The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1864-04-29

u
dignation. Nevertheless, just men would
call it murder, aud wise men madness.
The excellence of the impulse is one thing,
the righteousness of the act quite another"
That paper further says:
The Speaker erred most grievously in Origi-
mating such resolution at all. He SHOULD have
initiated the manner in which Henry Clay. one
of his predecessors, dealt with such unpatriotic
utterances in the last war with England; or If
it was not in the power of his lips to do that
or even to attempt to do it, then his part was
to keep quite still, and perhaps occupy his
thoughts with an incident that occurred in that
House in the days when the inviolable rights
of Representative of the people were better
understood. In January, 1911, Josiah Quincy.
speaking on the question of the admission of
Louisiana, said: IF this bill passes. it is my
deliberate opinion that it is virtually disso-
luton of the Union; that it will free the
States from their moral obligations, and as it
mil be the right of aN, so IL niN Be the
daty Of some, deGnitely to prepve for a
separation, dn.'cat!y if they can, rioIently if they
must" Mr.. POindexter called Mr.. Quincy to
order, and requested the decision of the
Speaker whether it was consistent with the
prOpriety of debate to use such language.
The Speaker, Mr. Varnum decided that the first
clause OF the sentence was admissible but the
latter contrary to the order of debate. Mr..
Quincy appealed from this deci ion, and it was
| reversed by the House. MIR. Quincy's Ian
guage was declared to be in order, and he
went on to say II rejoice, Mr.. Speaker, at
the result OF this appeal-not from any per
sonal consideration, but to the respect paid to
the essential rights of the people. in one of
their representatives" Mr.. Quincy had used
language far more obnoxious than any en-.
plOved the other day by Mr.. Long and yet
the House held that he was not even out OF
order. Not the fainte;t inimatiOn was heard
from the Republicans of that day--though
party spirit never ran higher--that Mr Quincy
ought to be, or could be expelled.
If Mr.. LONG had been the first TO utter
|. REASONABLE opinions In Congress this al
tempt to expel him might have escaped
the charge of invidiousness, but the fact
is too we'll known that in the last Congress
Mr.. M. F. CONWAY, of Kansas, offered the
following rather disloyal Gas some people
may think) resolutions
| ResoIred by the Senate and House Of Repre-
| sentatves &c, that the Executive be. and he
| is hereby requested to issue general order to
| all commanders of forces in the several mill
tary departments in the United ates to disco,a-
tinue oGtasice operations against the enemy and
to act for the future entirely on tie defensive
Resotced, That the Executive be. and he Is
hereby further requesed to enter into negotia-
tiOns with the authorities of the Confederate
States, with reference TO cessation of hOstili-
| ties, based on the following propositions /.
| Recognition of the independence of the Con-
tederate States 2. A uniform system of duties
upon imports 8. Free Trade between the two
| States 4. Free navigation of the Mississippi
| River 5. Mutual adoption of the Monroe
Doctrine.
Afterwards, in support Of these peace
propositions, Mr. UoNwAr, among other
things, said:
IL is ecident that force as a controtiing eIe-
nent in tie strife. has spent itself and that esther
| Cancellation or temporary separation must settle
| the dispute. The Democrats will not of course,
listen to separation for an instant. Such sug
gestion in their eyes now. is treaSOn-a prOpO
sitior to dissolve the Union-fOr which one
| ought to be hanged. They expect the question
whether the Union shall be restored by force
or compromise to be submitted to the people
in the next election, and upon that to carry the
| country.
cannot, therefore, see how this war can
end otherwise than in a manner most injurious
and melancholy to the nation.
am aware that this may be said to be Civ
ing up the coDtest. In one respect it undOubt-
edly is 1t is an abandonment for the time
being, of the attempt to bring the South under
| the sway of the Union by force of arms. But
it cannot be denied that in this object we are
already defeated; we have defeated ourselves.
But it also protects us from the insidiOus de-
signs of domestic foes, now plotting within
her own bosom. This action w0Ild of course
imply a distinct political jurisdiction between
| the North and South. But that is now an eX-
isting fact
Of the foregoing, contemporary re-
marks that, compared with these utter
ances, Mr.. LoNG's mild preference of re-
cognition to the determination of the South
blanches into patriotic whiteness."
The fact that Mr.. LONG is Democrat,
or a Copperhead, if you choose, does not
affect the matter, since he is the represent
alive OF his district in Ohio; ard if his
constituents are cOntented with such rep
resentatative, and believe in his opinions, it
is exclusively their affair, and Congress has
no more right to expel him for representing
their opinions and sentiments on the sub
.;ect of this rebellion than it has to expel
any other member for expressing in deco
rous manner the opinions Of his constitu-
ents upon any subject that happens to be
| distastefui to twO-tilirds of his fellow
members The New York JForM very
aptly expresses these views. 1t says:
| We have no sympathy whatever with the
tenor and purpose of Mr.. Longs speech It
does not represent the Democracy of the
North. We should repudiate the name of
| Democrats if it did. We recognize the calm
| ness and decOrum of his utterance its strict
! accordance with every parliamentary rule, but
sympathy with his opinions we have none.
| But what his opinions are, what the opinions
| of any member of Congress are, is not the
| question. They belong to him, he is responsi-
| bic to his constituents for them and to nobody
else, and were they ten times as obnoxious to
the majority as they are were they as trea-
sonable as the opinions which that majority
| daily utter on the same floor, we should vindi.
cate him or them in their perfect right to a
| free, untlammeed, unhindered utterance.
II is to be hoped that while the vital
interests of the nation need every hour
of the time ard the exclusive attention Of
| N,,pprase II has orly been led aStrav in