I then proceeded,—not adopting the term “universal suffrage,” employed by the eminent Frenchman,—as follows:—
“It is impartial suffrage that I claim, without distinction of color, so that there shall be one equal rule for all men. And this, too, must be placed under the safeguard of Constitutional Law.”[256]
I followed up this effort by a communication to that powerful and extensively circulated paper, the New York “Independent,” under date of Boston, October 29, 1865, where I expressed myself as follows:—
“For the sake of the whole country, which suffers from weakness in any part,—for the sake of the States lately distracted by war, which above all things need security and repose,—for the sake of agriculture, which is neglected there,—for the sake of commerce, which has fled,—for the sake of the national creditor, whose generous trust is exposed to repudiation,—and, finally, for the sake of reconciliation, which can be complete only when justice prevails, we must insist upon Equal Rights as the condition of the new order of things.”
Mark, if you please, Sir, “as the condition of the new order of things,”—or, as I called it on other occasions, the corner-stone of Reconstruction.
“So long as this question remains unsettled, there can be no true peace. Therefore I would say to the merchant who wishes to open trade with this region, to the capitalist who would send his money there, to the emigrant who seeks to find a home there, Begin by assuring justice to all men. This is the one essential condition of prosperity, of credit, and of tranquillity. Without this, mercantile houses, banks, and emigration societies having anything to do with this region must all fail, or at least suffer in business and resources. To Congress we must look as guardian, under the Constitution, of the national safety.”[257]
Meanwhile the President adopted a policy of reaction. I was at home in Massachusetts, and from Boston, under date of November 12, 1865, I addressed him a telegraphic dispatch, as follows:—
“To the President of the United States, Washington.
“As a faithful friend and supporter of your administration, I most respectfully petition you to suspend for the present your policy towards the Rebel States. I should not present this prayer, if I were not painfully convinced that thus far it has failed to obtain any reasonable guaranties for that security in the future which is essential to peace and reconciliation. To my mind, it abandons the freedmen to the control of their ancient masters, and leaves the national debt exposed to repudiation by returning Rebels. The Declaration of Independence asserts the equality of all men, and that rightful government can be founded only on the consent of the governed. I see small chance of peace, unless these great principles are practically established. Without this the house will continue divided against itself.