Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-09-28

anu lnat on eVeTy pFlhclple Vi uIIseI-
sal liberty.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
RECORD OF DEMOCRATS.
The great proclamation of Presi-
dent Lincoln had gone forth proclaim
ing liberty to the slave, but in order
to make the promise in the proclaim
alton good and secure for all future
time it was thought it necessary that
an amendment to the Constitution
should be adopted. This amendment
was proposed, and passed the Senate
by vote of thirty-eight to six.
Several Senators who were chosen
and classed as war Democrats voted
for the amendments, and the immortal
six who voted against it are Davis,
Hendricks, now the Democratic can
didate for Vice President, McDougal,
Powell, Riddle and Salisbury. These
six Senators represented the real
Democratic sentiment of the country.
Here was Mr.. Hendricks from free
State, after the proclamation had
gone forth, solemnly recording him
self in favor of retaining the institu-
ton of slavery, when it was proposed
to get rid of it by a constitutional
amendment. Not only did the Dem
ocrats in the Senate vote against the
amendment, but every State under
the control of the Democratic party
voted against its ratification. The
passage of this constitutional amend
merit through both houses of Con-
gress was followed by the meeting of
the Democratic National Convention
at Chicago, on the 4th of July, 1864,
of which convention Mr.. Tilden was
leading member, and member of
the Committee on Resolutions. Now
what do you find ? Mr.. Tilden and
his associates in this convention pro-
claiming to the people of the United
States, and to the whole world, that
the war for the Union, the great pro-
clamation of the President for liberty,
the amendment to the Constitution
securing liberty to all men, were fail
nres-for all these were necessarily
involved in the declaration that the
war was a failure, and that it was the
manifest and immediate duty of the
Federal Government TO make peace
with the rebel at once and on the
best terms possible.
The fundamental law Of the land,
the Fourteenth amendment, passed
the Senate on the 9Th of June, 1866
Those Senators who voted against it
were the recognized representatives
Of the Democratic party. They were
Cowan, Davis, Dool:ttl', Guthrie,
Hendricks, Johnson, McDougall. Nor
ton, Riddle, Salisbury, van Wrinkle.
The States that voted against its rat
iication were the Democratic States
of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky
and Texas. The Fourteenth amend
ment was ratified by the Republican
Legislature of New Jersey on the
18th of September, 1866. In April,
1868, the Legislature of New Jersey
having become Democratic, passed
an annuIling resolution, annulling
her ratification. The Legislature of
Ohio which was Republican, ratified
this amendment on the 11th of Janu-
airy, 1867. 1t became Democratic in
january 1868, and then passed res
olntion annuling her rat iioation.
The Fifteenth amendment passed the
Senate on the 18th Of February, 1869.
The Senators who voted against
it were BayarJ, Buckalew, Davis,
Hendricks, McCreary, Norton. Pat
terson of Tennessee, Salisbury, Vick-
ers and Whyte. All the States hav-
ing Democratic Legislatures-name>
ly, California, Delaware, Kentucky,
Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee
and New Jersey--voted against its
ratification. The Legislature of New
York, having become Democratic in
1870, withdrew the assent of that
great State to the Fifteenth amend
ment. 1t will be seen, then that on
these three great constitutional
amendments, which followed neces.
sarlly from the practical results of
the war, every Democratic Senator,
who was then regarded as Sound in
the faith" voted mo" and that ev-
cry State having Democratic Leg
islature voted against the ratifica-
ton of these amendments, and each
OF them.
JoHNsoN's PoLIcY-1HE BLACK LAWS.
After the death of Lincoln and tho
accession of Johnson TO the Presiden-
cy he adopted and proclaimed his
policy in regard to the reconstruc>
tion of the States then lately in re-
bellion. This policy without stop
ping TO 60 into particulars, "a pro-
tending to do exactly accurate, was to
permit those States to come back in
to the Union just as they were, with
out doing penance for past sins or
furnishing any guarantee CT future
good behavior. With the understand
ing that they could SO cone back,
Mississippi, and nearly all the South
ern States, enacted a code of laws
for the regulation and governments
of the freedmen and which code wat
known IS the Black Code. 1t pro.
vided that negroes could not become
the owners or lessees of lands; that
all negroes who, on certain desig-
mated day of the year, could not
show affirmatively that they had en-
ploymcnt or otherwise satisfactorily
account for themselves, might be
sold, or rather that their time might
be sold, to the highest bidder. The
practical effect of these black laws
would be, aud doubtless the design
of them was to regulate the freed
men to a condition of practical if not
legal slavery.
SOUTHERN osTRACIsM.
Many native Southern whites
would attach themselves to the Re-
publican party, wereit not by doing
so they would become social out
casts, disowned by relatives and
friends. In the opinion of the South
ern Democrat no white Republican is