VOLUME 3. THE NASHVILLE CONVENTION. Letter of Horace Maynard. LETTER OF INVITATION. NASHVILLE. Tenn Feb. C. Dear Sii : The friends of the L'uiou, and of the Administration of his Excel |,wy. Andrew Johnson, our present wor thy Chief Executive, propose to celtl.iate the appr. aching anniversary ofthebirih lay of the ' Father of his Country. by holding in the Capitol of the State a mass eotive .tion of tlmse wh , desire to see the State of Tennessee restored to her pristine" and proper position of equal ity and influence in the I ni ui, and the frur. rT>r»l and gortd feeling which, in the "I \uld l.ang Syne." pervaded till ,r .0 1.,1 this magnificent I'jinain otic jjii.io an'mating our people. This limy, m their opinion.behest and in—t rea 'ilv ice m|dished by u hearty an l unquestioned in loisem tit of « hit is Huff universally known a- the "restora tion pobcy" of i|iir honoied President, and by the pledge, swellio up from the heirts. and Hn litli u'teri iee Ir-'H ;ln lips of the multiplied lie u-ands of In free and loyal men of our n.it ve felines sec, that they will stand by hi wboiie sir»s mid intends that the 'flhir of the free" shall once more cover beneath it ample fd Is a united and prosperous Ie pie" IV on tile tropics to the pole, and c-.u • b« in heboid and ackoowl* e.i. e 1 • it 11 ; • fieiee«t tfnd in st se ven I i, i o lot his'ory records, ' til Wvf Willi roots dewp grave* • Wt « e-iic wuy. ♦ v He ineiiinrv ol the pas', ami ihe precious hopes ol the fu ture we command your presence, nd es pccially request thatyoU hold yourself in re* lines* to address the thousands as sembled upon this interesting occasion, to pat the seal of condemnation, broad and ' indelible, upon the libelerof the integri ty and loyalty of our people Very respectfully, WM. HMBKIXI.. A. K OAKftcr. M K. W. Ol.' NN A WAV S P. W'At.KKH, WM K I'IISTUN, JAMK PARKS. I'. WII.UA Ms, J I' THOMAS. S. I, VVAARIN. II II MAR abm < 'rim m Jtrr an /vrifatinH. MR MAYNAKII's RKI'LV. WASHINGTON, 1). I'., Feb. 10 11K.NT I. KM i N : 1 till) to-day honored by y.iur invitfition. nay. emphatic command, to he present at a mass Convention, in Nashville, on the 22d inst., and to ad dress the thousands expected to assemble, li pains me thatothei arrangements com pel uie to dccliue. 'ho birthday of Wash inlftnn has become a holiday in the nation al calender, and is a peculiarly fitting lime for the ex; res-ion of patriotic scn liiucu s. To u- of Tennessee. especially, it is a day id' hippy memory. It is the first aim versary of our great deliverance. The 22.1 ol I'ebiuaiy. I !$()•>, wlliever t e uieiii iratde as the >iay wliou, ourselves disenthralled fr .in the shaekies of trea-- 00, we. 111 the very act of our own emau eipiri n, struck the fetters from our bond e t aiel declared then) irrevocably free. • ■.-i -leal work, and . ill redound .t r • >. move to our honor in all com i" ii ■ Ihe day is most appropriate | .. ii tribute to ..ui honored I'rcs iv Y.ijrcw Johusou. lie is t lie great umoli|.a.-T ol leunessee .More than any oilier man.and with greater etteei. he labored for the overthrow of slavery and the hated "aristocracy based on slave I.thor." 'lis sympathies wore w.tli the woikiiig men, lira sous ol toil iwogre::' and kindred idea* possessed In in and in spired his action—the freedom .it Ihe slave and the emancipation of (lie poor white man from the slave aristocracy.— lieuee his repeated exulti.tnai over "the thousands of whiles as well as blacks, em inetpated by the war. Unspeakably gratify in.- t,. li;m \i mast lie, that soiue ol oiit.TOst opp »>ers, his m >st persisbmi 1 Uiaugncid, who missed no opportunity, wli le lie was HI 'lie contest, toviigmatite him. now lack words of adulation to ex: press their approval of his course; and by necessaiy implication, coutritiou for their own. Thus is wisdom justified of her children. We who stood by him and gave hiui onr support, and who according .to the measure of our ability, assisted in .his advancement aud shared, in conse queuce, something of his reproach, nat urally partake with him of this gratifica- 1 It is timely, also, to express our appro val of what jou correctly say ia u w uni voisaily known as the raatorjlion policy ot the President. For it is widely unsuu derstood, at leust stiaujjcly aiisrepresen ted. W'e, in Teunesaee, Irmuda audioes, ciu hardly lad to uo'uprehcud it. As the Military (Joveruor of our State, he adopted it »ith admitted success: All remember his scheme for the county elec tions ia March, 1804, the Presidential ♦lection in November, and the Constitu- AMERICAN CITIZEN. "Let us have Faith that Right makes Might J and in that Faith let us, to the end, dare to do our ' jty as we understand it"— A. LINCOLN. tional election in February following.