The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-09-01
OHIO.
Speech Of Senator Thurman at Co.
lumbus.

COLUMBUS, O., August 3l.-It having
been understood that the reports oi
Senator Thurman's speech, owing to
the lsteness Of the hour he spoke, were
imperfect, q revised report has been
furnished the Ohio Statesman. He con.
sidered first the claims of the admins.
tration to the support of the country on
the ground Of having restored the re-
bellious States to their proper relations
to the Government. So far as the Re
publican party in Congress have done
their worksthe effect has been to retard
the work OF reconstruction, in support
of which he referred to the act COM
pelling the formation of new constitu-
tons. On the New Departure he said
Now, my friends, it has been common
for the Republican party of this coun-
try to say that the Democrats have
taken New Departure and that New
Departure they allege consists in saying
that we have been wrong, and the Re-
publicans have been right. say there
has never been any such confession as
that. We are as much opposed to
what has been done as when we gave
our votes against it. Why, il / should
see man strike another in an unlawful
and brutal manner in the street, throt,
tie him and knock him down, and tres.
pass upon his rights, and should see his
wounds and bruises, and see him bleed.
ing, l should be compelled to say that
he was down and bleeding. But who
would call that a confession that the
villain who outraged him had done
what was proper? Laughter. So
when these men throtlled the Constitu.
ton and ruined the peace of the country
when they made the South almost as
ruinous as in the midst of war, we re.
monstrated and opposed them, and now
because we cannot deny that the thing
has been accomplished-because we are
compelled to admit the fact that the re-
construction laws have been executed
and the amendments to the Constitution
fastened upon ms, we are told, forsooth,
that we admit the Radicals were right
and we were wrong. That's logic Tor
you. The fourteenth amendment to
the Constitution was passed. We op
posed it. Why did we oppose it? Be
cause it provided that all people in the
United States should be equal before
the law. There is not one Democrat
from the Ohio river TO Canada, not one
in the United States opposed it upon
any such grounds. That has always
been the law in Ohio; that has always
been the law in the Northern States.
The Democrats, he said, were opposed
to the fourteenth amendment, First, be,
cause it dsfranchised the men OF in
fluence, OF intellect, OF education, whose
aid was most necessary to restore peace
to the South. Secondly, because the
language was ambiguous, and was such
as would enable an ambitious President
aud Congress to usurp the powers that
belong to the individual States, and to
overthrow every one of the reserved
rights Of the people Of the States.
And were we not right? for it is under
the ambiguous and loose language OF
that amendment that the Infamous Ku-
Klux bill was passed, under pretense
OF authority derived from that loose
and ambiguous language. Ii this in
terpretation were correct, the President
would have power in the State OF Ohio
to displace the Governor, dethrone the
Legislature, turn out of office our
Judges, and establish martial law
from one end of the State to the other,
whenever he thinks or pretends to think
it is necessary for him to take martial
possession OF Ohio. In order to pro-
tect the rights of individuals, we were
right then in opposing that amendment
thus framed and thus phrased. The
Fifteenth amendment we opposed,
because, first, it was fraud upon the
people in the way the thing was prepar-
ed and carried out, and direct viola
ton of the solemn pledges Of the domi-
nant party made in the platform at Chi
cago. We opposed it for stronger rea-
sons than that. We said it was per-
fectly monstrous that we should turn
over at least onehalf Of the Southern
States to the control Of race not one
in ten OF whom could read, much less
write, and OF whom not one in a thou
sand had the least idea OF the govern
ment under which he lived, und under
which they were now to discharge the
duties of law makers. II the time
should be educated to a proper standard
to enable them to exercise this right with
intelligence, and to the welfare Of the
country, we said n would be right. Now
what has been the effect Of this IN the
reconstructed States down South ?
With their preponderance of negro
voters, the result has been that they are
the worst governed part of Gods globe
to-day. Those States have been deliv-
cred over to the tender mercies Of the
carpet-baggers and adventures Of the
North, and OF the meaner men, the
scalawags of the South, and with the
negroes in combination with them, they
govern almost every one of those States.
And how do they govern them? When
the war ended those States were pros
trated to degree we can hardly realize,
ravaged by their own armies as well as
ours; the people were Frustrated; their
currency was worth nothing; thousands
and tens of thousands Of their farms
Law desolate under the scourge OF war;
thew were ruined in fortune, humbled
and prostrate in spirit. That was the
time when it behooved US to take them
by the hand and help them up. just
at that time this Republican party,
those carpetbaggers and scalaWags'
took hold of the government IN those
States. As to the Thirteenth Amend
ment abolishing slavery, Senstor Thur
man said they had never made any 90,
;ect;on TO it, and that no man could