The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-25

forth from the dark trials Of storm and
battle, she wore upon her forehead al
men are created equal" (Applause) Thi.
simple truth Gained the public heart and
Captivated the ear Of the world. Every
effort Of American lie, from that day tc
this, has been to unfold to mankind the
beauties of that simple declaration o
truth Now, what was the standpoint
upon which that was uttered? Our fore
fathers had lived under kings, lords and
commons. The throne had given to eacl
man his religion and his politics. OuI
foreiathers declared that the peasant In
his religious and political rights was cqu9I
tOthe prince. Now our Democratic lFlen9s
tell lis that involves social equality. My
friends, social equality has nothing TO dc
with these great natural principles. Men
associate with whom they please, regard
less of their religious or political. lie;
This party has unlolded the theories OF
government suited 10 our condition, one
by one. It's next great effort was TO con-
uucr the rebellion. 1t has done Il. Now
we pause here. When the rebellion was
CONQUERED those who had been in rebel
lion were satisfied to return quietly home
and take no more part in tho Government
than those who were in power might as
sign 10 them. But there happened to be
at the head OF the Government ut that
time d gentleman who had associated with
the leading politicians Of the South. lie
knew their power in former days. lie
did not know that the brave soldier OF inc
South, after four years OF trial and DIood,
had lived to forget these men. lie thought
he would gather them around him ana
make them the instruments of power III
the South. He put himself at the head
of this band of dead ducks" (Cheens.)
He rot them; but history tells you they
were not worth the bait, poor Us it was.
daughter and applause.)
Nv fellow.citizens, at this point the pub
lie mind had again been so lashed into
cOmmotion that the currents Of revolution
seemed to be running counter oil over the
country, and again we were ripe for anoth-
er struggle. We were threatened with
dissolution and disasters. from Maine to
Georgia; and at that point | thought that
|, as a man having an interest III thepeace
OF the country, had n right to come forth
and throw in my poor little mite to help
keep the peace. (ApplNuse) did It.
The nation spoke. Grant was elected ;
peace was restored; the bowie knife Tell
from the hand that seized the plow; con.
tidcnCe was restored; the public credit
was restored; prosperity and quiet were
inaugurated and renewed throughout the
wide breadth and length OF this vast
country, and to-day We are at peace;
| thought that whatever the errors oil
party might be, it was wiser and better to
attempt toget rid of them in peace than
to attempt 10 get rid Of them by the vlo-
lcnce of the sword. had lived once to
see the flame Of Il great conflict that had
lit up the continent and the world, and as
an humble individual was not unwilling
to put it out. Even lift were but drop OF
water on an ocean Of rage, thought l
would try with that drop OF water to
QucnCh the flames.
Nv iellow-citizens, Peace has been re-
stored TO the country MIR. Johnsonss
reconstruction policy was failure. In
stead of quoting the country it enraged
parties and threatened us with trouble and
violence. That problem being solved,
what was the next great effort Of the ne
publican party? II was to reconstruct
the South under the Constitution on q
healthy Republican basis. 1t has done it
Now, my lellOw-citizens, the South to-day
is about TO enter upon her new career o.
usefulness us u part Of this nation. Inc
Democratic party meet us and they find
themselves out of power. They are
grieved that we are paying yearly SlOO,'
100000 on our public debt; they arc
grievcd that the South is so soon returned
10 the pursuits Of quiet and peace; they
are grieycd that the credit of the country
is equal to that of any European power
and that we are developing all the re-
sources Of our country as rapidly rs We
are. And why? Because in all these
things they see perpetuity for the party
in power and ruin for themselves. tap
plausc)
Nv frllow.c citizens, being reconstruct
ed, the next problem was to adopt Sys
TEN of laws that will put the ballot In the
hands of every American citizen. In my
Judgment it never was necessary for Tue
Fifteenth Amendment to be passed, be
cause believe these people had a right &c
the ballot without the Fifteenth Amend
mcnt. (Cheers.) Because the Constitu'
ton provided that Congress should guar
antee to every State republican form Of
government, and ours was not u rcpuhli'
can form of government so long rs there
was n syllable of class lcgislA
ion on our statute hooks. (ApplauSe..
When we left the mother country We sci
our faces against class legislation. 1t was
class legislation that made monarchy and
made Europe and we had turned oul
backs on that thing, and now our Demo
cratic friends say: right, by file, into linz
(Laughtcr) When our iOreiathcrs in 7C
declared all men were equal in their reli
gi0us and political rights, there were
million black people upon our soil who
assisted lis in achieving our lIbertie:
from the mother country. ] ask you /
without any special provisions in the
organic law excluding them, If rs men
they would not fall under the provision!
of the organic law? But it SO happened
our fathers, under certain restrictions
which they could not avoid and had to
leave to time to unsolve, made certain
provisions wrestling from these people the
enjoyment of those political rights. Now
When Mr.. President LINCOLN in 1868 re-
moved that provision in the organic law
which Invested them of their rights, did
not they full back, sir, on the first provi
sion which declared all men equal? If
am right in that theory these people were
entitled to their votes without the 18TH
Amendment. and it was want of man
hood in the Republican party not to havt
given il to them without it. You wert
a(raid of the poor miserable, shriveled
cowardly Democrats (Chcers) that had
stool up in the fnCe OF your Constitution
and God. You were afraid to tell the
world you were men.
nv iellow.citizens, time has progressed,
aud tim rPPnO