The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-04-11

l. half rs large as Continental EurOp
c without constitutional governmel
d republican IN form, and without repr
e sentatiOn in the Congress Of q
n United States.
e The Union was shattered, not d
stroyed. It was the first duty of Il
= people TO restore the broken fabric
f.: their gOve-nment, aud To take ne
Y securities for the future. This gre.
duty was faithfully performed by II
4 Republican party, the party of til
2 people. In the discharge of tn
: duty, the party of the Union sOugf
: only to perfeet and place beyond th
r reach OF accident, the system of gov
Y ernment devised by the makers an
e builders OF the original structure. TIL
people restricted, in the work of re
D construction, no legitimate right {
I the Statesr They guarded Onl
! against tine abuse Of powers in tn
4 States. They adhered to the dua
system adopted by the fathers Of tn
! Republic. They took away from tn
. State or home governments none q
I their just original powers. They de
, cided, and seeded wisely, that Stat
/ governments were auxiliary to tn
, general government. They cOunte,
/ them useless. and worse than useless
. if they were sa'tted to legaliZe trea
son and shatter the fabric of Ameri
can empire The people therefor,
amended the Constitution OF tn,
United States, so rs to prohibit tn,
States from enslaviug and maxim,
merchandise OF the citizens of the Re
public, fcOm making or enforcing laws
which should abridge the privileges Ol
immunities Of citizens of the United
StaUesaand from ASSUMING any debt Oh
obligation incurred ia aid of the re-
beAiOn, and from denying to any per-
son, whether eitiZen.Qr alien, within
their jurisdiction, the equal protection
of the laws, and especially the
equal protection Of the Constitution
of the United States, which guar
antees those 'rights Of human nature''
which are imprescriptible and univer-
sal. The Democratic party, in this
third conflict for justice and liberty,
opposed the efforts Of the Republican
party-the party of the UniOn-in this
essential reform of the National Con-
stitutiOn. This reform was the want
of the Nation, of the great body of
American freemeD, organized as one
people, into States for local govern
ment and into nationality for gen.
eral government, especially to estab-
lish justice, to provide for the COM
mon defense to promote the general
welfare, and secure the blessings of
/ liberty.
The reforms thus proposed by the
/ Republican party, and resisted by the
Democratic party, prohibited slavery,
secured every citizen in the full enjoy
ment of his rights OF person, and de-
clared against any denial of the cleo
/ tive franchise among citizens of like
qualifications, on account of race, col
| or or previous condition Of servitude.
These reforms were presented as
amendments to the Constitution.
They were adopted by the people, and
thereby became part of the COnstitu-
ton. They thereby became the law
and basis OF reconstruction. The
Democratic party, forgetfui of the
country, audOf tine peace aud honor of
the country, opposed these amend
ments; these great measures of recon-
struction. They were measures OF
healing to the nation. They imposed
neither cOnfiscatiOn nor Punishment
upon the vanquished enemies of the
Republic They placed all the citi-
zens of the United States under the
equal protection of the law-thOse
who had kept iaviOlate their fealty
and those who had broken it. They
deprived no citizen of the elective
franchise, or ofany privilege OfcitiZen-
ship, except this, that no citizen VINO
had taken an official oath to support
the Constitution of the United States,
and had afterwards, in violation of
his oath, engaged in rebellion, should
again hold the trust of office, State or
National, until his disabilities should
first be rem Sved by Congress, two
thirds Of eac4 House cOncurring there
i'm. PneWosld aver before saw suea
magnanimity, The fact that the peO-
ple showed such fOrbearance is an
other evidence that it is not in vain
that Christianity has come into the
world.
These terms Of reconstruction, so
generous to the offending, SO honor
able to the triumphant people, were
resisted and denounced by the DEM
ocratic party.
lNllN NlAlENs III I'D AAtAAACAA~@A B-e-N-~A -
of 1865. declared, of the fourteenth
amendment and the reconstruction
acts, ''they were unconstitutional,
revolutionary and void" 1t was also
declared that the Congress which pro-
posed the amendment was but "a
fragment of a Congress" This de-
claration was worthy of the party that
gave in the House of Representatives
Of the United States u united vote
against an amendment of the Con-
stitution, declaring that the elective
franchise should not be denied by any
State to a citizen of the United states
on account of race, color, previous
condition of servitude, nativity, prop
ertv or creed. 1t was worthy Of the
paTty that denied the nations right to
defend itslife. 1t was worthy OF the
marty that organized rebellion!
In the struggle of 1858 the people
again decided for the Republican, and
against the Democratic party, and for
fine amendment of the Constitution
which prohibits the several States
from acts Of secession, from making
or enforcing any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities
of the citizen, and from the denial to
any person, citizen or alien, OF the
equal protection Of this laws, State OF
national.
One would suppose that this en-
deavor of the people, OF which have
spoken, to secure to the States, the
citizen and the alien, their rights, was
Democracy, rs defined by Jefferson
fEqual rights and exact justice to all
men,"
Unon this Fourteenth Amendment
ITlvsses S. Grant was elected Pre5i-
ident OF the United States. Whatever
NAV be said OF him by party zeal, he
has. under and in accordance with
law. faithfully and efficiently enforced
fine Guarantees Of the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth Amendments in the in
terests of the nation and the people
The President has recommended such
legislation as would promote the gen
erlI welfare, reduce taxation and
expenditure, protect the rights Of the
Daaple, reform the civil service by the
removal of all incompetent, and the
arrest and punishment Of all corrupt
AGENTS Of the government; maintain
the national credit, secure 10 each
citizen the free enjoyment ef his rights.
of psrsnn, ami the privilege, subject TO
the lust restrictions Of the State. ID
vots inst once at each election, aud to
have his vote received, counted and
returned as he gave it. lnaccOrdlnce
with these recommendations, laws
have been enacted 81 a Republican
Congress, and against Democratic
cppOsition. The President has also
bv negotiation vindicA5ed our national
honor, and obtained by treaty the
pledged faith Of Great Britain % pay
the United States such damages Is
NAV be assessed against her for the
wrong done Us in oar struggle with
the rebellion. The damages will be
assessed under the treaty, and the
amount assessed viii be paid. Thus
will peace be maintained between
Am erica and England.
The result OF the measuT. recon-
mended by the President, and the
laws passed by Congress under his ad-
miuistratiOn, are known 10 all, and
command the approval Of all men
eyceut those who, Oi late, seem to de-
plore and condemn whatever e1n-
tributes tD the stability of American
institutions, and the prosperity OF the
American people
Consider the resalts OF the three
wears of administration under Grant:
The principal of the national debt
90 ~,