— They were all lield upon the simple prin ciple that the political |x»wer of the State and the control of the Government he long rightfully to the loyal people and to •hem alone. A rcperusal of hi? sevoml proclamations would be instructive From his repeated utters ices of this stun inal principle of political grow.h. we may select almost at random. " T n cillintr a ('ouveution to restore the State, who -lull restore and establish it? Shall the mail who gave hia means and influence to de ptroy the Government? Is lie t<i partic ipate in the great work of reorganization.' Shall he who brought this mi-ery upon the State be permitted to control ilw des tinies ?" Again, he asks, ' Why all this blood and carnage?" It was that treason might be put down and traitors punished; therefore. I say that traitors should take i Lack seat in the wwk of restoration. — 11 there should be but live thousand in . it loyal to the Constitution, loyal to freed om, loyal to justice, these true and faith !ti 1 men -hall control the no k of reor gao z ton and refurmatiau utely Stiji more emphatic it possible, are bis declarations made this very day to a Com HI it tee Ironi the l.egislatuie of Virginia. •• lie representatives of the State* ami ol the people should have the qualifications prescribed by the Constitution of the United States. mid those <)<■.<lificnti..n-i most ut>iju«t-tioaahly imply loyalty. II' 1 who comes as a representative, having the quahfic .li"tis | lescribed by the C >nstiiu tiou. T.i lit hun to take a feat in either of the deliberative bodies which consti tute thi* National Legislature, must ueo essarily, according to the intendiiueut of the Constitution, he a loyal man; willing to abide and be devoted to the Union and the Constitution of the States." **♦**» "Ingoing into the recent rebellion or insurrection agaiust the Government of the-Si ales, we erred ; and in returning and renuming our relations with the Fed eral Government, I am tree to say, that all the responsible po itions and places ou tit ui ' e confided distinctly and clear ly to men who arc loyal. If there were only the thoqsuud loyal m-n in a State,or a less'nuuiber. but suffl tent to take charge of the political uiaehiuery of a State, ih .se live thousand men, or a less num ber, are entitled to it, if all the rest, should be otherwise inclined I look upon it as being fundamental. lh<il the exercim: «/ politicfll p'licer nkoulil be rtmjinrti to /oj/nl men." After this, there can be no dis pute as to what the president's polity really is. His language is neither ambiguous nor obscure. It is in lact the same policy adopted by Iho North Carolina fathers al tiie close of ike revolutionary war— U'liile they were enacting 'that all liian ner ol treason, misprison of treason lei uny or misdemeanor conmiittei or done since the fourth day ol .July, in of our l>ord, seventeen hundred itti'l sev enty-six. by any person or persons what soever, be pardoned, released an 1 putin total oblivion they at the same time • provided, also, that nothing herein c >ti taincd shall entitle any person by til s law to be received. to elect or he t" any office or tru«t in the State, or to hi any office, civil or uiilit ry." * Slaiy an \ and perhaps so">e others of the old thir teuit. dealt out similar restricted L«n. i • ■ iy to thcit; 'ories. The policy has been fairly tested in Maryland, Viigiuia, West Virginia.Ken neky. Tennessee, Missouri and Arkau sas—it well. Where it has tieen abanuoned or even relaxed, an I raitors re enfranchised, as in Virginia. Keniueky and Isiuisiana, there, trouble •>nd disorder prevail. lUe condition of the loyal Union pe i pie is little lieitur than under the de*p it imu ol the Southern Confederacy. Whti that was go a~k our friends in East Ten nessee —East Tennessee illustrious in tiei sorrow anil tne ulood ot her martyrs.— Goto the the prisou cells where liuudrcd piued in wretchedness, raiher than pol lute their soul? by swearing allegiance to a power they condemned. Goto the gibbets where the patriots Haun and liar moo, the lather and the son, and Hensie a:.d Fry, passed upward along the shin iug pathway to glory. There see what treason did in the plentitude of its po v er; and what it wants but the opportuni ty .0 do again. Yes, ny all means, le l os heartily, anil with utquostion, indorse the Preeideut's policy, and repeat h s fundamental axiom that the exerci-e ol political power should be confined to loyal men until the sounding words shall be echoed t'roui every Union man'a hearth atone and rout tree in the land. Let the preservers ot the nation be its rulers. You request me '-to put the teal of cm demnatiou.broad and iudelible upon the •An act of pardon wd oblivion, Apri! '.755, JoarOoll, BUTu:II. BUTLER COUNTY. PA.. