Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-09-01


The former exhibits a bOldneSS and a
daring which almost commands admir-
alton, the latter 4 cOWardice which eN-
cites contempt.
Nor is this all. The establishment Of
military despOtisms in the Southern
States. the multiplication of civil officers
with desDotic power, the disfTanchise-
ment of the intelligent white population
i'm the South, and the 6nfranchlsement
of an ignorant and inferior race, making
il a ruling class; the depTiving States OF
representation i'll Congress, under Nafl-
Gus DreteNtS; ctingmreasOnaOIe, ull-
constitutional and humiliaung cOndl-
tinns, all these schemes were destined
to peTpCtUate party ascendancy at the
sacrifice of both the letter and spirit OF
the Constitution.
We need only to refer to the course
pursued in relation to Georgia, to con-
vince any fair-minded man both of the
utter unscrupulOUsnessa and the base mo-
tives of the Radical leaders. Congress
passed law, upon complying with the
provisions of which, Georgia, (Once the
Empire State of the South was again
to take her place in the UuiOn and be
represented in the national councils.
After full compliance with the cOndI-
tiOns, and after her members had been
elected and sworn in, it was determined
that her votes in the electoral college
should be counted if they did not effect
the result, but if by counting them Gen.
Grant should be defeated, the votes
should be thrown out!
By way of punishment for voting for
the Democratic candidates for President
and Vice President, and for attempting
to regulate her own State affairs, her
Representatives in Congress were Un-
seated and put outside the Hall, where
they still remain, and the wisest cannot
tell whether Georgia is in or out Of the
Union. [Applause.]
SUFFRAGE.
The course pursued and the means adj
opted to secure the ratification of the
proposed Fifteenth Amendment to the
Constitution by partisan Legislatures,
against the known and expressed will
of the people, illustrates the deteTmina-
ton Of corrupt leaders to peTpetuate
their power. The Constitution, which
was ordained by the people, and which
can properly be altered only by the peO-
pie, according to prescribed formula,
must be fundamentally changed by
force and fraud. Congress knew full
we'll, and the Legislatures which made
haste to ratify this amendment knew,
that the majority of the people in almost
every State were opposed to such change
of the Federal Constitution. Because
the people could not be trusted, the Rad
icals in Congress unanimously opposed
the submission of the question to the
Legislatures thereafter to be elected.
What aggravates their guilt, they had
declared in the National Convention at
| Chicago that the question of suffrage in
| loyal States belonged properly to those
| States, and upon that avOWal had elected
| Legislatures. No sooner had the party
leaders ascertained that they had con-
! troll Of a large number of the Legislatures
| than they commenced the work of for
cling through the amendment. To con-
sumate the fraud beyond a peradventure
| it was made q condition precedent to
admission into the Union and Tepresen-
| tatiOn in Congress, that Virginia, Missis-
| siDpi and Texas should Tatify theamend-
ment. With what indecent haste was
| this measure crowded through Iegisla-
! tive bodies in States where large pOpu-
! lar maiOTities were against it. In Ohio
a majority of more than fifty thousand
! had decided against negro suffrage, yet
| the Radical members of her legislature
voted to force the measure upon them
in the face of this popular verdict.
! ask you, my fellow citizens, if the Con-
| stitution Of the United States is to be
! thus tampered with and emasculated by
party leaders in defiance of the known
will Of the people?
It is not negro suffrage which I so
much depTeciate, but the dishonest and
fraudulent way of changing the funda-
mental law of the Republic. 1t is prob
able that the day was not distant when,
by the free and voluntary act of each
State, every man, of whatever color,
would be permitted to vote for State and
municipal officers, and then, by the
terms of the Federal Constitution, they
would also vote fOTmembers of Congress
and Presidential electors. The trainers
of that instrument wisely left the ques-
ton of suffrage to the States respectiN e.
| ly, and by this provision the States had
Il check upon the OyershadOwing power
of the Federal Government. This safe
| guard, this right of each State to deter
mine who may vote for its Governor
and other State and municipal officers,
is by this fraudulent method to be swept
away. What a dangerous precedent!
| What shall be the limit of party tinker
ing with the Constitution? If, in the
good pleasure of Congress, it should
think proper to amend the Constitution
50 as to give General Grant and his sue
cessors in Office alife tenure to the Presi-
denCy, could it not secure its ratifica-
ton by the same means which have
IbGen employed to adopt the Fifteenth
Amendment? Any other party which
may gain a like ascendency in the Gen
eTal and State Governments may resort
to similar frauds to retain power or ac-
cOmplish cherished purpose. The
! Constitution is safe in the hands of the
people, and it is safe nowhere else, and
Invoke the independentmasse to strike
down any Of those who, in any manner,
or for any purpose, would change the or
ganic law without consulting the people.
For Congress to make the ratification of
this fundamental change a condition
precedent to a States being recognized
/ is a gross and objectionable assumption
Of power, an outrage upon the rights of
a State, an insult to the whole people,
and is a ratification within the meaning
Of our supreme law. Governor Hayes
and the whole Radical ticket I'm this
State are fully committed to the con-
summation of this fraud, and a vote for
them is an Endorsement nOtmerely of
negro suffrage, but ofthe means taken to
sccureit.
Thousands who voted two years ago
to strike the word white from the Con-
stitUtiOn of Ohio, thereby admitting col
Ored persons to full citizenship, will Op-
pose this method of attaining the end.
They believe that the people Of Ohio are
fully competent TO decide this question
for themselves without the advice or i'll
reference of other States or the Federal
/ Government We shall see whether the
money and patronage of the Govern
ment, the standing army of Federal Of
ficcrs, and the force of party discipline,
are sufficient tOneUtGraliZe u majority of
one hundred thousand in Ohio who are
opposed to the ratification of thG,amGnd-
ment. The question comes to us now in
such Il form that a vote for any nominee
Of the Radical party is vote to force
negro suffrage upon State against the
will of its people. Mental reservations
and protests against the measure viii
avail nothing In the opinion of Radi-
cal leaders, Il State has no rights which
the General Government is bound to re-
spcct, and, unless arrested in their
course, il a State exercises any govern
mental functions, it will he by special
grace of Congress. Applause.
VandaI hands are hackingaway at the
pillars of our State temples, and those
Symmetrical and beautiful structries are
falling i'm pieces. Even the dOctures of
"cTliacnt domain is secuted by our
modem statesmen. So tenaciOusly was
thiS dOctrIue held nv our fathers that