M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1862-06-19
speechi Of Hon, MF. Cowan OF
Pennsyivnnia in n Reply 20 m
Attack OF Wade Of Ohio.

1 IL y
Attach OF Wade Of Ohio.
Mr.. Cowan (Rep., Penn)--No
doubt but am the hnmblest OF indi.
yidpals, and entirely unknown. and
no doubt but this is the first Office |
ever held in my life. 1t is true that
am here, and that am unknown
but, sir, stand upon this floor as the
representative OF Pennsylvania, and
Of nearly three millions OF people,
SLall not undertake to apologize for
my people. l know tlat when this
Administra ion came into power,
with its worthy President, whom |
have sustained, and with whom | am
proud to agree, oil eyes were turned
" the State represent, and oil peo.
pie sdmhttcd that upon her decision
depended the issue; and when this
rebellion broke out al eyes were again
IurLed ~ THAT Stale, and all people
seemed to feel that upon her depend
sd the issOs OF the contest, Penhsyl-
vania responded, and her troops came
fist tO the rescue OF the Capital. She
has = greater number Of troops in the
field than any other State, and her
tsAd are lying on most every battle
tiSld Of the Union. | am not here to
apologize Cor the position ! hold as
the representative Of Pennsylvania
Sm not here to apologize either ior
my youth OF my inexperience. lhaVe
never understood that it was necessa-
ry TO send man here for years in or
der to apprentice him to bis duty in
this body. have never UNDERSTOOD
that age or length of service would
sanctiiy folly, or that it would give
charscter to billingsgate which might
well be learned Ct fishwOmSn. |
have understood that Senators on
this floor we're equal. lhaye lsctured
nobody, reprosched nobody, nor been
dogmstic against ary body. | have
ass allied 10 mans person, but did
mean to say that all this talk about
Senators lecturing each other, and be-
ing dogmatic, was, in my humble
judgment, mere idle badinage. |
leave the attack which has been made
upon me and upon my past history );
and if the Senator who has chosen 10
make this upwarrantab!e, unjust and
ungracelul attack on one 80 humble
and so little known, can reconcile It
to bis sense of duty and propriety, !
am not perfectly content 10 letit pass,
| will not advert to his distinguished
career, but leave them all to the re.
suits Of his own calm reflection. l
made an srgument--whether strong
or not, convincing or not, no matter,
made it +; and the Senator from Ohio
introduced q rude, vulgar, low ejacu'
lation which | know upon reflection
he would not have made. That az
gument he has q right to answer
Has he9 i'll, with my insignidcance,
lectured, rsproached, and WAS dog
matte, how mucn more WAS ne with
his great past fame and long expert
ence when he condescended toindulge
in TRADE of half and hour, charging
me with being the watch dog Of sla-
very, and a hundred other things
equally unjust, and equally improper.
1t is very easy to make that charge,
and useless to attempt to repel it,
But while am representative OF
Pennsylvania, am sent here by that
State to preserve the Constitution and
restore the Union, and in the exer'
else of that duty feel myself as mach
in the line OF it when am defending
the South from what | believe to be
an unwarrantable attack, and when !
am standing up between slavery and
those who would unconstitutionally
overthrow it, as if / was defending
the interests of the little village where
| was born, and far more 80. | have
resisted projects which considered
mischievous and wrong and unconstl-
tutional, and | have nothing TO regret
on that subject With the approval
Of my own conscience, ] am perfectly
willing to be sdjudged for what shall
saw or DO.