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 18G6. libclers of the integrity and loyalty ot our people."' Yej, verily! at more than one locality in our State has sprung into litis a virulent press, at. organ and mouth? pieee of tteas n, that at the apptt u h ol the flag either fled or restrained its uttel am.es within the limits ol military law. With the same traitor editors as be fore and during the wir, pardoned.it may be, but manifestly unchanged ia temper and purpose, there is displayed the same sectional spirit and hatred id the l'eder al Government, though not the same stomach lor D-ht I.'infer a thin disguise . 112 fl ittery of the 1 'resident, they assail his friends who have stood by him all through the dark years ol the couflict, and vilify th s«> win m they call th t H d icals. meaning all I'nton men who op posed their in.anions course, and who are in w unwillins; that they should again be restored to power over loyal men. 1 heir dim nal venom affords the strongest ol arguments agalnVt the admission to their seats of your Congressional represents, lion This remark applies, with few ex ceptions, to the entire Houthert. press. 'J'hc ideas and principles ot the rebel lion arc const intly instilled by it into the popular mind. Fortunately for lennes si c unlike some of the neighbor States, she has manhood enough left in her leg islature. her and hor citizens ot na tive and foreign blith to controvert and denounce Iheui. 'i hat is her strength ao l grace, commending bur to the loyal nn> IP atri'itic of the whole nation They who l',r !i ir years, conspired to destroy th- (i< v, nimont. if they are now sincere, will cheerfully accept the meas ure of liberality vc n'lc'l to their North Carolina ancestors. i'hey will voluntari ly, in the language of tl.e President, •take a back seat." Jiet the J have the benefit of equal laws, and take IVoni them at once the pswcr and tein[ tation to rb new their assault upou the life of their country. Many of them the President has cer ininly pardoned. But it i-» quite certain that they have pardoned him, tint lie) do nut still cherish towards h:m the same feeling of revenge, as towaul all others ol our State who united with h in in the overthrow ol' their cherished cause? In closing, I hope not to be thought presuming il I urge upon our trie mis,tliu Union men ol the State, the policy, the duty, the necessity of keeping your ranks of standing shoulder to .-boulder, us when juu iaced the enemy ou the field. Stren uous efforts are made to sow dissentiou among you. They would divide you to luin you. Uniting with one faction to oveip iwer the other, they won d then turn iip.iU t loir ailte.-> and lend tlioin.— Lei no Union in. MI, high or low, court the lavorot traitors. We will never win it. (•'luin the first, they have held IIIITI as ilieir enemy; an I to the list tliey will be liis. livery I IIIOU man «lio puts Ins trust in thciu will sooner or later find it out. 15e wise, I beseech you, in time E chew politic. I ijuarrels, petty rivalries, frivolous jealousiot and seil seekii'g ca bals. So shall you sav.e yourselves IIMU I.ill ng. one by one, and unpitied sacrifice i;i a coiitein; itble struggle. Accept, yentleuieii. assurances of con ..ci.ii on.l am, very rvapuui fuily, Your obeiliuin seivmt, . OIIACE MAVNABD Messrs. Willialn lleiafcelj and tatters, 1 otninittce. BKAVI.BS.— \u E gli.-h writer dcuiol <>hes the old idea that lhe lail ol th»- neaver is his trowel, ile observed th i« avers building their dim an i houses to the.Zuological Gardens at Lurodo : The commencement -of the tir>t lodge, or hut building operation, was in augur.. ted by Mr. Harriett, the superintendent of the garden, who iilar-ed in I be paddock au old i.ox, iii'.u It ilowuvftrd, with one enu kn. < Jmt on.i lie leavers at once took to tlnsnho ter. and comiue ced piling up >u it and Hum i' the puddled clay w.ih wiiu h Ili. y li 11l becu supplied HI one Corner of the en<-osure. Ol coursu the reader expects io be told about the won drous dexterity with which ' hey plastered the work with their tails; in truth they did uothing of the kind, and all the sto ruts about the uuiuial u.iiugjiis tail as a trowel are pure myths, caused, doubtless, by the apparent applicability of that ap pendage to such a purpose It is a rud der, and nothing more, to a>si»t the ani uial iu directing its course iu tho water, and is perfectly useless at plasterer's wit Tho clay moistcued with the little running stiouin close at hand, was carried by his lore paws, and dabbled on the roof he was making ovei the box. This process of daubing ami puddling was alternated by carefully placing branches across and athwart the mud-work, inierlaeing the former, and theu filling up the interstices with tho