Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-09-30


ine's Speech.
The Democratic meeting at the wester
terrace of the State House, in all that con
| stitutes a success, was the grandest an
most imposing of the campaign.
The procession of the White Boys i
Blue, with their lanterns, was the fines
and largest ever beheld In Columbus-th
fireworks were grand-the sea. of.upturne
faces was a sea indeed, and the number
who lined the portico and stood upon tn
steps of the Ohio Capitol and upon tn
walks and grass of the State House yart
listening to the gifted and patriotic EWING
IS he exposed the crimes of Radics
treachery, constituted the largest, mo;
orderly and as enthusiastic meeting a
was ever held yet either in Columbus @
out of it.
Col. BABsR. as President of the meetins
introduced Gen. EwING to the vast Assem-
blage as native son of Ohio, who bears
historic name-the lustre of which he ha
fully maintained in the war for the Unior
The Union and the Constitution for whic
he and his distinguished brother-in-lay
General SHERMAN, with thousands of you
brave soldier boys fought, is again put Il
jeopardy by Congressional usurpers an
eonspirators, whom he will handle withou
yes as he did the rebels when in arms.
Gen. EWING coming forward, was greet
ed with loud and continued applause.
1t did him good, he said, to see such a de
monstration, and to meet again, face t
face, so many of his gallant comrades i
arms who. with him had done battle for tn
Union. He had neither voice nor time t
discuss at great at length the issues of tt
day, as he would wish to discuss them be
lore such an audience. In his travel
over the State, he felt the pulse of the peo
pie of Ohio, and he now saw before him
i'm the vast audience and in the demonstra
tion of tonight, that the heart of Ohio wa
right. .s! $50 vsf -.Ati1e.is i'- p
On the subject of freconstruction,G Gen. Ew
ING said that on the 1st of December, 1866
when Congress met, all the Southern State
had governments of their own, reorganizet
under the auspices of Presidents LINcoLt
and JOHNSON, by the white electors o
those States. who were qualified to vot'
under their State Constitutions and laws a.
they existed when the war broke out.
The whole machinery of government in
chose States was working in perfect order
Their constitutions and laws had beer
Notwithstanding slavery, renouncinq
the false doctrine of secession, repudiatine 9
the rebel debt, assuming the National debt
giving to negroes the right to hold proper
ty and to sue in the courts, and, in short,
recognizing and accepting. in the most
binding and explicit form, every known
result of the war. They sent Senators and
Representatives to Congress. Some OF
them could take the oath prescribed by
the law of 1862, and could have been ad-
mitced under it; others could not. II Con-
gress had admitted those who could take
that oath, who had been loyal during the
war, and sent the others back to their con-
stitaents for those constituents 70 ELL their
places with men who had been loyal dur
ing the war, we would have had no rebels
in either branch of Congress; no r" red
handed rebels" and the Union would have
been fully restored on terms of perfect
amity and satisfaction to the whole people
Of the country, North and South. iY
You recollect perfectly well, gentlemen,
said Mr.. EWING, that from the time Mr..
LINCOLN. in 1851, commenced to aid the
Southern people in restoring their relations
% the Union, Congress, in every possible
'orm, recognized that mode of restoring
The relations of the Southern States to the
Union as the legitimate, constitutional
node. They admitted Senators and Rep
from Virginia, from Tennes-
zee, and from Louisiana, who sat in Con-
.ress until 1864. They took the assent of
he Government of old Virginia to the
ormation OF the New State of West Vir-
,inia. They submitted TO the Govern
nents of the Southern States, in 1865. the
Amendment abolishing
lavery all of them accepted it, and to-
lay slavery is not abolished in this coun-
ry by the Constitution of the United
states, unless those Governments reorgan-
zed by the white electors of those States
Inder the advice of Presidents JOHNSON
nd LINCOLN were valid State Govern
nents, f5r there has been no Constitutional
abolishing slavery except
hat. ...-.r.... .--.
In, the tall of 1866. after these restoration
measures had been fully carried out in all
he Southern States, the Republican party,
n all their State conventions in the North,
xcept Massachusetts,, explicitly indorsed
9 party all over the North also endorsed it.
t was acceptable to the whole white peo-
lie of the South, aye, and to the colored
eople of the South, for I venture to say that
nder this plan of adjustment, and in the
ear 1866, there was kindlier relation ex-
sting between the blacks and the whites,
throughout all the Southern States, than
as ever existed since.
In other words this adjustment of Presi-
ent LINCOLN and President JOHNSON was
ully recognized in every possible form by
he Congress of the United States, and was
cceptable to the whole people OF this
ountry. Now, if that adjustment had been
flowed to be perfected we should be in a
astly better condition to-day than we are
low. All the Southern States would have
een at once upon their feet, there would
ave been no threatened war of races, no
lerce passions aroused in the South to
'recipitate conflicts between the races and
o make every body in the Southern States,
eel that it was useless for him to sow be-.
ause he did not know who would reap
sut that plan of adjustment was thrust
aside, as shall endeayer to
h W you, in violation of the Constitution
f the United States, to the infinite injury
# the whole people of this country, North
nd South, and for no purpose under heav-
n but to secure the domination in this
ountry of party which felt itself about
o become minority party.