Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-17

EODAY EVENlNG. Sci
leading object 10 10 elevate the condition OF
men; 10 lift artificial weights from all
shoulders; To clear The paths of laudable
pursuit to slI: to afford all % unfe,tered
stsIt, and fair chance In the race Of life
Yielding 10 partial and temporary depart
ures. from necessity, this is the leading OBJ
ject OF the government for whose existence
VIC contend. am most happy 10 believe
that the plain people understand and sppre-
ciate this" sigifie noSal @ ~
90 the suhject of outrage. Nj. Lincoln's 3
guiding principle vas that 400 man is good
enough to govern another man without that
other mans consent"
Thns VIC. have from the lips Of Mr.. Lin
colD-the great leader and representative of
the Upion cAuse-in the most solemn and
authentic form. . complete statement of the
issues ef the wsf. He hell that the Union is
perpetual; that its government is national
and supreme; and that all of it's inhabitants
should be free, and be accorded eQus, civil
and political rights 81
These are the great fundamental princi-
pies, affirmed on the one side, and denied
ON the other, upon which the appeal was
made 10 the God Of battles. DO not un-
dertske to review the debate as to the ns-
turc end powers nf the government of the
Union. and as to the doctrine ol
s.ate-righta, which began with the founda.
tion of our Institutions and which was con
tinued until it was hushed by the claah Of
arms. II is enough for my present purpose
to say that, ~ . matter of history, all ol
the political parties of the past, when charged
With the responsibility OF directing the al.
fairs OF the government, have maintained in
their practical administrator fit, precise.
ly the same principles which were held by
President Lincoln. The principles as Il
the powers of the national governmen,
which were acted upon by Washington and
jackson, and which are sustained BY the
decisions of Chief Justice Marshall, and by
which Lincoln and the union armies CRUSH
ed the rebellion and rescued the republic
are among the legitimate and irreyersible
results of the war which ought not to be
l questioned. Sf
Touching the remaining important con
troversy settled BY the war, the public
avowals Of opinion are almost all in favo,
of the faithful acceptance of the new con
stitutional amendments. On this subject
the speeches Of public men and the creed,
and platforms of the leading political par.
ties have for some years past been explicit
In 1872, all parties in their respective ma
tional conventions adopted resolutions re
coRnizing the equality OF all men before th,
law, and pledging themselves, in the word
of the democratic national convention, ct,
maintain emancipation aid enfranchise
ment, and to oppose the reopening of th,
questions settled by the recent amendment
TO the constitution" In 1876, the great DO
lltical parties again, in the language of III
81. Louis national convention, affirmed thei
devotion to the constitution of the Unite,
States, with its amendments universally &C
cepted as final settlement of the contro
versies that engendered the civil war;
notwithstanding these declarations, We ar,
compelled to take notice that, while yer,
few citizens anywhere would wish 10 re. es
tablish slavery if they could, and no on
would again attempt to break up the unio
BY secession, there still remains in som
communities dangerous practical denia
TO the colored citizens of the political right
which are guaranteed to them BY the cor
ssitution as it now is. In the crisis of tn
war Mr.. Lincoln appealed to the colore
people to take up arma About two hu1
dred thousand responded to the call, enlis
ed in the union armies, and fought for tn
union cause under the union flag. Equalit
of rights for the colored people, from th.
time, thus became one Of the essential il
sues of the war. Gen. Sherman said, "whe
the fight is over, the hand that drops tn
musket cannot be denied the ballot" Je
ferson said long before, "the man who fight
for the country is entitled 10 vote" W6er
l tho ha1v of t1> l.
tory was gained, the fifteenth amendmen
followed naturally as one of it's legitimat
results. No man can truthfully claim tha
he faithfully accepts the true settlements @
the war, who sees with indifference the I'll
teenth amendment practically nulli6ed.
No one can overstate the evils which th
country must suffer if lawless and violen
opposition to the enjoyment Of constitution
al rights is allowed to be permanently sue
cessful. The la1lessness which to day a.
sails the rights of the colored people vii
6nd other victims tomorrow. This quee
ton belongs to no race, to NO party and t
no section. 1t is question in which tn
whole country is deeply interested. Pa
triotism, justice, humanity, and our mater
iaI interests, all plead on the right eide Q
this question. The colored people are th
laborers who produce the cotton which, 60
ing abroad to the markets of the world
gives US that favorable balance of trad
which is nov doing 90 much for the reviva
of all business. The whole fabric Of societ
rests upon labor. If free laborers sufie
from oppression and injustice, they vii
either become discontinued and turbulent
destroyers of property, and not producers 9
properly, or they will abandon the CON
munities which deprive them Of their in
alienable rights. In either case, social OF
der and the peaceful industries upon whic
prosperity depends are imperilled and pei
haps sacrificed. 1t will not do to say thi
is 40 affair which belongs solely to the dil
tant states Of the south. The whole cour
try must suffer if this question is not speed
lily settled, and settled rightly. Where th
two races are numerous, prosperity can onl