Year: 1868

a power not identical with the so called
State sovereignty as it existed before the
war, but in negation Of this sovereignty.
Consequently at the end of the war, the
U. s. consisted of just as many States as
there were represented in Congress during
tue war and so much more of territory as
the territory of the former States extinct
by secession and by the war resp. right oi
conquest comprised


And the U. 8 resp. the general govern
ment had the same jurisdiction over the
former States, now territories, as over the
rest of the territories already in possession
before the war. Thus then being the le-
gal situation and the territories, formerly
States, having population sufficient for
representation in Congress, this body is
sned according 10 the provisions of the
Constitution its reconstruction policy.


BY it all free male persons of whatever
color or race acquired the right to partici-
pate In the transformation of their terrific





What was accomplished by this Repub-
lican reconstruction policy?


1. Simply nothing else than the laws
Of common humanism were recognized


These laws say, that, as man must live
in definite and regulated social order,
this social order must conform to the ra-
tional requirement of human nature, that
the best adapted form of this social order
is the unreserved equality ofthe democrat
ic republic because within il there are no
irrational exceptions possible; that the
common will be constituted by the contrib
utive action Of each and every individual
on the basis of perfect and unqualified
equality.


ii. With this equality in the participa-
ton of the organic life of State, all re-
striciions of personal liberties such as edu-
cational rights, free speech. and free press
fell because the necessity for such,
slavery or exceptional conditions ceased.
Man became man.


ii. BY tho removal Of exceptional con-
dtions the cause for present troubles and
future convulsions was removed, and the
ties that hlod the Union together strength
ened because uniformity OF atlleast an ap
proach towards it, established.


Will Mr.. Vcro contradict me in my as
sertion, that had there not been slavery
we would not have had q civil war and
would not have to reconstruct now?


Our attempt, however, will not be to
justify what the Republican party has
done, for every honest man with a sound
mind can never justify oppression and
such conditions of existence within re-
public of which he calls himself citizen,
IS TO be desirous, to reintroduce a status of
conditions, which were removed by the
sweeping Of civil war and which were
untenable in the eyes, l would not say,
of a "Christian conscience" because this
phrase seems to be merely fashionable
expression nowadays, and by which fools
arc intended TO be deceived, but in the
eyes ofthat conscience God has given us
to act according to his will. The Repub-
lican party is not on the defensive; no, by
no means.


The Republican party, since it consists
of human beings, may have shown i,nper
fections to which any man or party is liable
in the work of practical detail, but her
principles are those Of humanity and as
such sanctioned by the present generation
(majaritics) as well rs by the posterity TO