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

people should have the right of suffrage, why
not say so broadly?
Mr.. Sumner. do say so.
Mr.. Cowan. Very well, that is so much
that is clear; make it broadly; we may diff
fer from him, but the people will decide. |
am perfectly willing to acquiesce in their
| decision | do not care which way it is but
the people will decide that question, and
they VIII decide it promptly. If the honor
| able Senator from Massachusetts wants to
| hold the doctrine that these States are not
States that they are not constituent men,
bers of this Union, let him say so ; there is
a tribunal to which that can be referred. If
| he wishes to take issue with the President on
these points, let the issue be made fairly and
squarely, and it will be met Thank God,
in this Government, not like that of Russia,
which he has eulogized, there is power
| above us all there is power to whose ar
bitrament and award we can appeal, and
who will settle this thing conclusively.
Now, Mr.. President, | am for reconcilia-
ton. | want to have this Union restored :;
and Union means a Union by consent not
by force. | would like to make friends of
| all the people with whom we have been at
enmity heretofore. l do not want the con-
| test to go on any longer. But are we to
make friends with them, and are they to be
| reconciled to us, and are they to behave
better by such speeches as have been made
by the honorable senator here to-day? very
much doubt it, | do not think he will i'm
prove the condition Of the Southern heart,
| or the condition of the Southern mind, by
thus parading these exceptional cases to the
people of this country and stimulating and
exciting their angry passions more than they
are now against this unfortunate people
unfortunate in every respect unfortunate on
| account of their errors unfortunate on ac-
| count of the penalty which has followed
those errors, and which they have suffered
Mr.. President, let us look al this testi-
| mony. The honorable senator, as | said be-
fore, reads from anonymous letter-writers,
| from cotton agents, and people of that kind.
Now, it does so happen that We have some
testimony upon this subject we have the
| testimony of the President of the United
States, not a summer soldier or sunshine
patriot
Mr.. SUMNER have not read anonymous
letters.
Mr.. COwan-They are anonymous so far
| as we are concerned; and / commend the
Senator's prudence in keeping the names of
! their writers from the public, because | have
no doubt that if their names were known they
| would not be considered Ofmuch importance
| very much doubt whether there is n single
man among them who has ever welded any
thing more than pen during this rebellion.
| But say that we have the testimony of the
| President of the United States, who was 4
| Union man, and who was in favor of the
| Union at a time and a place where there was
come merit in it. | do not suppose there
was any great merit in being a Union man
in Massachusetts. | suspect man would
have been very likely to get lamp-post if
| he had been any thing else there; but the
| President of the Uuieed States was a Union
man in the very thick and storm of the bat
| tle He was driven from his home; he was
! wavlaid on his way hither in order to attend
to his official duties in this body. He has
stood by the Constitution by the Union, all
the way through, steadily and firmly, and as
a compliment to him the great party to
which | belong and to which he did not be-
long, and never pretended to belong, con-
| ferred upon him office which, in the provi-
dence of God has made him President OF
the United States.
Now, sir, you are told here that this man
in his official communication to the Senate
of the United States, whitewashes the condi-
tiOn of things down below. Yes, sir, "white-
| wash" is the word. The honorable Senator
| SAYS that he Will not accept the definition OF
| "whitewash" given by the Senator from
| Connecticut or the Senator from Wisconsin,
| but he has not told us what he means by the
| word "whitewash." 1t is not necessary that
he should say what he means by that word
| Every body understands it. | suppose even
his cOlOred friends, in whom he takes so much
interest would know what the meaning Oi
the word "whitewash" was. Laughter.
He says that this man, who stood firm when
every body else faltered this man. who stood
almost alone in the midst of an enraged
population, and in the very storm and strife
of the worst civil war perhaps the world has
ever seen, comes here to "whitewash.'
What does he mean except that the Presi-
dent of the United States in an official com
munication to this body comes here to lie
that is the plain English of it; comes her,
either to suppress the truth or to suggest q
falsehOod.
What does the President say? | will reaC
what he says as a sufficient answer to wha
all these people down South report Of th'
state of affairs there, and do not find i
necessary to denv thousands of instance
of exceedingly heretical talk may hav,
taken place there, and of treasonabl,
talk if you please and | have no doubt tina
in a state of things unparalleled in the his
tory of the world heretofore, wrongs anC
outrages innumerable happen there; bu
that is not the question. The question is
what is the condition of the mass of tn
people in the South, what is their disposition
and tendency, not to love the North, not {.
love the honorable Senator from Massachu
setts-Eecause ] very much fear that tina
will not be brought about soon unless ther
is a change in the temper Of both parties
not to have hearts overlowing With love ant
gratitude to those who they think persecut
and hunt them in their submission, whi
kick and strike at them after they are down
after they have cried enOugh'-but tn
question is, what is their disposition to ODE
the laws? What do we care about thei
hearts or their dispositions, if they ar
obedient to the laws? Now they have sub
mitted to the laws which impose heheavies
penalty, for, if they are traitors, the law i'm
poses the penalty of death, and confscatio
Of estates by means Of fine.
/ will read wnat the President SAYS now
the condition of that people, from the il
formation he has received: In that POI
ton Of the Union lately in rebellion, the Al
pect of affairs Is more promising than,
view of all the circumstances, could we
have been expected.3 / think there is n
, candid man who will not indorse that sent
, ment. Z" The people throughout the entiI
, South evince a laudable desire to renew the
allegiance TO the government, and to repa
the devastations Of war by a prompt an
+ cheerful return to peaceful pursuits"
Why should they nOt2 To suppose am
thing else is to suppose that they are d.
mented, that they have no kind Of commo
sense left. that four years Of the most terrib
, =. war and the most terrible punishmcBts ey,
! inflicted upon people have been withor
! their lessons. 1t cannot be- Mr.. President
: it Is not in the nature Of things that
! should be-
= "An abiding faith" on the part Of th
man who suffered from these people, wi
4: suffered from this war and the doctrine
e secession, and the attempts to break the Ii
I ion, he says: An abiding faith is entertai
+ ed that their actions will conform to the
e professions, and that in acknowledging Il
r supremacy Of the Constitution and laws
e the United States, their loyalty will
?, given to the government, whose lenient
e they cannot fail to appreciate, and who
l. fostering care will soon restore them to
&c condition Of prosperity"
$ And here, Mr. President. allow me to a
J. when in the history Of this world, or Of d
n human family, has it happened that seyerit
Is cruelty, persecution, refusal 10 recOgnl