puddled clay. HON. R. A. BROWNE. On the preamble ami remtuiious appro ritii/ the action of our'Fi tpfenevntatite* in ('anrjrnt nn the enfranehi*emei\t of the colored people of the District of Columbia. ! . . MB. ÜBOWNK. MR. Speaker, it is not from any personal iaelinotion that I rise to sprak on this question ; but because T feel that I ennnot ovoid the responsi bility. The profioiiilton before the Senate is td -nstain the action of nur representatives in Congress extending suffrage to the colored population of the District of Col umhia. That action I heartily endorse. Our Representatives have been chosen to their high offices because they are sjipposed to have the W'sdom adequate to decide this and other important questions. It is to be presumed they are better acquainted with the situation and its duties th in those who arc distant from the scene ol action ; and when they have takeu the position in question, with the responsi bility it involves, they should not be left to bear the -issault of partisan opp isition alone. lam willitig to concede they have acted wisely and well ; ami, if support is tiec led for that action, it shall not be wanting, so far as I am concerned. This action is only one circumstance iu a loug series but one event in a long couliti ued struggle. \Yc have had four years ol bloodshed, but the battle antedates those four years, aud outlives the clash of arms It began before many ot us can remember; and it continues until to day. It is that of which has been said, "Preedutn'a baltle, nnce begun, ))«qut*<uUe(l from itlwtHng -ire to son, Though lufljfl oft, at la t is w»n. t It is the battle of freedom against sla very, of right against wrong, of human ity against savagery, of Christianity ajjainst dcvilisin. In the nature of Uod Hid in sepordatfee with tbo principles uf Ilis providence, it is destined to succeed I feci thankful that by my sympathies and convictions, I stand upon the side ihat has won thus far, and is destined to win until the final victory is gained. As we look out now upon the field where this long battle has been wagetl with varying fortuues, we suddeuly see a skirmish line thrown out. It is tollow cd by a line of battle. A dash is made. A new position 14 won. We hear the liurrah that goes up. It is from our uicu \\'<i tux the flag that is planted upou the height. It is the glorious stripes anil stars. Our representatives are that but tie line, aud the. advanced posit on gained •s the impartial suffrage in the District ot 'Vluiubia. Now where aic the re serves? Let theui be ordered up. They sliall unt be wautiug, nor shall the hard iouglit tieid be surrendered, nor our liues be torceif to retire with loss, so far as ac tiou of u:iud can avail to the contrary. Two days' discussion in this Senate Chamber ot ihis i|uestiou of colored sin fragv has developed that the opposing (lariyrely upou the same argument against • lie recognition of the right ot suffrage to the black rao as those they have here tofore urged against their emancipation tVotn slavery, it is substantially an ar go men 1 to the ignorance aud prejudice ot tlio lowest classes of the people, il is a wild apjieal to the passious or negio tear and negro hate. It has not availeo u the past. It has been the cine! weapon ol a party that have been so re ueaiedly aud signally defeated in the use ot it heretofore that it might be suppos ed they would have abandoued it loug ago. JJut the debate livre has showu thai it l» ltic main dependence still ot the par ty tti.it suuus opponed to progress, aud .s to be used IU iho discussion of the quest ou ot tliu lights ot' man independ ent ol color aud race whatever phases tue discussion may assume. Happily the public niiud has become, in some meas ure, so accustomed to these frantic efforts to excite our alarui by holding up before our eyes the phantom of ucgro social equality, aud their object is so well uu aeistood to be to secure power for the party that opponed emancipation and thwarted the ijjveinmeut iu its efforts to put tiowu rebellion, that the thing has lust a Large measur. of whatever terrors it once ha . Among the terrible consequences charged upou the proposed measure of -euirancbisiug the black man of the Dis trict ot Colo abia with the right of suf frage, if it shall receive endorsement here aud be dually enacted aud receive the endorsement of the President of the United States, we are told will be the election of colored men to office, and that befuie long we may expect to see them represent us iu the councils 9/ the uation Aud what of that ? If the principle is right in itself, and constitu tional, aud the people ot any portion of the eountry tlnxi.se U> select a colored geotlemau to represent "them, I should like to know hiw it contravenes any Ue publican or ntj Denn craft ' prin< Iple that thq people should exercise their own choice iu the matter. 