
with his proposition, and I am stat
ing what is true from an examination
OF the documents when say that but
for the want of power with The Pres
ident, 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 recon
struct upon that basis.
Still Congress was not prepared to
take a forward step until the summer
of 1866, in the passage of the constitu-
tional amendment, which we now re-
gard as Il halfway measure, necessary
and vital as far as it went. but not go
ing far enough. That was rejected, and
we were then compelled to go further.
and we have now fallen upon the plan
OF Reconstruction which 1 have been
considering. 1t has been dictated by the
logic of events. 1t overrides all
arguments. overrides all preiu-
dlces, overrides all theory i'm
the presence of the necessity for pre-
serving the life of this nation; and if
future events shall determine that we
must go further, l for one am prepared
to say that will go as far as shall be
necessary to the ofthis guar
antee, the reconstruction of this Repub-
lie npon right basis, and the sue
ccSSful restoration of eyery part of this
Union.
Mr. President, the column of recon-
struction, as | before remarked, has ris-
en- slowly. 1t has not been hewn from
a single stone. 1t is composed of many
blocks, painfully laid up and put to-
gether, and cemented by the tears and
blood of the nation. Sir, we have done
nothing arbitrarily. We have done
nothing for punishment, ay, too little
for punishment. Justice has not had
her demand. Not a nan has yet been
executed for this great treason. The
arch fiend himself is now at liberty
upon bail. No man is to be punished;
and now, while punishment has gone
by. as we all know, we are insisting
only upon security for the future. We
are simply asking that the evil spirits
who brought this war upon us shall not
again come into power during this gen.
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 the consciences of
men; while on the other side we hear
appeals to the prejudice of race against
race. The white man is overwhelming
ly in the majority i'll this country. and
that majority is yearly increased by
half 4 million of white men from
abroad, and that majority gaining in
proportion from year to year until the
colored men will be but handful in
this country and yet we hear the pre-
iudices of the white race appealed to
TO crush this other race, and to prevent
it from rising to supremacy and power.
Sir, there is nothing noble. there is
nothiLg generous, there is nothing love-
ly, in that policy or that appeal. How
does that principle compare with ours !?
We are standing upon the broad plat
form ofthe Declaration Of Independence
that ''all men are created equal'; that
they are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights: that among
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit Of
happiness" We say that these rights
are not given by laws; are not given by
the Constitution but they are the gift OF
God to every man born into the world.
Oh. Sir, how glorious is this great
principle compared with the inhuman,
[ might say the henish-appea1 to
the prejudice of race against race
the enueavOr further to excite
the strong against the weak; the en-
deavor further to deprive the weak of
their rights Of protection against the