Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-28

tions founded on color, whether in the court
room or at the ballot box, and to this con-
clusion We must come at last But confess
that l feel the dignity the grandeur. and
| the substantial value which would be found
in a declaration of Congress that an oligarch-
ical government, which denied rights to
whole race; which undertook to tax with
| out representation and which discarded the
consent of the governed" as its Just foun-
| dation, cannot be republican form of
| government"
The most explicit the most positive. the
most mandatory words in the Constitution
are, " the United States shall guarantee to
every State in the Union republican form
of government" This great duty is thrown
not upon any individual branch of the Gov
ernment, but upon the United States. 1t
is duty " to guarantee which in itself is
a strong term--what? A republican form
of government. Now, by the lapse of State
| governments in the rebel States, this duty is
cast upon the United States. But the
| United States are represented in Congress
or rather by an act of Congress, which in
| itself is the embodied will of both Houses of
| Congress, and of the President of the United
| States.
/
| Is republican form of government? Into
| this question | do not now enter. At the
! proper time hope to consider it. content
myselfnow by saying that it is absurd to say
| that a community, which is founded on oil
! garchical pretensions and which excludes
| from all participation in the government any
| considerable proportion of its tax-paying
| citizens and ignores the consent Of the gov
| ha .al
of government. On this proposition hope
to be heard at an early day. Here is one of
| the greatest questions of our history
"And now after this brief review of the
| object proposed to be accomplished, | am
| brought to consider the practical necessity
Of such legislation; and here it is my duty
to expose the actual condition of the rebel
| States, especially rs regards loyalty and the
treatment Of the freedmen. On this head |
| shall addUce evidence in my possession. In
the endeavor to bring what say within
reasonable proportions, l shall adduce only
a small part of what has passed under my
| eye; but il will be more than enough. In
| bringing 1t forward the difficulty is of selec-
ton and abridgement"
Here Mr.. Sumner proceeded to quote at
| length from the correspondence of the press,
Il
private letters and reports of the condition
Of the States Of the late southern confederacy
| quoting first passages as to the general con-
dition Of the Southern States, and then as to
particular States Mr.. Sumner concluded
by saying:
"NIr. President, bring this plain story to
a close. | regret that have been constrained
to present it. l wish it were otherwise. But
| should have failed in duty had l failed to
speak. Not in anger, not in vengeance, not
in harshness have spoken; but solemnly,
carefully, and for the sake of my country
and humanity, that peace and reconciliation
may again prevail. l have spoken especi-
ally for the loyal citizens who are now trod-
den down by rebel power. You have before
! YOU the actual condition of the rebel States.
| The blood curdles at the thought of such
enormities, and especially at the thought
that the poor freedmen to whom we owe pro-
lection, are left to the unrestrained will of
such people smarting with defeat and ready
to wreak vengeance upon these representa-
tivcs Of a true loyalty. In the name of God
let US protect them. Insist upon guarantees.
! Pass the bill now under consideration pass
any bill; bat do not let the crying injustice
rage any longer An avcnging God cannot
sleep while such things find cOuntenance Ii
you are not ready to be the Moses of an OPP
pressed people do not become its Pharaoh"