1 say tf. Do Dot you Republicans—do not you Democrats bcliev* in the right of the peoplo to rule thei&selvef ? To determine what form ef Government they wfll have to admin ister it? And if tho people of any dis trict, not taking iwmns«! from thQ.Denjo aratie«ptirty, should elect a respectable colored ttiatr, fOT my part, T elo uot hesi tutc to gay that I would rather sit by the side of such a man, elected by loyal con stituents and iu a constitutional manner, that .sit with men who hare striven to overthrow the Government, and who are yet reekin<» wiih recent treason I would rather sit by the side ef such a man than by the side of John O. Ureckei)ridge, whom Democrats elected Vice I'resideut, whom they nominated afterwards as Presi dent professedly lo save the country, and whoui democrats in Kentucky now pro pose to elect to the Heuate of the United States, to help to govern the country which ha failed by his treason and blood shed to destroy. lam bold to avow that 1 would a thousand times rather sit be side s constitutionally elected represen tative of loyal constituents,eolorod though he be, than sit beside a man stained with the hue of such infamous oritnes. Hut there is another alarming conse quence to follow the enfranchisement of the colored men of the District, which the geuUemen here have urge I, namely, that if this measure i« enacted they fear "their female relatives will viarry black men ! Even the respected Senator from Berks,; [Mr. Clymer] asked us ( in the name of our mothers, sisters, and daugh teis to vote down this measure. What lid he "ncan by that ? Is there any feni that this measure wiil be fouud to be frought with such eonse<|ueuces ? Is there really any danger, if enacted, that >nr widowed nioiliuis, our virgin sisters r ourgushing daughtcis will marry black men ? There is 1:0 (lunger to any of my datives. If the gentleman on the othei -idc think liny have reason to lear, I »m siiry for them. Yet, I am not willing o interpose by legislative enactments to prevent such a catastrophe iu tho gentle men's family connections, at the expense ■f the just rights, the enfranchisement, md development of tho colored race. — Chore is a latcut fear that this race wit| get ahead of the members uf the Demo cratic party in the elements of true man liood unless they s: a i ,be represftd by iisabling legislation. Such legislation 1 .int not willing to ancct. If they are fjetter men, then in God's name let them have a chance to show their superiority If they have more manhood let it be de veloped. If they arc swifter in the race of progress, then I hope God may pi event me from placing one ounce of additional weight upon their limbs. Let them feel the inspiration of th« a genius of our com mon country. *'l!er® the free vpirft of mankind at length Throws its lah i fetters utl ! And who ■hall place A limit on the giaat'e uriehnined stirngih, Or curb his nwifiues* in the forward r«tdef" lu the ouutue ul this debate, the as aertiou that the aUrujiug consequences mentioned, uud others, will fulluw negro suffrage, has beeu corroborated ami argu ed stati.-tically. 1 aui foud of that Hurt rt thing, and if 1 had known the gentle man had intended to euter the statistical arena, and time had pe-uiitted, 1 would have had Home statistics to pteseut on the other side. Tito Senator from Cleulicld [Mr. Wallace J told us l«it night that the preponderance of muiuttoe* in the eutiru colored population was greatest in the Northern States where the blacks have been free; and further, that the number was decidedly the greatest in those States where the blacks are granted suffrage.— And he reavi, i>: proof of this declara tion, from the compilation n| the census of ISiO, made by the Be How, who was in the interests of the sccessioyiats, and who went with them iuto rebellion.— Now, taking these declarations to be facts, they are very remarkable facts. Mr. Wailaoe. Here i.« the census re port. The Senator can examine it for himself. Mr. Brow.ie. I tare it at. home, ami have examined these lacts belore, though unable now to refall theui; but ol' course I cannot now occupy the time of the Seuatc by revising the details during the time allotted for these remarks. fJu" 1 do know that if Uie facts be as claimed and prove anything clearly aud logically in favor of the geutleuiau's positions, they, prove uot merely that th« elective tranchide must be denied to avert such results, but also that the colored race should oot have been emancipated, and should now be remanded to slavery. It is not simply the right to rote that is to be set aside, if the facts be ax asserted, and the argument based on them