Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/52

44 W. C. WOODWARD From this time on, the Oregonian attacked Johnson as unre- servedly as any well recognized political opponent, and as viciously. The views of the two journals as to the proper status of the Negroes, freed by the war, were almost as antithetical as on the general question of reconstruction. Governor Gibbs called a special session of the legislature, to meet December 5, 1865, to consider the Thirteenth Amendment which had been pre- sented by Congress to the various states. The Amendment passed the senate by a vote of 13 to 3 and the house by a vote of 30 to 4. The seven Democrats of the assembly vigorously opposed it. The Statesman was almost alone in opposing the call of the special session, arguing that the settling of the question at that time would rob the Union party of a good issue in the approaching campaign, and that it would entail useless expense. Emancipation suggested, almost immediately, other vital issues anent the future of the Negro, which began at once to receive attention. The chief of these issues was naturally that of negro suffrage. The first explicit statement on the question made by the Statesman appeared October 2, 1865. It came out squarely against the issue and was inclined to ridicule those Union men, and especially the office-seekers for their delicacy in discussing the subject or avoidance of it altogether. In a sentence, its objection to the enfranchisement of the Negro was this : "We do not believe that any democratic or republican form of gov- ernment can successfully govern two separate and distinct races of people in large numbers with equal political rights to both races." The Oregonian did not yet give an explicit expression on the issue, satisfying itself with giving space to a few innuen- does at the position of the Statesman, which called forth the rejoinder "The Statesman has expressed its opinion plainly upon this, the most important question of the day, while the Oregonian, with its usual want of manly frankness, is waiting to see which way it will be prudent to jump."s8 58 Statesman, Oct. 30, 1865.