South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-08-18

take In the nomination, that they
could only "hope that it would moi
get out"
This, however, Is q small matter
compared to the falsehoods express
ed in the party platform. When
:he convention took upon itself to
declare that the Democracy of this
State recognized as accomplished
facts the two latest (so-calledJ
amendments to the Constitution
and regarded them as no longer po-
litIcal issues before the country, il
stated an untruth. Nothing IN pol
itics, then Dr. now, has more effected
the hearts and minds Of Democrat.
&c voters than these, their denomi-
mated dead issues. And when, in
the second resolution, the conven-
ton undertook to say that "the
Democratic party pledges itself to
the full, faithful and absolute exc
cution and enforcement of the Con-
stitutIon, as it nov Is, SO as to Sc
cure equal rights to all persons un-
der 1t, without distinction of race,
color or condition." It exceeded its
auth ority and simply asserted what
was known to be q falsehood.
Frank Hurd represented on the
floor OF the convention the true
sentiments of the Democracy of
Ohio. They were expressed first
IN his resolution of instructions /:
THAT the Committee on Resolu-
tiohs be instructed to make no al>
lusions in their report to the co.
called Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments to the Constitution of
the United States" And afterwards
in his minority report. stating "that
it was inexpedient to make any ex-
preston of opinion as to the Four
teenth and Fifteenth Amendments.
Yet if an expression be deemed nec-
essary' that the following be adopt
ed as a substitute to tho first and
second resolutions proposed to this
convention
"Resolred, That the Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments have
been made parts of the Federal
Constitution by fraud and VIOLENCE,
and r revolutionary and VOID"
1t the Democratic party Is MORT
bund, then its political priests may
be allowed to dictate to it confess
sions Of sins OF their own defining.
But they have certainly made the
party to appear like the dying Al
rican, who, when asked by his
preacher If he was ready to die, and
whether he had forgiven his sEe-
mics, and especially his colOred
neighbor betweeen whom and HIM.
self there had been q feud, answers
ed : IF Use gwine to die, l forgive
him, but If | gets well, dat darkie
had better look ont for hlsself."
Worse than the misrepresenta-
ton of the party IN Its views of tie
right and validity of the Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments, is the
confession of previous errors and
false opinions, implied in the Ian
guage of the first and second reso-
lutions.
They record the party Jas ac-
knowledging and ~acquiesclng in the
validity of the reconstruction and
force laws of the Radical Congress;
and thus are made to admit that
Congress could take away the life
of ten free States, deny their exist
ence, annul their constitutions and
reduce them to the condition of
territories, without sovereignty or
without government, and that by
an act or resolution of Congress
they could be declared out of the
Union and without any but such
governments as Congress might Or
der over them.
They make US acknowledge the
right of Congress to deprive native
white men of full age of the right
to vote, at its will, and to compel
these dlsfranchi,ed white native
citizens, without representation in
their government, to obey laws and
submit to authorities imposed on
them against their wills, either by
Congress or by the votes of crowds
of dumb, ignorant negroes, brutal
lied by their former condition in
slavery, knowing non of the du-
ties of the citizen and obeying the
single Instinct to vote as their new
masters, the Radical leaders. may
dictate.
In recognising the validity Of
these amendments and in pledging
our party 10 the execution and en-
forcement of them. we acknowledge
| Congressional reconstruction fully,
against which we have contonded
with brave and hopeful hearts, as a
party, for five years. We give up
the cid Constitution, the reserved
rights of the States, the dearest
right of the native;whIte man-his
suffrage-and surrender absolute
power to Congress to destroy States,
to take away their sovereignty, to
nuIlify their Constitutions, to deny
to them and their people the right
of self-government, to put foreign
rulers over them, TO control them
by swarms OF newly made barbara
an voters, 20 abolish their courts
and annul their laws, substituting
therefor the arbitrary will of Con-
gress and Gifts military satraps.
Resistance to all of these laws du-
ring their accomplishment, which
are now acknowledged to be right
or remediless, in u party platform,
brought into the Democratic party,
or IN full accord with it, by such
men as Groesbeck, Ewing, Camp
bell, Ward and a host of others, who
may we'll exclaIm, "Where now
shall we gos" Why use the cant,
s~enseless phrase, "dead political is
sues2" No convention of men ever
were able by words to bury a polit-
zeal question 50 long as it touched
the hearts of The people, or agita-
ted the minds Of men. en- institu-
ton like slavery might a to ex-