Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-01-21

posts of Richmond, and Lee surrendered
his shattered and exhausted army to Grant
auI Sherman, and the war. SO far as the
clash of arms on the battlefield was con-
cerned, was ended. Fl ~
EsrEEs RECONSTRUCTIoN.
What were your expectations then, fell
w-citizens-Republica and Democrats
at the close of this bloody strife when
Lee and johnson surrendered? Did you
not believe that those Crittenden Resolu-
tions would then be fully realized, and this
once happy and prosperous country would
be reunited in the bonds of fraternal peace
and harmony?
Those men in the South-had been sub
dued by force of arms, and although they
had undertaken to dissolve the Union and
sever the bonds that held the States to-
gether, they had signally failed. The at.
tempt had cost vast sums of money, and
rivers of fraternal blood, but all had failed.
They surrendered to the force under the
command of the, Federal Government,
And now, my fellow-citizens, when the
people come to this party .and ask for the
fuliillment of the Crittenden Resolution
they break their faith and violate their
pledge. Instead of these States being re-
stored to their original power and majesty
in the Union, system of reconstruction, as
the phrase goes, is commenced.
ALLOW me, fellow-citizens. at this point,
to digress for moment. l see in the re-
marks of General Brinkerhoff, at Caledonia,
he says Andrew Johnson Is responsible for
these States being kept ouI OF the Union.
L am not prepared 20 admit the assertion.
But if it was true, who, ask placed An
drew johnson in the Presidential chair
Did the Democratic party put him there :?
The very men who denOunce Andrew
johnson to- day are the men by whose votes
he was placed in power. The Democratic
party cast the votes that elected him againt
the protestations and efforts of the Repub-
llican party. They. elected him as master
stroke of policy, never dreaming when they
did so that Andrew johnson would one day
become President.
Now, say, after this depression, system
!Ot reconstruction was commenced by this
Radical party-and say Radical by way
of distinction from the Republican party,
because am we'll aware, and am glad to
find it-so, that there are hundreds and
thousands of the men who heretofore voted
with the Republican party that have de-
termined to be olonger led by these fan
atics, who see no good in any thing unless
put forth for the benefit of the colOred
race. 1 say this Radical party commenced
a system of reconstruction to perpetuate
their power through the help of the ne
gro race, and to overthrow the white mans
power in the Southern States-tO turn over
negroes who reside there.
1t would be sheer waste of time to uu-
dertake to recount the iniquities and enor-
mites of the various reconstruction meas
ures proposed by this party. Although
they had two-thirds majority in both
branches of the National Legislature, they
were from twelve to eighteen months be-
fore they matured even plan of recon-
strnction. They continued to report and
rereport, until perhaps year aud half
ago, before they reached any thing upon
which they could agree. Determining,
however, all the time to bring about such
a condition of affairs as should turn these
ten States in the South over into the hands
of an ignorant and irresponsible class OF
people there, who had recently been li6erat
ed from slavery, they decided to place in the
hands of these negroes political power. to
be welded for the benefit of the Radical
party, so that they could control the pOliti-
cal destinies of this country.
ANY man who reads the current news oi
the day cannot fail to come to that conclu-
sion. In order to accomplish this, what
was necessary to be done? First, to strip
the Chief Executive of the last remains OF
power given by the Constitution. They
charged upon President johnson treason
first to the party which elected him. and
then to the country, but more especially to
the party which elected him; and in order
to prevent him from faithfully executing
the laws, they commenced by their various
acts to deprive him of all political power
and make him mere cipher in the affairs
of this nation, while. the Constitution
makes him one of the three departments o
this Government, and charges him with the
faithful administration of the law.
After having stripped the President O
all power possible, they turned over these
ten States, sovereign in their capacity, and
circumscribed in their power only by the
limitations of the Constitution of the Uni
ted States-turned them over into ths
hands of five military dictatOrs; divided
them into five military districts, although
there was not in all these Southern States
a single armed foe, from the Potomac to
the Rio Grande; for the people of these
States were totally disarmed, and had sig
nified their readiness to conform to the con-
dition of Affairs. and to obey to the strict
letter all the requirements of the law and
Constitutions. r-r tfrs -uGT
We have been in the habit, on our Fourth
of July occasions and public demonstra-
tions, of boasting to the world that this
was q land of liberty and freedom, and thai
the civil law prevailed over the military;
tlfat, by the express provisions of the Con.
stitution, it is arranged that the military
was always to be subordinate to the civil
law.G NJ g4-e-rae- bfrF ---egt-f-r -
The war was ended, and peace proclaim
ed, and yet in the face OF all this, we find
the military law. in its most oppressive
form, established by thisreconstruction acl
over these ten Southern States. And al
though, my fellow-citizens, the people Ol
these States had elected Governors aud leg
islators, and put in motion the machinery
of civil government, had put in motion
all acts necessary to a full and compile te
restoration of civil rights there, at one fell
stroke of this Radical party, all these eff.
forts were stricken down, and the bayOnet
was substituted for the judicial ermine.-
For the right of trial by jury, the military
court martial was substituted, the dutie;
of the Judge on the bench were transfer.
red to the military officer sitting ut head,
quarters, surrounded by Orderlies and SUBJ
ordinates, who were obliged by the strict
discipline of the regular army to obey or
ders without questioning or objection.
Whoever reads the history of the cOun-
try for the past year, as it is written by the
pen of the faithful historian, and by the
correspondents who have been sent by the
newspapers of the country, will find that
in the Southern States, for the last year
every element which goes to constitute 9
free people has been stricken down and
abrogated, and in its stead despotism es.
tablished. Among the first things done by
some of these military commanders was to
displace and turn out of Office the Govern
ers elected by the people of these States
1t may seem but trifiing affair, when moi
brought home to US, for a Governor of a
State to be turned out of Office without a
trial and some one appointed in his place
But suppose, my fellow citizens, this
should be our lot in Ohio; apply this con-
dition of affairs to the, Governor who was
elected in October last by the votes of the
people of this State; who was recently in
augurated and is now in the discharge OF
the duties of his office, not elected by Dem
ocratic votes, but if fairly elected who
ought to be maintained in his office till his
term expires, unless he be charged with
wrong: doing and is expelled by fair and
impartial trial according to the Constitu-
ing charge of the district in which the
State of Ohio might be placed, should be
stationed in Cincinnati or Columbus, and
in rho axtarnisa of his nnwer should diffe,