, 1865-12-18

mako s:a.ement thai she resolution was
passed without debate In tbs other House,
I1e PEs1nsnE PRO Ampsvs; Tho Chair
NJ: Doe1rzr1x. That Ia Al I deslsaed to
ssy, that itpsaed that House without debate.
do not mean any dlsrespcct to tbs Housc.
Hnt, Mr. President, there was another as
seublage In Washington which took phce not
long since, asd whose Proceedings are pub
1ished to the world aud known 70 all men. OF
dom feicr 10 i certain Hssemblaee whose
proceedings are published Is the proceedings
Of caucus Of gentlemen In the city of Wash
inE!on. suppose no rule Of the Senate re-
quires me TO speak IN my other terms Of tboee
published proceedings than to speak the
By tho published proceedings Of that assemb-.
lage, 1t would seem th1t on q Saturday night,
without any discussion whatever. a ccrfam
resolution, which reads word fol- word lust
Ike this resolution which l. sent here from
the Aouss Of Representatives., VAS adopted
N that cancns under the leadership Of Ger
tain Eentlcnan--1 will not speak of him IS
ntmhc OF The House, hut as man known
sylvanta.
refer to Hon. Thaddeus Rtcyens. hi, his
tory IS known TO sll men; aud one thing We
knox Of him certainly, that tc Is most bitter
", uneompro1nisinely hostile to the policy Of
the present Administration On tbc subject Of
rcconstruct1on. He gees with him who goes
the thrt1est, holding that even The Etato Of
Iennessee Is m allen State at war with tho
United States aud II am not misfnfomed,
In the Convention at Baltimore, which uonf-
mated Messrs. Lincoln snd johnson for Pre.l-
dent and Vice President, ho objected to the.
nomination Of Andrew johnson because he
was an allen encmyi Sir, I hare seen nothing
N the history OF that gentleman to lead me
TO suppose that he has In any respect changed
Ills opinions, for it Is not long since We read
speech Of bis delivered iu the State Of Penn
Ills great bo1dncss; With that cool assurance
whIch'son1etfmes rises almost to the sublime,
In which he proposed, II do not mistake,
almost the entire and universal conflscatfon
OF the whole Of tho Southern States.
Now, Mr.. President, Of the doings Of that
assemblage IN connection with the resolution
! feel at perfect liberty to speak without vio-
speak with aisrespeet even Of that assem-
blnge I have not done so !; / do not f1tend
to do 80. I simply say that within three min
utes, by the clock, after the hour Hhcn that
assemblage was called, Thaddcus stevens
had moyed his committee on resolutions and
was Withdrawing Nth his COMMITTEES from
tie body TO make his report; aud within ten
minutes, without any discussion, without any
consideration Hhatever, It was by that cool
1aet and talent OF his pressed through the
body and ta11S1i...sd 10 be unanimously adopted.
Why this hot haste, kir {? What necessity Of
this hot haste ? Who does not know that tbe
leader Of that asse1nblaga did pot desire to
wait, nor did he dare to wait, nntll the Fi1si-
dent had spoken to the country in his annual
message.
: The Constitution Of tho United States re-
quites the Freai1ent from time to time to giye
to Congress Information Of tho state Of the
tho President Will not furnish ti,o Information.
which his constitutional duty requires? He
has at bis control Mi the agencies which are
necessary. There ID the ahle Cabinet who
surround him, with all the officers appointed
under them The Fostmasters under the Post
ts otlcS Department, the Treasury agents under
hurd1ed thousand men under the control Of
the War Department in every part Of this
!" disatiected" region, who can bring to the
President Information from every quarter of
al} The transactions that exist there -WlY. /
ask, had this asacnblaee the right TO presume
formation which the Constitution required :
Sir, We arc here claiming to be tie friends Of
tho late lamented President, and the friends
of Him upon whom. by his death the
responAblliites Of power have fu}icn, We
aided In their election: They were nonln-
ated at ballimorc after the great experiment
Of reconstruction had already beg1n. Ntr.
Lincoln: had already for months, for almost
year, been pursuing substantially the same
policy of reconstruction which has since been
followed by his successor Andrew johnson
was himself Que of the agencies which had
been employed By Mr.. Lincoln In tho State OF
Tennessee, in the hope Of restoring civil gov
erurncntt there md 1t WIS under these cir
eumstances, not with the approval OF MI men
at Washington, but with the approval OF the
great masses Of the people ot this country, |
that Abraham Lincoln was rcnominatcd as
PRECEDENT, and. that Andrew Johnson was
nominated. to be Vice President Of the
nmphant1y indorsed and sustained By tic
people; and tell Senators now, in my opIn- |
ton--1 Fpeak with all respect to other Ecntle- |
men-that the President OF the United States |
VIII be sustained, In the views which he takes
n his message, by the people Of this country.
and It is our duty to act harnoulously With |
him, to sustain llnt, TO hold up bis hs1ds, to |
EtrenVthcn hfs heart, to speak to him words |
Of iaith, friendship and courage. -.
Mr.. President, ! know that IN u}l these
Southern States there are thousand tAipcs
withstand the bad appearance which rom
time 10 time presents itself In the midst or |
that boiling caldsun Of passion and excitement J
Which the war has left still raging there, the
as, 5eas hIe1 ave IN aas ~ ssa
is my deliberate oplnioa, that Il, wHeH Ka Id.
joulued last spring, nn.uuaet from 1hnIties
could hare come down herr md told rs
that at our meeting now, OUT country would
t,e IL so hopeful condition rs It Ia; we
been beyond our crcdence, bcyord our be-
Est ain one Of those who lock forward
wxh bone, for ! believe God reirus and rules
In Tue affairs Of mankind. lock beyoud the
excitement of the hour and ali the outbreak
ipg Ia:Elon which sometimes shows itself III
menis ID their Legislatures which are dis.
graceful 10 themselves, and can nneyer bo sanc-
lt0ned by The people OF this country, and also
In tpltc Of I'll the excitement OF tho North, ],
behold tho Mture full Of confidence and hope. /
We have on', 10 CONC up like men, and stand
ministration, .snd give 70 the policy Of the |
President tairrud substantial trial, and all |
Will bo we'll.
SENATOR F1ssRSnES's Hto&AHKs.
Alr. FrssESDEy-Mr. President, nm very
s;or.y th.t thIs debate deb has spFung up tslqk
the manncr in which it las been conducted,
and eoue Of the torIcs which have been I
spoken Of. do not. In saying this, wish to |
be considered as finding fault With ant gen. :!
tlc,nnu, because every ecnatos must judge |
for hlmsclI as 70 what 1t is advisable for him
afralgn him on that point. But It sometimes
t'appcua fhst things which are foreign to the /
question arc said which onght not to be suf- [
Tered to pass without o little comment.
Now, t1r, allow ne TO soy that. when this |
resolution was first promulgated IN the news.
IT because sympathized With It's object and |
purpose: did not examine It particularly; |
but, looking simply ut what It was designed |
for, 1t met my appreciation amply for this rea- |