The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-10-09

0CC1 C&16y marian Om Hk0G0ms
We make the following extract from Secre-
tsry HAR1AS's speech, delivered at Mount
Pleasant last week, rs reported by the Home
Journal: y
He said his friends might reasonably expect he
would say something on the subject Of Reconstruc-
ton - It was sallsd. We must admit thst the
subject was ofths most dinhcult with which any
statesman had to deal; apd NO wonder the best
men diner ~ to the wfsest course to pursue The
case was without paraiieln ali history; 90, there
being no precedent to follow, any course which
might be adopted must be bat IN experiment If
such experiment wAa saccesaful, then it could be
followed out if unsuccessful, then another course
must be adopted Here are six or eight millions
OF people who. by this rebellion, have forfeited All
rights, except to hang at the end Of rope A
punishment, As declared by Congress, upon which
body is deyoved the power to prescribe the nun
ishment Of treason by the Constitution. But No
christian man would wish to see such a wholesale
execution if it were possible which it 10 not. The
result Of the war has demonstrated to the great
mass OF these men the utter madness Of their wick
ed attempt to divide the Union by arms, and they
are now anxious to surrender their and take
their places under the stars and stripes as Of old
cheeruiiy giving up slavery as part Of the price
they pay for their crimes. They now propose to
take an oath Of allegiance anew, and henceforth
become good citizens. They say they have ever
been taught the right of State to secede at wiz
and that they honestly entertained this belief and
| thus, however mistaken, as we think they were
they entered the contest believing fervently they
were pursuing constitutional right. They now
admit that the point has been decided against
them by the highest earthly power, the appeal to
arms, and that they willing 70 accept the
decision final and hereafter ever AZ sst in main
| tanning 1t. What can be done with these men in
| this case? What could you do with them but to
try them7 Ifthey will lveup 20 their promises
and they willing to swear they will they are
| much needed - inhabitants and eonservators OF
| the peace. These men are yaiuable-men cost
| money. You judge Of the value of property bv it's
cost, In degree. Slaves hare been considered Of
value someS hat In the proportion TO what they
| cost to raise them. They have heretofore been
considered Of value as men by Great Britain who
kindyiorered to transport any number of our emau-
eipated slaves TO her colonies kno wing their yaue
| "a eultiya'ors Of the SOIL but the south could not
spare them These repentant rebels are perhaps
| not OF so much vaiue-st any rate, il NAV be
| doubted whether England would take them a. a
gin, II offered, ~ she would the negro SiiIl they
| cannot be spared from the South II they win be-
come good citizens. Is il not beet to try them
| II we would have them be true, we must give
them chance to be so--we must trust them
trust eegets trust When the Indian Chief was
| hesltating whether he would destroy the white
settler. be asked him If ne dared to trust him.
The settler declared he would do 30 without hesi-
ta.ion Then, said the chief le. that son Of yoprs
| lpointing to bright boy Of ten summers. theonly
child OF has parentsl 60 with ME to my cabin and
VIII return with him safely AT the ending OF one
| moon The father, with q heart wrung with an
gush. consented. and At the appointed time m.
chief returned the boy safe and said to the father
| 'yon trusted Indian with your heart now Ind An
| trust you with your life." And even after became
ms arm iriead and protector. Thus faith begets
| faith.
| Trust these men, and some Of them at le..t iii,
prove worthy of that trust. Well this il what the
President Is doing. He has said 10 all the ms.se,
who have not held ONCE "take the oath and ms 3
good your promises and you shall be placed where
you may retrieve the errors in . degree cf voar
late conduct such Of you as have held eisce, and
| such ef you as worth more than $40 0oD | III
hear personally, and II convinced your good and
that Of the country viii be subserved by pardop
ing you, l will grant it-but il nnd the results
are not satisfactory, viii change this policy and
make such alterations as see the good of the ma
| tion demands
| Ii under the present experiment the States are
reconstructed on loyal basis eonsistentiy with a
Republican uevernmsnt: then We shall ali rejoice.
but II disloyalts shall be found to be getting the
control of this section under this course then an
| other will be adopted. And, II necessary, