Year: 1867




The Cincinnati Times thus states the
issues presented by the Radicals of Ohio ::


The issues presented in Ohio are as fol-
lows:


/. Reconstruction under the acts of Con-
gress, as interpreted by Generals Sheridan
and Pope


This involves the following preliminary
facts that the advocates of the Republican
party must insist upon


l. That the States whose people rebeled
against the Union were killed to all intents
and purposes as States in the Onion, and
the whole territory of the rebellion being
thus deprived Of their character, as States
in the Union, become subject to the exclu-
sive jurisdiction Of Congress.


2. That the present civil governments
are of no validity, except so far as Congress
may be pleased to tolerate them, because
they were not organized by the power that
had the right Of Jurisdiction. The Execu-
tive has no right TO authorize the consti-
tuition Of civil government nor to admit
States into the Union.


3. That Congress has no right to inter-
fere with State governments that are Gre
publican in form, and hence the constitu-
tionality Of the present acts on Teeonstruc-
tion can be sustained only on the ground
that the States of the South entirely lost
their State functions, and come under the
exclusive jurisdiction Of Congress.


On this,ground alone can the Republi-
can party make a conclusive defense Of
Congress and sustain the constitutionality
of its measures.


2. Universal manhood suffrage.


This issue is presented by the proposed
amendment TO our State constitution. II
proposes TO enfranchise the blacks and dis
franchise the deserters. The little difficulty
that arose as 20 the dislranchisement Of
those who left the army informally after
all the fighting was over and air the danger
passed has been removed by the act of
Congress relieving all such Of all forfeiture
on account of such desertion. As TO the
disfranchisement of those who deserted
during the war because of their disloyalty
or for the purpose of getting another
bounty, all patriotism declares it to be Gods
Justice.


We have, therefore, no trouble on the
amendment except on the naked question
Of extending the ballot to negroes While
we would not permit ourselves to deny
equal political rights to all men without
respect 20 color, as a matter of principle,
yet we have all along had our doubts as TO
the safety Of taking that step Just at the
present crisis We have greatly feared a
collision of the races in the South where
they we're nearly equal in numbers.


Ii requires either great faith in the recti-
tude Of human nature, or a predetermined
reliance upon national bayonets to con
vince one mai the two races at the South
can be made to harmonic so suddenly,
after the one race has for centuries been
nothing more than the mere chsttels of the
other race. We fear that very few have
this degree of faith in human nature, and
that they DO anticipate the continued armed
supervision of the general government un-
I'll harmony shall be established


But Congress determined by two o.thirds
vote to establish universal suffrage through
ont all our territories, (the late Rebel re
gion included); and there is 40 alternative
for a patriot but 70 do his best TO see the
experiment safely through. We accord.
ingly give our unreseryed support 80 Con.
gress on that and the other issues involved