New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-01-27
NETWORK, MONDAY, JANUARY o. 1865

there way left but to resort to colored suf-
rage ana suffrage to all men except shose VINO were
| disqualified by the commission OF hlgh crimes ana
lnsdelneanorS. Mr.. President we hear much SAID III
the course of this debate and through the press,
about the violation of the Constitution IL Is said
ihat III the Reconstruction measures OF Congress we
| have gone outside of the Constitution. and the re-
mark OF some distinguished statesman of the Repub-
lcan party is quoted TO that effect. Sir, If any lead
ing Republican has ever said so, he spoke only for
! himself, not for another. ] deny the statemsnt IN
| tOfo j insist that these Reconstruction measures
are as fnly within the powers of the Constitution
| as any legislation that can be had not only by
reason but by. authority. And who are the
men that are talking 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 70 oyertuin the
Constitution and establish that of Monte OmeTy i'll
ITS place or were their Northern friends, who were
| aiding and sympathzing in that undertaking. Ihad
occasion the other day TO speak of what described
constitutional Union mana man living inside
of the Federal lines during the war. sympathzlng
with the Rebellion. and who endeayOred TO aid the
Rebellion by insisting that every measure for the
purpose OF SuppIessng II was yloall0n Oh ine Con
stitutOn 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 il by force
of arms and those throughout the country who have
given them aid and comfort. Sir you VIII remember
that once a celebrated FrenchwOman was being
dragged TO the scalod and she passed the statue of
Liberty she exclaimed: How many crimes
have been committed in thy name " and
say 10 the Constitution, how many
crimes against liberty. humanity, and progress,
are being committed ia thy name by these men
who. while they loved not the Constitution and
sought its destruction, now forpaIty purposes, claim
90 be its especial friends. Ny friend from Wisconsin
yesterday compared what he called the Radical party
of the North 10 the Radicals of the South and when
he was asked the question BY some senator VINO
are the Radicals of the SOUTH he said they are
the SecesSiOnsts Sir the Sccesslonsis of the South
are Democrats to-day, acting IN harmony and con
cert with the Democratic party. They were Demo
Gratis during the war who prayed for the success of
Mcclellan and PendletOn, and who would have been
glad TO vote for them. They were Democrats during
the waL Ven who symp9thzed with the Rebellion,
who aided in blneing it on. These are the Radicals
of the South, and my friend from Wisconsin.
after all, Is acting with that Radical party.
The burden of his speech Yesterday was That
the reconstruction measures of kCOn1rcSSl are III
tended TO establish negro supremacy sir this prop
OstiOn Is without any foundation Whatever be-
lieyc u was stated yesterday by the Senator from
Illinois tMr. IrumbulI that In every state but two
the white voters registered 0ntnnmDeled the coOIed
voters and the fact that IN two States the coiorcd
voters 0utnumbcr the white voters. Il owing TO the
simple accident that there ave more cOOtcd men IN
those states than there are white men, Congress has
not sought 10 establish NEGRO supremacy, nor has II
sought tO establish the .lpTeludcy Of any class or
party of men II 10 had sought To- establish negro
supremacy 10 would have been an easy matter by
excluding from the right Of suffrage all men who
bad been concerned III the Rebellion, IN accordance
with the proposition al the distinguished senator
l0m Massachusetts, NJ sumner, IN ms speech
~ Worcester ia 1850 lie proposed 10 exclude
all men who had been concerned IN the Rebel
lion, and confer suffrage only on those VINO
were LETT That would have established negro
majority in every state; and If that had been tie OBJ
iect OF Congress IL could have hacn readily done
Bnt. Sr, Congress has only sought 20 divide the po
htlcal power between the oJ III and the Usioyal Ii
has disirauchiscd soma J0pD di,loya leaders. eay-
ing all the rest Of the PEOPLE 10 vote. Ihey have
been cuflauchi,cd on both sides that neither -hOud
DE placed i'm the power of The other. The Rebels
have the night TO vote 80 that they shall not be under
the control and power ot the Union men only. ana
the MON men have been allowed 10 vote 50 that
they shall not e under the control and power OF the
Rebels. This is the policy, 10 divide the political
power among those men Ion the protection ut each.
