Year: 1865

as a bad promise, and break 1t whenever


shall be convinced that keeping it is ad
verse to the public interest. But / hav'
not been 80 convinced. I have beer
shown letter on this subject, supposed K
be an able one, in which the writer ex
pOesses regret that my mind has not seem
ed to be definitely fixed on the question
whether the seeded States, 80 called, arr
in the Union or out of it. It would, per.
haps, add astonishment to his regret wert
he to learn that, since I have found pro-
fessed Union men endeavoring to answer
that question, I have purposely foreborne
any public expression upon it, as it ap.
pears to me that the question has not been,
nor yet is, practically material one; and
that any discussion of it, while it thus
remains practically immaterial, could have
no effect other than mishchievous- -O1
dividing our friends. As yet, whatever il
may become, that question is bad as a
basis Of controversy, and good for nothing
at all-merely pernicious obstruction.


We all agree that the seeded States, so
called, are out of their proper practical
relation with the Union, and that the OBJ
jeot of government, civil and military, in
regard to those States, is to again get them
up to that proper practical relation. ]
believe that it is not only possible, but in
fact easier, to do this without deciding, or
even considering, whether these States
have ever been out of the Union, than with
it. Finding themselves safely at home, it
would be merely immaterial whether they
had been abroad. Let US all be doing acts
necessary to restore the proper practical
relations between these States and the
Union, and each forever after innocently
indulge his own opinion whether in doing
these acts, he brought these States from
without into the Union, or only gave them
proper assistance, they never having been
out of it.


The amount of constituency, 80 to
speak, upon which the laws and govern
ment rests, would be more satisfactory to
all if 1t contained $4,000 or 10000, or
even $1,000, instead of 1900 as it does
1t is also satisfactory to some that the
elective franchise is not given to the colord
man. would myself prefer that it were
now conferred on the intelligent, and on
those who serve our cause as soldiers.


Still the question is not whether the
Louisiana government as it stands is quite
all that is desirable. The question is, will
it be wiser to take it as it is and help to
improve it, or to reject and disperse? Gan
Louisiana be brought into proper practical
bic relations with the Union sooner by sus-
tanning or discarding the new government
Some $4,000 voters in the heretofore
slave State of Louisiana have sworn alle-
glance to the Union; assumed to be the
rightful political power of the State; held
elections organized State government !;
adopted free State constitution, giving
the benefit of public schools equally to
black and white, and empowering the leg
islature to confer the elective franchise up
on the colored man. The legislature has
already voted to ratify the constitutional
amendment recently passed by Congress,
abolishing slavery throughout the Union.
These IL, 900 persons are thus fully COM
mitted to the Union, to perpetuate Free
dom in the State, to the very
things, and nearly all the things, the ma
ton wants and they ask the nation for
recognition and assistance to make this
committal. We have rejected and spurned
them. We do our utmost to disorganize
and disperse them. We, in fact, say to the
white man, You are worthless or worse, we
will never help you nor be helped by you.
To the black, we say, This cup of liberty,
which these, your old masters, held to your
lips, we will dash from you, and leave you
to the chances of gathering the spilled and
scattered contents in some vague and un-
defined when, where, and how. If this
course, discouraging and paralyzing both
to white and black, has any tendency to
bring Louisiana into proper practical rels-
tons with the Union, l have 90 far been
unable to perceive it. If, on the contrary,
we recognize and sustain the new govern
ment of Louisiana, the converse of all this
is made true. We encourage the hearts
and nerve the arms of the IL, 900 to adhere
to their work, and argue for it, and prose-
lyte for it, and fight for it, and feed it, and
grow it, and npen it to complete success.


The colored man, too, in seeing all uni
ted for him, is inspirited with vigilance,
and energy, and doing, to the same end.
Grant that he desires the elective fran
chise, will he not attain it sooner by saving
the already advanced steps towards it than
by running backward over them.


Concede that the new government of
Louisiana is only, and what it should be,
as egg to fowl, we shall sooner have fowl
by Matching egg than by smashing it.
[Laughter.]


Again, if We reject Louisiana we also
reject the vote in favor of the proposed
amendment to the national constitution.
To meet this proposition, it has been ar
gued that no more than three-fourths of
those States which have not ATTEMPTED Sc
cession are necessary to validly ratify the
amendment. l do not commit myself
against this further than to say that such
ratification would be questionable and sure