Year: 1865

striking than those in our military and SO


cial condition. The great question which
for years has agitated our country, which


has influenced all our legislation, whiol


has created sectional parties, and at last


eliminated in civil war, has finally and for


ever been put at rest, The operations o.


the war having demoralized and rendered


the slave valueless, the States are now vol


UNFAIRLY moving to, the entire extinction Of


the system Most devotedly do / thank


God for this result I am confident the


abolition of slavery will prove greater


blessing to the STAKEHOLDER than to the en-


shaved. With soil of unsurpassing rich.


ness, with climate equal to that of Italy,


with amouopoly in the culture of the great


est of all staples, the removal of that insti-


tution which has checked the development


of her resources, and has driven energy,


enterprise and capital from her borders,
opens to her career of prosperity which
in few years will do much to make her chill


dren forget the loss Of life and property she


has so recently suffered. The only impedi-


ment is now removed which has heretofore


prevented US from having true Union:


one Of interest and feeling as well as of law.


I believe the Union is now permanently es:


tabfshed, and that as people we are soon


to enter upon a brilliant career. Whether
this career is to commence at once, or be


deferred twenty or thirty years, depends


very much upon the course of the General
Government towards the Southern States.
If the General Government 10 to assume
powers which it has never before claimed
to possess, and is to attempt to decide who
shall be entitled to the elective franchise
ii, certain States--if it is to continue to In
tefere in the domestic affairs of the South.
eru States, keeping military officers in the
midst of their people, to act' as judges in
all cases Of disputes between different class


es of citizens-then the dawn of peace and
prosperity is yet far in the distance.


The issue in the recent war was on the
right Of secession-the Southern States
oontending for that right, and declaring
coercion on the part Of the General Gov.
ernment to be a violation of their legal and
constitutional rights. The General Gov.
ernment on the other hand, assumed that
no such right existed, and treated the pre-
tended secession IS a revolt of portion of
the citizens of those States The triumph
of the Government has decided the ques.
tion, and it will never again be made an
issue, unless We now voluntarily reverse the
decree IF We NOW say to the seeding
States, you have been out of the Union and
thereby lost your constitutional rights as
States. we certainly recognize the very prin-
ciple for which the South has been con-
tending. But I am opposed to all these
for Interference in the domestic
affairs of those States, not only because I
believe we have no constitutional right to
intefere, but because I believe it will be
uuwise, impolitic and unjust to do so-lead
ing to far greater evils than we would cor
rect. One of the results of the recent war
has been the sudden emancipation of four
millions of slaves Of these at least one
aud half millions are either children with.
out parents upon whom they can depend
for support, or old and in6rm people, hav-
ing no children upon whom they can lean.
Of the remaining two and half millions
not one.in thousand can read; none of
them possess land. All have heretofore la
bored only by compulsion, and, of course,
have not acquired habits of industry or
economy. They are DOW in land which
has just been desolated by civil war. The
policy to be adopted towards them is ques.
ton which should engage the best minds in
the country. In the solution of the ques-
tion differences of opinion must, of oourse,
be anticipated. The plan of colonization
has been proposed aud has. many advocates.
I believe it to be e'impracticable and unwise.
In their present state of ignorance and in
dolence their condition as a colony would
be infinitely worse than that from which
they have just been removed. They need
the example and aid of the white race, and
the States where they are now need their
labor. The two races will remain associa-
ted, and the great mass of the negroes will
remain in the Southern States.


These States now come forward and ac-
cept the total abolition of slavery as one of
the results of the war. In their State COZ
which are now being remodeled,
every State will acknowledge. this fact, and
will insert an article prohibiting slavery
henoeforth aud forever. Having done this
they claim all the rights guaranteed to them
by the Constitution-the right of deciding
who among their own citizens shall be emit,
tied to the, elective franchise, and the right
Of controlling their own domestic affairs.-
Shall they be allowed these privileges, or
shall the General Government, in violation
of the Constitution and in violation of re.
peated declarations as to its purposes in
prosecuting the war, assume control of these
matters This is now almost the only liv-
ing issue between the great political parties
of the day. The Democratic party, with
entire unanimity, declares in favor of al.
lowing to every State the exercise Of all
powers not delegated by it to the General
Government. Now that the freedom of
the slave is universally acknowledged, this
party is. willing that the States where the
freedmen reside shall pass such laws as they
may deem proper for their education and
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