Sir the charge that We intend To create negro s,-
prcmIcy on cOOred state governments Is without ihe
slightest foundation for 10 would have been ~ the
power OF Congress to have easily conferred such si-
premacy by simply excluding the diSloyM from the
right of suliTaLe-a power which II had the clear
night 10 exercise. Now. Mr.. President allow me TO
consider for moment The amendment ohelcd by the
Senator from Wisconsin. and upon which his speech
was made. and see what is lis ctoct-Tvjll not say
It's purpose but its inevitable eicc-Sholid II become
q law. VIII ask the Secretary 10 read Tue amend
ment which the Senator from Wisconsin has pro-
posed to the Senate. THE Secretary read rs follows:
rorsci nTsoss That uon election for te rltl-,ion Of
aay si.te' 90 ,I,. 10y ls ,, a. o. 81. s
allowed to vote un.'' he 'Aa possess 0'e OF he following qule'
II, shall have served O., soldier te r,l- Amy hr one
De .ant,rs ,ur,7, eIl, on p, r.,d e Constitution ~ o.,
uaclso s TO uee be A' ulne o 800 ol TO ugpor the snei
IL .la Dc .e 10 d, oaa right or u tae rsto anoe Of
freehold ol ls value 81 r2't
Sir. these qualifications are by the terms
Of tie amendment. TO apply to those who were
not authorized 10 vote by the laws Of the State be-
fore the Rcbcon-in other words, the cooled men.
lie proposes 10 allow colored man 10 vote it he has
been IN the Federal army one year, and he plopose5
20 allow Rebel white man 10 vote. although he has
served in the Rebel army four years, He proposes
that a cOOred man shall hot unless he has SUI
ficicnt education 10 read The Constitution of the
United States aud 70 Subscribe ms name 20 an oath
to support the same. whereas he permits Rebel
know how to make his mark even 10 note gwen FOR
whisky laughterJ Again, sir he proposes that
the colorcd man shall not vote unless Nc shaii be
seized ia bis own right or ~ the Ilgh OF MS we, OF
a freehold OF the value of $50, provision which OF
course would cut OH $50 ont of every 1000 colorcd
men IN the South. The colored man cannot vote /
unless he has a freehold Of $3.50, but the !
white Rebel, who never worth - cents |
who never paid poll-taX IN his life never paid an
would be the inevitable effect of the adoption OF this
amendment To cut of such large part oi the !
colored vote to leave tue Rebel white vote largely
in the ascendancy ana 70 put ihcsc now STATE gov
crnments there 10 be formed again into the hands OF
the Rebels. Sir. will not spend longer time upon |
that. My friend Yesterday alluded 10 my lndoiSe,
mcnt of The Presidents policy IN speech III 1863
never Endorsed what is now called the l'Tesidents
policy. In the summer of 1868, when saw dlyi- !
can party and when could not help anticipating !
the direinl consequences that mnst result from II.
made speech IN which ] repealed certain state !
ments that had been made against the President, /
and denied the charge that by issuing his prOcla- /
nation OF MAY % 1861 he had thereby left the Re
publicali party. said that he had not left the Re
nnblic0n i0ItV by that act. | did show that the !
rpolicy of fGai proclamation was even moro radical
than that of Mr.. Lincoln; did show th2I 1t was
more radical even than the Winter,DayiS hl oi the
summer of 1864 Bnt Sir il was all upon the distinct
Understanding that whatever the President did that
his whole policy or action was TO be submitted TO
Congress for tx Consideration and decision and, as
81 fnSie fftahrked IL that had been done all would |
have been we'll did not then ad.ornl4 uniftisal
coloed suffrage in The SOUTH aud h2ye bclore given
my reasons for it, and in doing that was acting IN
harmony with the great body of the Republican /
PARTY OF the North. II nearly year after that