Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-09-04

people Of the South have any rights
which the other States are bound to re-
spect, in this Federal Union, and there
fore that the States Of the South and the
people Of the South are to be absolutely
disposed Of at the will Of Congress, with
out any reference to the Constitution or
the rights which it secures.
And the further fundamental idea in
this Radical policy was that Congress
would build up new States upon the ruins
Of the States outside Of the Constitution,
and base their reconstruction, not upon
the civilized white basis, but upon the
half civilized nerro basis. (Grosns,
voice "can't do it"]
Fellow -citizens, that there may be no
mistake on this point, / wish to call to
your mind the fact that, in March, 1865,
when Mr.. Trumbull urged the admission
OF Louisiana 10 her right TO representa-
ton, Mr.. Sumner proposed then, for the
first time, that Louisiana should not be
admitted to representation, except upon
the fundamental condition Of universal
negro suffrage.
And when the vote was taken in March,
1865, Mr.. Trumbull and twenty.three
other Republican Senators voted against
Mr.. Sumner. Mr.. Sumner could only
bring to his support, on the night when
the division occurred, four Radical Sena.
tors beside himself. (Cheers But in
1866, after Mr.. Lincoln had died--after
Mr.. johnson became President-after
General Grant had visited the South in
December, 1865, and made the report
from which have read 90 to the condi.
ton of the people of the South, and their
disposition toward the government of the
United Staoes, Mr.. Sumner, Thaddeus
Stevens, and those who followed them,
acquired such an ascsndsncy in both
Houses of Congress that they succeeded
in carrying forward this Radical policy |;
and the Radical reconstruction policy
was based upon that idea, and upon that
idea alone. There was nothing else in
the reconstruction policy of Mr.. Johnson
to which they took any exception, except
that he did not force negro suffrage upon
the people of the South against the will
of the people ofthe South.
Fellow-citizens, that is the real cause
of that change in the feelings of the
South, testified to by General Grant.
That 10 the true and only reason. Loud
cheers
Now, you have heard good deal dur
ing the past winter about impeachment.
They impeached President johnson.
[Could not do it ] The true reason, and
the only reason, why they attempted to
impeach him was that he would not lend
himself to their project to enforce negro
suffrage. That's so, and loud cheers.] ]
Fellow citizens, there is an impeach.
ment now going on and being tried before
a tribunal more august than the Senate
of the United States. There is an i'm
peschment going on before the great
American people, and the party that is
impeached is this Radical Congress.
Immense applause.
Fellow-citizens, let us lay our founda-
tions sure. ! desire to state to you in .
little more than an ordinarily formal
manner the impeachment that is now
going on against that Radical policy.
! / arraign and impeach the Radical
policy of the present Congress of high
crimes and misdemeanors. At the bar
of the American people, in the presence
of high Heaven, and before the civilized
world, Iimpeach it.
First-As crime against the laws of
nature, which God Almighty has stamped
upon the races of mankind, because this
policy of Congress attempts to force q
political, and, consequently, social and
unnatural equality between the African
and Caucasian. ["They never can do it. ]
Between an alien, inferior and exotic
race from the tropics, and the highest
type of the human race in the home of
the latter in the temperate zone.
Seeond--I impesch the Radical pol
icy as q crime against civilization itself,
because it would, by force, wrench the
Government out Of the hands of the civ
ilized white race in ten States of this
Union to place it in the hands of the half
civilized African.
Third-I impeach j. as crime
against the Constitution, because 1t
trsmples down the rights of the States to
fix for themselves the qualifications OF
their own voters--a right without which
a State ceases to be republican State.
That's so.
Fourth-I impesch it as a crime
against the Constitution and against the
national faith, because it annuls the
pardons constitutionslly granted to hum
dreds of Thousands Of the most intelli-
gent white men of the South, and in open
and palpable violation of the Coustitu-
ton disfranchises them. Applause.
Fifth Il impeach it as CRIME
against the existence Of ten States of the
Union and the liberties of eight millions
of people, because in express terms, It
snnuls all civil governments by which
alone those liberties may be secured. and
places them under an absolute military
dsspotism. Applsuse.
At this point another division OF
came into the square, and
were received with tremendous enthusi-
asm
Mr.. Doo'ittle-There is another ward
coming. [Cheers.
Sixth-I impesch it as . crime
against humanity. tending to produce
war of races to the utter destruction OF
one or both; a result which cannot be
except by q large standing
army, which neither our resources will
bear, nor our liberties long survive.
Seventh impesch it as an utter
Of the purposes for which
the war was prosecuted, and of the very
idea upon which we fought and mastered
the rebellion.
Eighth impesch il because Il tends
to make false all the promises and
pledges made BY the friends Of the gov
ernment in its fearful struggle to put
down the rebellion. aud because It tends
to make true all the prophecies and fore
bodings Of its enemies
Niuih-I impeach II for it's destruction
Of the national credit; for creating .
necessity for taxation which will result in
unless better policy can be