be val id, but the right to be freemen. Of a similar character is the argument of the Benator, and those countries where emancipation has been effected there has been a la rue decrease in the exports; frnm which It has been inferred that there is less productive industry under the sys tem of freedom than under that of sir. very. Hence it is argued that the prin ciples of political economy are against the conferring of suffrage upon the ne gro. Mut the argument goes further than that. If it proves anything it is not simply that the black man should not be a voter, but that he should bo a slave These argui.ients ore the old arguments we have heard #jr yeirs. They were formerly used to sustain the cause of sla very, now reproduced to prove the negro should not have the ballot.— The argumeuts from statistics have been rejieatcdly shown to bo falacious .The amount of exports of a country cannot be the sole standard of ex cellence of its institutions. Iu the Brit ish West India Islands the number of agricultural producers has been dimin ished by the withdrawal of the woincu frun that class ol field hands, besides which ihe emancipation population are uot merely producers under the sys.etn oftreo labor, but consumers. Foruicrely, when they wete mere chatties of masters, a limit wits placed upon home cousump t.on. Now they choose, like other free men, to live upon aud eujuy the fruits of their labors. Llence the exports havo fallen off. The argument based upon tbcVstatis tical reference to the large preponderance of mulattoes to the whole colored popula tion in the State of .Michigan, and of the most nun hern States ot the Union, as eouipared with the late slave states, :s equally fallacious. What are the facts? The peninsula of Michigan is closely bordered by Ouuada. L.irg# numbers ni fugitives (rem bondage in the Southern States have, as we know, fled to Cunada and settled upon the border. Ou account of its proximity to Canada, and then lfiends there, many have taken up thuir abode in Michigan. 1 think it will be found that whatever may De the prepon derance of the mixed race in those locali ties, it is attributable to slavery and not to freedom—-much less to colored suffrage, it u the product of Southern aotl ami in StltUtkMlS. Hut dismissing tho objections • urged against ihe suffrage bill tor the District, consisting chiefly of appeals that arc made to our fears, I take up the questiou: Is suffrage a natural right? The Senator from Berks [Air. ClyinerJ takes the neg ative, and calls ita''political" right, lie it so that it is a political right, it does not I'oliow it is not a natural one. The ten ator from Clearfield [Mr. Wallace] also takes the negative and terms it u "con" leutional" right. On the contrary, it is only the recognition or the denial of jt iliat is conventional Now, ih'u question-, is the suffrage a natural right? 1 am willing, very lully, to di»euss here anu elsewhere witli tne gentlemen. 1 know that the Seuutors Irom Bradford [Mr liaudunj and Indiana [Mr. White,] who lirsi, ou this slue ot the question, did not ashpit, at icart u.y ears uid not ea cb or my memory retain any assertion on their part, that suffrage is a natural light. They probably did not luucli upon that pha->e ol the subject, but cou tented themselves to plead tot enfranchise uient to the uegro in the District as u measure of justice to the race that ban fought our battles, and a measuie of wis doni on the part of the Government a> providing lor its own security, and the (public peae?,. against those who had sought ibcir by tren&op aj)J rebellion. L do uot knuw how far either of these I Senators would go as to the recognition of suffrage as »u abstract right. Hut so fur us this debate has gone, the argument on this phase of the question has been on the negative and from the other tide of the chamber Now, I urn witling to as seit and maintain that the negro ffhould be enfranrhiscd with the ballot, because like Othello, "he has done the State some seiTu;e ajid tliey know it," sad that, ''de serving well of the Republic" for his con stant loyalty, his services and sacrrfieES lie should be permitted to deposit a vote in the ballot-box, and thus maintain, by his ballot, the rights for which be fought and faced builets and carnago upon the battle Held. li"t, siuce the Senators tip JU the other side have chosen themselves to make the issue aud deny that suffrage Ls a natural right, L aecu; t the itsae, aijd am prepared to meet theut kc'ro and where ever they please, aqd phut they deoy. Sir, suffrage is a natural right. 