Year: 1866

priority of right by nature, which gives to the


man the expression of the voice Of the family


rather than to the woman or the child.


Mr.. Speaker Is it not seen that if these pro-


positions be true the right TO vote exsts, indie
! pendenty of all human agency, in the sense o


the law, aud that the doctrine that the right OF


voting is conventional right is not sustained by


reason history? History shows only this-tha,
| the Limitations upon the of the right oi


voting the results of conventions. The nat


ural right is the right of the family to speak on


all matters which concern the welfare of the fam


ily as one family, in the great society and family


of man. This demonstrates, L thin X, that the


negro has everywhere the right to vote as


the white man and | me intain still further that


when you proceed one step from tn line, you ad-


nit that your government is failure. What is
the essential quality of monarchia and aristocrat-


cal governments? Simply that by conventional
| rule-by arrangements of conventons-s me


persons have been deprived of the right of voting.


We have attempted to set up and maintain gov
ernment upon the doctrine of the equality OF man
the universal right of all men to participate in
the governments In accordance with that theory


must accept the ballot upon the principle of
equality. IL is enjoyed by the learned and by the


uuiearned-he wise and the ignorant-fh- vir-


tuous and the vicious. The great experiment is


going Oh. If, before the war, any man in this


country disposed to undervaIue governmeut


thus conducted, he should have learned by this


time the wisdom and the strength Of a govern


ment which embraces and smbodies the dgnent


and the will OF the whole people If the negroes
| of the South-tour million stronghold been en-
dowed with the elective franchise, and had united
/ with ,he white people OF that region in the work
/ of rebellion, your armies would have been pow


erless 10 subdue that rebellion, and you would to-
| day have your territory limited by the Po-


tomac and the OHIO. And if in the North suf
frige had been limited, as it is il Great Britain,
you could not have com handed two million six


hundred thousand volunteers for the defense OF
the republic. The unity of sentiment in The 10y
al States due 10 the fact that every felt


that tie government was his own. This only il
lustrates how strong government is when 1t Is
founded upon the Judgment and the viii of the
whole people, and how weak it is when fcunded
upon the judgment and the will Of part.


| advance still further. have said that con-
sdered this question involving other issues than


the mater of suffrsge in the District OF
Columbia. l do not conceal my opinion from


friend or opponent | am OF those who believe


that any restoration of the eleven States lately
engaged in the rebellion TO political pos er in the
government of the country which is rot coupled
with, preceded by the condition that the ne
sroes cf the South 70 vote, opens the way to
the destruction OF this government from which
there is no escape. | declare, after the greatest
deberatOn, snd the calmest reflection, and say
II vi b sorrow, looking upon the country rent by
opposite opinions on this question, that without
such measure as / suggest for he Southern
States, this government Cannot outiast those who
in the vigor of manhood. Why and how
will Il fail Ii will iail and fall by the fact lhat


without this all essential guaranty, put into
the hands OF our enemies in the South two weap-
the blows Of which shall be powerless to
parry. One is the assumption by the Government
OF 4 vast and overwhelming weight of indebted
ness, TO be followed by foreign Wesee to-
day how difficult it IS to restrain and control the
people OF this country 10 their desire to take lust
vengeance Tor the wrongs indicted upon them nv
England and France. suppose the powers Of
his government were entrusted 10 the hands OF
the Lite ayeho.ders-tbe men recently engaged
IA rebeiliou-does any believe that they are
restored their right N nd ?-that they will give
ardent support TO the government All the
testimony IS That they are as alien and hostile to
this government As ever, and that they only seek
an opDor unity 70 strike deadly blow. " nat
opportunity do You give them They mar
shalling to-day IN Virginia, in eou h Carolina, in
Louisiana, Iheir claims upon this goy-rHment.
Ihey viii d-ma d two billions OF dollar. for slaves


untold hundreds OF millions Of collars tor depre-
dations committed BY our armies; go aggregate
Of thousands Of millions OF claims, demands
having the color of CLAIMS, will be marshaled
against the overnment, and you invite slxtv rep
resentatiyvs united, bound together by the ties o
interest and Of ancient and uDreIeutlng hostility,


o enforce these claims. This Congress, no douEl,
is incorrupibe, but when there are claims against
the government to the amount OF tnree billion.
of do lars, with the support that such Represen-
tatives may atford-twenty- two II ths Senate and
sixty in the House-with all the influence OF this
immense demand against the government, dc you
expect to resist them !? Do you expect TO meet
them with paper bIock4de-a Constitutional
Amendment II that is your expectation your
expectation will not be realized. And when they
have involved the country IN an indebte dness OF
four, FIVE six thousand millions Of dollars
when thev have so broken your credit 10 the
markets OF the world that your paper will sell for
hfty cents on the Collar-and taking advantage OF
the lust and natural hostility of the people against
European aggres ession-they involve you 10 for
eign war, hat have they to do but TO march out
of the Union and bid you defiance


Secondly, you leave tue rebeis IL possession of
power winch they will surely avail themselves of
when they again undertake the destruction of the
government-tbe opportunity to bestow the siec
i've franchise upon the negroes. Ii you fail TO
secure the black man in his rights he will become
IN degree alien and hostile TO he natiocal gov
ernment. In this condition ne will be ready to /
accept the right OF suffrage from the Southern
leaders, and 10 transfer his allegiance, sympathy
and support from YOU 10 them. Ill you leave
such weapon in the hands of enemies when, by
a timely of justice, you can secure the Jealous
and unwaverIng support of the black race in eve
ry generation rhroug hout this contest the blacks
have exhibited the purest patriotism and the high
est wisdom. Can any man name an act done by |
them that has been injurious TO them as race,
or pre judicial to the C untry Or can any one
suggest an commission that has been pre- judicial to
them or the country ? So will they exhibit wisdom
hereafter. If W. fail in our duty We have no
right to expect their support in the future.


IL is not unreasonable to expect that in twelve
or twenty four months several OF the States re-
Gently in the rebellion will confer the elective
franchise upon their negroes. 10 Louisiana one
eighth of the voting white population | under
s,and, are in favor Of this measure. We know
that this force must be augmented by accessions of
loyal men, and for this reason every Union man
IN the South who wants pro .ectlon tor life, for
property, for bis political rights, is compell-
ed by necessity to ally himself with the negroes.
They are his friends, and he must make common
cause with h.s frends, whether they o. white or
black. My chef objectlon to this proposed resric
ton is that The rebel States not likely to do
anything more for themselves than you do for
the country when you pass judg. ment and estab-
lish your policy here. Jfyou puts elective fran
chise, who does not see that its enforcement is a