The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-05-20
AN OLD ABoL1r1oN1sT SPEAKS

AN OLD ABOLIT1ON1ST SPEAKS!
The Force Bill Calculated TO InIurc the
COlOred People.
Henry B. Stanton, the noted abolitionist, has
written q letter to his former co-worker in the
anti.slavery cause, Gerrit Smith, taking ground
against the ku klux or force bill. The follow.
ing is the letter entire:
NEW YORK, Nay 4, lS7l.-Hon. CERT Sm,M--
DEAR SIR: The so.callsd ku klux law recently
enacted BY congress, perports, according to its
tltls, to be IAN act to enforce the provisions OF
the fourteenth amendment to the constitution
OF the United States, and for other purposes.'
lts pretended objects are to prevent and punish
the ku tlux outrages which prevail in 80 ne por.
tons OF tho southern states. Those outrsges be-
ing palpably violations of the laws and authority
OF the state wherein they are committed, l need
not say to SO thorough student OF the constitu.
ton a. you are that this law is not warranted by
anything in that amendment. for the plain
son that the offenses question are not included
among those prohibited by the amendment To
assert, therefore, that this is Inappropriate egis.
lstion" under this amendment for curbing the
ku klux marauders, is false pre,ense which
brings this novel provision Of the constitution
into disrspute, srouses needless amnesty against
It, and tends to p.eoipitate upon the country at
an unfortunate moment the very serious issue
whether q scarcely.tried article Of the constitu.
ton. which can be made tho cover for such op.
Pressive legislation TO promote partisan objects,
ought not, together with its legitimate Offspring
which confers suffrage upon the negro, to be
stricken from the instrument
1t is on this latter point that would address
earnest words to the real friends Of the colored
race. DO they forget that these two amend.
ments can be stricken from the constitution by
the same means through which they were
grated upon til
submission Of the proposition to the state
legislatures by two.thirds of both houses Of con.
gress, and its ratification by three.fourths OF
those legislatures finishes the work. And, &C.
cording TO the presidents established by the
republicans while getting these amendments in.
70 the constitution, the process of ratification
may DO continued until the requisite number Of
states is obtained and the intermediate with.
drawal OF its ratification by q state is TO be dis.
regarded. / warn our colored citizens that the
time will come when these two amendments
will be blotted t;1sn the constitution, unless
reckless parti'ans cease experiment upon them
BY wrestling thersfrom . species of e1asperatiug
legialation which they do not authorize. Pseu.
do friends Of the negro, who, under the pressure
of an extreme party necessity, might hardly
hesitate to fay the whole African race If they
could cut their cuticle into ballots Of the ap.
proved sort, may for . time be able TO govern
tho south a. England rules India and ireland,
but they cannot permanently pin these amend.
Asnts upon the constitution with the bayouets
q the regular army.
It's solely. my dear.ir, for the purpose of pre-.
senting this last mentioned phase of the subject
T. your consideration that address this letter
70 you; yea. that write it al all. Throughout
the larger part Of the period during which you
have taken note OF public affairs the political
party that would be NEST likely under an exav.
gerated condition of public opinion to strike
down these amendments has held majority OF
two-thirds in both houses OF congress, and ma.
jority in the Legislatures of three.fourths OF
the states. What has bssn so often true hereto.
fore may occur again ere long, Such sweeping
revolutions in parties as You have more than
once witnessed, would accomplish it in four or
five years. Let this unauthorized and irritating
kind OF egislation DO kept up for partisan pur.
poses, under the false pretsnse of enforcing those
amendments, and you and l may live long
enough TO learn that they are fastened to the
constitution by frail tethsr. Then will their
friends bitterly regret that selfish politicians
were allowed to render their provisions peculiar.
ly repulsive to the large masses Of the people,
and to prevent them from silently and gradually
working their way into popular favor.
1t seems to me that policy of conoilstion to-
wards the south, and the promp. concession OF
all privileges to all persons, is the true way to
preserve the rights OF all classes of citizens and
is the first step towards restoring order to that
section OF the country. At all events, speaking
in the interests of the colored race, and solicit
GUS for the preservation of the three recent
amendments to the constitution. trust that il,
In time Of profound peace, one.third of the
southern states are to BE- declared in rebellion,
and, under suspension of tho habeas corpus,
persons who commit crimes against their local
laws are, by authority of the President, to be
tried at tho drum head, and imprisoned or shot
according to martial law, it will be done upon
some other pretext than that of enforcing those
amendments. Born amid commissions, they have
had . troubled existence, and are still in the
weakness of infancy. Those who would pre-.
serve their life till they reach that vigorous ma.
turity when they can take care of themselves,
will abstain from thrusting them into unsesm-
ly quar!sls and unnecessary perils They
need friends; they need them in the south
they need them in the democratic party they
need them among the constitutional lawyers
they need them now. While We may win their
opponents by Cancellation, We cannot convince
them BY unconstitutional acts of congress, nor
silence them by the bayonets of the federal exc
sut've. Very truly yours,
HENRY B. STANTON.
The jane number of DEMoREsr's ILLusrRA-