The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-07-02

he ment it take the necessary steps f
ie the restoration of the State of vi
a ginis to its proper relations to I'll
a Union. AS the ground Of his re
II ommendation he said: 35I
e 81 am led to make this recommel
/ dation from the confident hope an
e belief that the people of that Stat
2 are now ready to co ooperate with th
National Government in bringing
S again into such relations to the Unio
e As it ought as soon as possible to e:
: tsblish and maintain, and to give I
\ all its people those equal rights IN
. der the law which were asserted il
the Declaration of Independence il
the words of one of the most illus
triOus of its sons"
The Message of the President wa
referred, in the House of Represen
tatiyes, to the Committee ou Recon
structiOn. That committee the mex
day reported bill for the recon
struclon of Virginia, and also o
Mississippi and Texas. The char
aeter OF the bill sufficiently appear
in the FIRST two sections relating tf
| IVirginia : .
"Bs it enacted Jy The Senate ana
House Of REPRESENTATIVES of the Unit
lsd lSt,stes Of -Alteriea ia Congress as
seulJlstl,r That the President vi The
United States, at such time as he may
deem best for the public interest,
may submit the Constitution which
was framed by the convention which
met in Richmond, Virginia, ON Tues
day, the Sd day Of December, 1861, &,
| 10 the registered voters of sail
State, for ratification or rejection !:
land may also submit to a separate
vote such provision Of said Consti
tuition as he NAV deem hest. ,tsiai
SEC. .. A,ld be IL further enacie,i,
That at the same election the voters
OF said State may vote for and elect
members TO the General Assembly
of said State, and all the officers of
State provided for by said Constitn
ton, and for members OF Congress :;
and the officer commanding the DIS
trict OF Virginia shall cause the hist
of registered voters OF said Stale to
be revised and corrected prior to
such election, and for that purpose
may appoint such registrars as he
may deem necessary. And saiti
election shall be held and returns
thereof made in the manner provided
by the election ordinance adopted by
the convention which framed said
Constitution. ..- -.r fr
1t will be seen that by this bill
that the people OF Virginia were to
proceed in the work OF reconstruc
ton at such time as the President
might deem best, and that such re-
construction in all lis parts was to be
on the basis OF equal political rights.
The Constitution to be submitted
was framed by a convention, III tue
election of which colored citizens
participated, and OF which colored
men were members. The register
ed voters who are TO vote on it's
ratification or rejection. and also Tor |
members of the General Assembly,
for State officers and for members of
Congress, include the colOred men
of Virginia; and if the Constitution
is adopted, it secures to them equal
political rights in that State. Tne
sections of the bill provide
fer the reconstruction of Mississippi
and Texas on the same principles,
and left the time and manner TO the
of the President
This bill was reported to the
House of Representatives and unani,
mously agreed upon by commit
tee, of which four members were
Democrats. The most dis tingnlshed
Representatives OF the
States OF New York and Pennsylva
MIA advocated its passage. Out OF
about seventy Democratic members
Of the House, only twenty five voted
against it, and the only Democratie
members from Ohio who voted on
Lhe passage o: the bill voted for it.
1t thus appears that upon the rec
of Gen. Grant even the
Democratic party of Ohio, by their
r representatives in Congress, voted
Ior equal political rights 10 Virginia.
and Texas. And to-day
he great body of the people of those
States, Democrats and Conservatives
IS well as Republicans, have yielded
assent to that great principle. Inl
view of these facts, submit thai L
Am fully warranted in saying that
Gen. Grant has begun the work 81
reconstruction in q mastery way,
and with marked success.
Again. thanking you for the hon
Dr you have done me, repeat, in
what i said two years
ago. The people represented in this
mean that the State oi
Ohio, in the great progress, "whose
leading object is to elevate the con
,lition Of men, To lift artificial weights
from all shoulders, to clear the paths
OF laudable pursuits for all, and to
afford all an unfettered start and a
fair chance in the race of life shall
Tread no more steps backward.
shall enter upon my part of the labors
Df the canvass believing that the
Union Republican party is battling
for the right, and with undoubLing
that the goodness of the
cause will supply. the weakness OF
It's advocates. and command in the
result that triumphant success which
ID deserves. ~ L.--- -