1 choose to assert that the v'njht hf the t/ov eminent in in the governed. It is simply t tli« right of the people to govern tbeui NUMBER t 5 selves—in fhe healthful condition 0 f tj , ciety, an inalieneble right belonging to every individual by the same jost princl pies as those by which it beinngs to any. On no other ground can the theory of a popular gOTernment, as against govern rtrents by prescription or force, be main tainod. On no other prnnnd fan any man consistently stand who wears the name of "Democrat." There are other theories of gorernment, but they are not Ameri can or Democratic. There is a theory that the fountain of authority is in one man and all privilege* of citiiensliip are franchises conferred by him— which ia the theory of absolute monarchy, whoso fundamental dogma ia that "the king rules by divine right." There ia the the ory that this divine right of gorerping ia lodged in a favored few— the nobles, va riously designated an oligarchy or aristoc racy. Uesides which, there is the dogma that "right makes might," or that power lie longs to those who can achieve it, bold ly and consistently maintained by those , who entertain it, and developed io a mili tary despotism. The theory that tho will o» the majority is the souroe of justice "*nd right, is essentially the samj. A ma. joiity have no right to deprive man of tlial which is iualieuable any more thai) kiugs, or armies. Within their just lim its, majorities may and should rule; but there are rights that are sacred against even the will of majorities, and this right is one of them. The poet Wadsworth describes the opposite ; " The good old rule Sufficeth them—the plan, That he should take who has the pjwer, And he should keep who can." Any departure from the principle that tho power of government inheres in the people, and, it in one, then all, is simply an approximation to military despotism, or oligarchical or kingly rule, the doctiine of vit armontm or of the divine right of nobles or kings, which is abhorrent to tho fundamental American principle. Ac cording to that principle, suffrage reside* in every individual of tho people, who has not forfeited it by crimes, including the crime of seeking to overthrow the Government by treason or rebellion. It cannot but be so. If otherwise, let it be shown whate this power resides. This is the American Democratic prin, ciple. When our forefathers ruptured the tie iliat bonud them to the govern incut of Great Britain, they planted them selves on this great fundamental doctrinu as the true foundation of their incipient institutions. They assumed this princi ple to be inconvertible. In the immor tal Declaration of Independence they de clare this and its kindred truths to b« axioms—trutha which no logic is needed to establish und which cannot be disap proved, becai se they are self-evident.— W V> e hold these truths," they a»y, "self evident, that all men are created free and equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with uertain ina ieujtble rights j that among these are life, liberty and tho pursuit of happiness. That to tecum tkete riijhtt youernmen/t are inttituted. de riiinj their ju*t powert from the. content of th&governed." "From the Consent of ■he governed." Is nottho negro of them ii this land? If that was sound and pat riotic doctrine in 177*3, is it less or differ ent in lfiCG ? J hat position geotleiuei) cannot controvert, especially if they as sume to bo Democaits. Sir, amid all the fallacies of these later tint* the «hifiiug of events, the wanderings of parties, the immortal declaration beting tho iuscrip uou of these graud truths, looms up like a tali pillar to guide us to peace and secu rity, because it points in the way of jus tice and right. Now, sir. I argwe (hat thin government, above till the governments in the world, can trust its interests to the suffrage of all its loving sons, Ido not see the per ils that are taid to menace us if we shalj introduce the colored man of the District of Columbia to the right of suffrage. Isy their taxes, they help to sustain th« uiuuicipal governments of the District and the schools. The children aw px eluded from the latter, and they have no voice in either. I would arm them witli the ballot, that their vote may compel justice in these particulars. Nor have I any fears in the contemplation of the question immediately before us. It wtmid bejust and wise to apply this principle to every State lately in rebellion. Gen eral Grant is reported to have said that if we do not give the negroes in the Sooth the right of suffrage, it will require an ariWj? ol' en* Jitindied thousand men, and an annual expenditure of one hundred millions of. dollars to keep the peace of ><* c Slates. If Gen. Grant dtd not I uiiku thai remark, ii wuuld.be hiiu tu; inuno it. 'to my view it i* a Ma ple tu preaeut iUtelf to the mia<l of auy man, statesman or otharwiae,
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