Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-07-27

ed to shake. This declaration was madel
until the very end of the war. Mr.. Lincoln,
the Southern Commissioners, declared to
them that he only required them to lay
down their arms and abolish slavery, and
that they should return to the Union with
all their rights suunimpaired.a Mr.. Lincoln
told us that illegal force had disturbed the
relation of the States to the Union, and
that when that illegal force was overcome,
the relations would of themselves be -es-
tablished. .3yWell, gentlemen, the war did
come to clOse.0 Johnston surrend cred to
Sherman. The last armed man laid down
his arms, and the last army was surrender
ed. The States of the South were then IN
full operation and vigor. They performed
all the functions of government. They
maintained the order of, civil societys-
Many OF their office-holders, it is true, had
been killed; many of them had fed many
of them were liable to Indictment and
punishment Nevertheless, the 2 forms
of Il the State governments slwere
their q q own, and bsthelT2 constitutions
were as full of yigor asthey had ever been9
General Sherman carried out, to- their log
ical conclusion, the principles upon whicha
quered armies; he subdued hostile forcesp
he cut with his sword the knot which tied
the States of the Confederaey together, and
having re-establishel their relation to the
Federal Union, he said co hispf fisouers. sgoa
home in peaee.n That was the mainte-t
nance of the Union; that was the enforce,
ment of the Constitution; that was Union,
and that was peace. That was the enforce
ment OF Federal law, at the same time that
it maintained the rights and powers and
dignities OF the States untouched. Gentle
men, that was fitting conclusion to the
war. That act of pacification established
the claims Of Sherman to statesmanship, as
his prior career had established his claims
to sOldiership. 1t will DE for all time O.
monument of his wisdom, and foresigh and
moderation. ~,
But the President of the United States
and the party which elected, him were not
satisfied. They insisted on appointing Pro-
visional Governors for, those States. They
insisted, upon having a constitutional
amendment declaring that slavery was
abolished They insisted that the ordi-
nanceS of secession should be repealed
They insisted that the Confederate debt
should be repudiated, and they promised
that when this was done the States should
be restored to their representation in the
Union. 4a s.- syr. u4Vs.fl n. g1sIii51i srI.
/ Well, all this was done. The States of
the South, these very States which they
now tell us six years before committed sui
cide-these States, say, were recognized
as having sufficient power to assent to an
amendment to the Constitution of the
United States, to bind their people for all
time to come. to uriI7oes "a nj .naav
Well, gentlemen, when Congress met in
1865. the President and Congress had quar-
relied, and the President was not able, and
Congress was not willing to recognize a
restoration of the Union. Six months went
on, and the fourteenth amendment to the
Constitution was proposed. You reeollect
what that amendment is. That amend
b ..aI- ~t.E e e.
zenship M in f the State dependent
upon Federal power, and not upon the will
of the State. That amendment proposes
to change the rule of representation and
so to arrange it as that the admission of
negro suffrage shall be rewarded, and the
exclusion OF negro suffrage shall be pun
ished. That amendment proposes to put
the ban of prescription, in the State, upon
all who have given aid and comfort to the
rebellion. That amendment proposes to
enact that to question the validity of the
public debit suppose that to question it,
as l shall do to-night-is to be held as a
crime; and these very States, these South
ern States, these States that were abolished,
were invited to recognize and assent to that
constitutional amendment; and If they did
so they were promised representation in
Congress. Well. gentlemen, six mouths
more elapsed The Radicals had conquer
ed. The moderate Republicans, il. there
ever we're such, had been driven to the wall.
The reconstruction acts were passed. These
Southern States, which had been so often
invited to perform the very highest acts of
government, were abolished. In their
places military despotisms were set up.
The maintenance of order, the protection
of life, OF liberty and property, and, above
all, the reorganization of new governments,
or the organization Of new governments
upon new principles, were confided to the
will of the military officer, who was back
ed by martial law and drum-head court
martial. [Applause] TIgaui
Eighteen months have elapsed. The large
States of the North have begun to show
signs of uneasiuess-all OF them-and some
of them to show signs Of detection. The
Radicals begin to fear; they begin to think
that defeat is possible. They have deter
mined that they, must make up from the
votes of the reorganized Southern States
whatever they may lose in the votes of the
Northern, and so they set to work to pass
a bill which shall reorganize the Electoral
College-which shall declare what States
shall and what shall not vote for President;
and they determine, in the bill passed the
other day over the veto of the President,
that no State shall vote for President un-
less, since the spring of 1867, it has been
reorganized, has adopted a new constitu-
tion, has adopted negro suffi age, and
has been admitted to representation by
rhis existing Congress. Do you know
what that is for? I viii tell you. The
State of Alabama, two months ago, reject
ed, by an enormous VOTE the constitution
which was submitted to her people, and
yet this Congress proposes to admit the
State OF Alabama to representation, and to
en- force by Federal power that same reject
ed constitution, because its oaths are SO
stringent that they believe they will be
able to carry the electoral vote for the
Radical ticket. The State of Mississippi
likewise rejected the constitution which
had been preprepared for her, and they
propose to exclude her from representation,
and to exclude her from the right of voting
for President, because they know that the
the white population of that State can give
the electoral vote for the Democratic ticket
| Cheers, '' 3- 'AG
The State of Virginia has not had the
constitution submitted to it, They. know
that the white population can accept or re-
| ject that constitution as it pleases, and they
know that, whether it accepts or rejects
that constitution, the vote of that State can
be carried for Governor Seymour and Mr..
Blair, [applausel and thereupon they
Immediately say that Virginia must be
stricken from the list, and shall not have a
vote at all. [Laughter.l The State of Texas
has not been punished enough, and there
| fore, if you read the proceedings in to- days
papers, you will find that our aoiSe Congress
| is engaged in making another military or
ganization which shall rule with an iron
| rod over that State.
The fourteenth constitutional amend
ment has been declared, within two days
to be adopted. 1 have told you what that
constitutional amendment was, that il
changed the rule of representation. Ohio
and New Jersey, before their votes were
counted, before enough States had ratified te
make the ratification perfect, by the solemn
act OF their Assemblies, withdrew the assent
that had been previously given to that
amendment. The ablest lawyers in the
land say that those States had a perfect
right to do so. No Republican will pre-
tend that there is not great doubt, at least
nI,d Va e l.