The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-05-05

construction
WASHINGTON, April y;
President J0hns0n's speech to the Indi-
ana delegation, yesterday, was more i'm
portant than any he has yet delivered.
After thanking Gov. Morton for his re-
marks, the President said: eve are liv-
ing at time when the public mind had
almost become oblivious of what treason
is. The time has arrived, my country
men, when the American people should
be educated and taught what treason is.
and that treason is crime, and the highest
crime known to the law and the constitu-
ton. Yes, treason against State. trea-
son against all the States, treason against
the government of the United States, is
the highest crime that can be committed.
and those engaged in it should sufferer ali
the penalties.
1t is not promulgating anything that I
have not heretofore said to say that
traitors must be made odious; that treason
must be made odious; that traitors must
be punished and imprisoned. Applause
They must not only be punished, but their
social power must be destroyed. If not,
they will still maintain an ascendency.
and may again become numerous and
powerful; for, in the words of former
Senator Of the United States, when traitors
become numerous enough, treason becomes
respectable. And I say that. after making
treason odi0us, every union man and the
government should be remunerated out of
the pockets of those who have inflicted
the great suffering upon the country. Zap
plause.1 But do not understand me as
saying this in spirit of anger; for, if
understand my own heart, the reverse is
the case; and, while I say that the penal
ties of the law, in stern and inf1exible
manner, should be executed upol con-
scious, intelligent, and influential traitors,
the leaders WI o have deceived thousands
upon thousands OF laboring men, who
have been drawn into the rebellion; and
while | say, as to leaders, punishment,
also say leniency, Cancellation, and am
nesty ~ the thousands whom they have
mhtpd AZ deceived, and in reference to
thsyO i Lac unmarked, l might have
adopted your speech as my own.
In speaking OF reconstruction he made
the following remarks: "Upon this idea
of destroying States, my position has been
heretofore we'll known, and there is no
cause to change it now and I ain glad to
hear its reiteration on the present occa-
sion. Some are satisfied with the idea
that States are to be lost in territorial and
other divisions-are to lose their charac-
ter as States; but their life breath has
only been suspended, and it is . high con-
stitutional obligation we have to secure
each of these States in the possession and
enjoyment of republican form of govern
ment. A State may be in the government
with peculiar institution, and, by the Cd.
GRAFTON of rebellion, ose that feature but
it was State when it went into rebellion.
and, when it came out without that insti-
tuition, it is still State. CGreat APP
plause.] hold it as solemn obligation,
in any one of those States where the
rebel armies have been beaten back
or expelled care not how small the
number of Union men, if enough to man
the ship of state; l hold it, say, high
duty to protect and secure to them re-
publican form of government. This is no
mere opinion 1t is expressed in conform.
lty witt, my understanding of the genius
and theory of our government therein ad-
justiDg and putting the government upon
its legs again. l think the progress of the
work must pass into the hards of its
friends. [Applause If State is to be
nursed until it gains strength, it must be
nursed by its friends, not smothered by it's
enemies. CApplause.] Now, permit me
to remark, that while I have opposed dis
solution and disintegration on the one
hand; on the other, am equally opposed
to consolidation [applauseJ or centraliza-
ticn Of power in the hands of few.