Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-03-10
Mr. 81 wished to God that when vallandig-


ham was arrested for violating Burnsides Or
der that we had had Alexander the conqueror
and despot at the head of the Government
instead of Abraham Lincoln. Despot as he
was, Alexander did not recognize indirect
high treason" Not so with Abraham, the
1st All, but the Republicans misunderstood
the temper of the Democrats, Just as they
misunderstood the South. We cannot give
the exact words of the speaker and
anything short of that would fail to convey
the insinuations contained in this part of his
remarks, but, as we understood him, the
drift of what he said was to threaten that the
Northern Democrats might at no distant day
follow the example of the South and rise in
northumberland E..-
He next referred to a letter written in 1856
by Theodore Parker to Salmon P Chase in
which he predicted that the North would rise
in arms and establish new Constitution
which he Parker) declared was written on
drum-head. Theodore Parker pointed out
the clause of the Constitution which declares
that the General Government shall guarantee
a Republican form of Government to the
States, as the clause under which the insti-
buttons of the States might be attacked.
This was treason. And Abraham Lincoln had
adopted that very suggestion of the traitor
Parker in his Amnesty Proclamation. He
(Mr. S. charged Abraham Lincoln then with
being traitor, after the fact, and both he
and Theodore Parker, were liable to be con-
victed of treason in the courts of this country
In conclusion, he said he would read Gen.
McClellan's letter of the It'll of July, 1862,
and declared that he stood by McClellan's
civil and military policy. He went ON to de-
nounce the coniscation policy of the Admin
istration. He appealed to members to know
why we could not give up fanaticism, and act
| together to sustain the Constitution. He
denounced the filing of all. civil offices by
Republicans, under the reasonable preteXt
that democrats are not loyal The war could
not be concluded in thirty years under the
| present policy. 1t was constantly strength
ening the rebels. Let US look at things can
didly without partizan feeling. This Govern
ment is based on the consent of the gov
erned. The States must come back of their
own free will, Or they will not come at all.
| In no other way could the Union be restored.
viii they so come back under the present
| policy ?? 1t was a singular fact that to day
the North stands condemned by every nation
of Europe except despotic Russia, while the
| South has conducted itself in a manner to
secure the appreciation of all the rest. Oh,
let US stand by the Constitution, and preserve
our liberties. Let US have the Union if we
| can, but, in any event, let US preserve the
| Constitution and our liberties.
| Mr.. JOHNSON said he desired to correct
one statement of the gentleman. He would
not say that the gentleman had designedly
made misrepresentation. 1t was in rela-
ton to the action of Gen. Thomas down the
Mississippi The speaker was then in the
army, land heard the address Of Gen. Thomas at
Lake Providence. Others there present had
heard Gen. Thomas at other points, and told
him that he had made the Identical speech at
all places he visited, so far as they could
| learn. Now, it was not true that Gen. Thorn
as used any such expression as was attributed
| to him by the gentleman who had just spo-
| ken He used no threat in regard to the of
fcers who would not endorse the Presidents
proclamation or policy. What he did say,
was substantially like this:
| 81 have heard that negroes coming side our
lines frequently illtreated by Federal officers;
that must not be. They must be we'll treated,
kindly received, fed and clothed. Such is the
command of the President, and I as his represent
alive will enforce it, and the ink shall not dry up
my pen in dsmissing any officer from the serv-
ice, whatever be his rank, reported to me as guilty
of ill-treating, failing to protect these contra
| bands coming inside lnes.'' .". ...
(Applause.) -.H
These remarks were received with hearty
cheers by the eth Division of the 18th Army
Corps.
! 1t being 6 O'clock the House adjourned till
| u o'clock.
! EVENING SESSION.
u O'CLOCK P. NJ.
The joint resolutions introduced by Mr.
| SHARKS were taken up.
Mr.. BARRY said he had no personal de-
| Tense to make. In the discharge of his duty,
| no nt cor batb ar cd
| ed. 1t was his practice to utter his convic:
tons freely and frankly. He should be very
frank tonight, since the gentleman who pre-
coded him had been SO outspoken. For
| three long hours we have listened to his
| speech full of denunciation of the Admins
| tration and to his taunts to the majority on
this floor for their servility to tyrant and a
despot. o.. | don't think this was in good TASTE
| don't think it was just. l don't think, sir,
| that it was true. 1t may be that there are
timid and weak kneed men on this floor, men
who have not the courage and manliness to
say what they honestly believe. Many parts
of the speech of the gentleman, and those
most severe and denunciatory, met with
applause on this floor, and l felt very sorry,
as | thought those same passages would meet
with applause also, if heard in Richmond.
The gentleman assumed that he was loyal,
| u,
sir, there was a great deal of treason in his
speech Applause. r...- -,--l3
| The SPEAKER gentlemen.
l have been in the South, have talked
with rebels and traitors there, and they talk
ed just as he talks. But am willing to be-
lieve, because he says so, that he is loyal
man, and earnest in his support of the Union
| went into the army Democrat. | was
a Democrat from boyhood upward and am
to-day a Democrat if to bear in my heart
reverence for universal humanity constitutes
a Democrat When | came back from the
war, my Democratic friends said that / talked
as if l were crazy. He was crazy, as Gen.
Butler said of Gen. Phelps, crazy about ten
| days in advance of the majority. He was
body and soul, through and through, an abo-
litionst. That was what he was.
| A word about Gen. Butler. An alluson,
! not very kind or complimentary TO Gen. But
| Ter was made here this afternoon. At New
| Orleans he brought order out of confusion
and made it safe, as it had not been for twen-
| ty years, for any man or woman to walk the
| streets of that great, and wicked and licen-
tious city by light or day. He related how
the bard of the 4th Wisconsin played
| "Picayune Butler has come to town" That
was true now all over the country. Picayune
| Butler had come to town in the form of a
more vigorous. determed and manly prosecu-
| ton of the war. The Speaker then defended
the famous woman order" denounced by
the gentlemen from Dane, (Mr. Geo. B.
Smith,) and declared from his personal
knowledge that it was necessary and most
salutarY measure, relating instances of the
conduct of the women prior to its promulga-
ton
He assumed that we were all in favor of
vigorous prosecution of, the war, to put down
the shareholders rebellion, and ready to aid it
w; RI ,,e,, and money Tt wac rIaasant 70 COO