The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-10-30

and torci0le as 1 can-l deny tnat
the Republican party in its sys-
TEN of reconstruction started out
with the idea Of forcing the South
to take negro suffrage. l had a
small part in that legislation.
What we did was this-we said TO /
the South: There is the four |
teenth amendment to the Cons.i |
tuition. That amendment is Of in
estimable advantage. That amend.
ment makes citizenship of the
United States national. 1t con.
ceives and preserves the national
credit. 1t conceives and preserves
the pension of the soldier. 1t pre-.
vents the men whose hands have
been made bloody in battles
against Union men from taking
part in the government until Con.
gress, by u two.thirds majority,
shall release them from that disa
bility, We said to them: "Agree
to this amendment and come in,
but you will find IN that amend.
ment this prOvision-I am giving
you the popular meaning, not tax.
ing the exact language of the law
-"If you exclude the negro from
voting he must be excluded from
the basis of representation. but If
you will give him the right to vote
he shall at once be put In the basis
of representation"
That was perfectly fair and
square proposition. A Represen
tstive is based upon q constitu.
ency, and IL they did not allow
these colored men to be included
within the constituency, then
those men ought not to be reck.
oned within the basis Of represen
tation to increase the number of
Representatives among their enc.
mies.' "But IT. you will do the one
we will do the other. You enfran
chised the colored man and we
will increase your representation"
Tennessee alone of all the South
ern States accepted that condition
aud came in at once, and the other
ten rejected In their Legislatures
scornfully, promptly, absolutely
by overwhelming majorities; moi
one.tenth of the votes in any Leg
islature being in favor Of il. What
was the United States to do'
90 over this because had seen il
one Of the metropolitan journals
what purported to be correction
Of a statement which | had made
as though had made mistak,
and had omitted an essential part
When those States rejected TIL,
amendment, what was the gov
ernment of the United States Il
: doi That form of reconstruction
had failed. II was dead. Wal
the United States Congress to 81
down with their fingers in thei
mouths and say, "Gentlemen, on
J soldiers, our gallant commanders
Qike your candidate for Governo
Of Pennsylvania cheersl, "hav'
whipped you in the field OF battle
We stood up to the fight until thu
last rebel soldier had surrendered
and now is the Congress of th,
United States to acknowledg,
itself absolutely unable to recon
struct those States on the basi
of loyalty ~ We said: "If yol
will not come in on the basis o
the fourteenth amendment, whicl
! gives you more time, and you
Judgment to determine when tb
negro shall come to the suffrage
: and shall increase your represen
tation when you do bring blm t
the suffrage-if you reject thai
shall we let you, as you demand t
D be let in, without condition, with
5 out qualification, to come IN
!. our masteri No."
J. Under the lead of that grea
t commoner Of Pennsylvania, Thad
!. deus Stevens lcheersl honor +
!. his memory and peace to his ashe
t we said: "lf you will not re
Q construct those States we will en-
!. power the colored men to joi
+ with the few loyal white men, an
s we will have reconstruction by th
i use of colored votes II the whit
Q men do not enforce it," Al
n plause. Then we passed tn
8 fifteenth amendment, which CAV
b suffrage to every man in the Un
n ted States who was duly natura
/. lied or was born OH our soil.
y want now TO make this qualii
!, cation, l do not stand here to jn
9 tify the form of reconstructio
d merely by the fourteenth amen'
ment, leaving to the South th
:, right to determine when the negr
e should come to suffrage. l thin
3. that the providence of Go
l. through the stiff.necked and r
3. bellious conduct of the SoutheI
It men, who would not accept reco