Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-01-21
No ;

difficult to see how there can be hcsi. !
tation on this point, when the great IT,.
tie-deed expressly says that govern
ments derive their just powers from
the consent of the governed. But this
is not the only instance IN which lie
practicel SO successfully. A great par
Humanitarian OF France has said: THE
more one is lawyer the less he is
Senator" PtlS on est aroc1t N}onyS on est
Senatew If Stevens reached his con
clusion slowly, it was because he had
not completely emancipated himself
from that technical reasoning which is
the boast OF the lawyer rather than the
statesman. The pretension that the
powerto determine the qualifications
of voters embraced the power to ex-
clude Tor color, and that this same pow
er TO exclude for color was included
in the asserted power of the States to
make regulations for the elective
franchise. seems at first to have deceiv-
ed him; as if it was not insulting to
the reason and shocking to the moral
sense, to suppose that any unalterab!e
phvsica! condition, such as color OF hair,
ewes, or skin could be a Capitalization.
and, as if it was not equally offensive
to suppose, that under a power to de-
ternllne qualifications or to make
regulations" race could be disfran
..hised. Ot course. this whole preten-
toni technically set up against hn-
man rights. Nothing can be palmer
than that technicality may be employ
e in favor of human rights, but never
a ranst them. Stevens came to his
conclusion at last, and rested in it
irrnIy. 1t was his final aspiration to
see It prevail. He had seen much tor
wi ich he had striven embodied in the
institutions OF his country. lie had
seen slavery abolished. He had seen
the freedman lifted to equality OF po-
litical rights, by act Of Congress; he
has seen the colored race tlroughout
the whole land lifted to equality of
civil rights by act of Congress. 1t only
remained that he should see them
throughout the whole land lifted to the |
same equality in political rights; and |
then, the promises OF the Declaration
OF Independence would be all fulfilled. I
But he was called away before this
final triumph. A great writer Of an
tiquity, q perpetual authority, tells us,
that the chief duty of friends is not
to honor the departed by idle grief,
but to remember their purposes and to
carry out their mandates. These are
the words OF Tacitus. Iventure to add
that we shall best honor him whom
we now celebrate if we adopt his as
piration, and strive for lis iultlment.
Il is as defender OF human rights |
that Thaddeus Stevens deserves our
homage. Here he is supreme. On
other questions he erred On the f.
nances his errors We're signal. But
history will forget these and other fail
inrs, as it bends with reverence before
those exalted !abors by which hannah
itv has deem advanced. Already tie
takes his place among illustrious names,
which are the common property OF
mankind. / see him now, as | have so
often seen him during life. His ven
cradle form moves slowly and with
uncertain steps; but the gathered
strength of years is in his countenance
and the light of victory on his path
Politician, calculator, timeserver, stand
aside! A hero-statesman passes to his
reward.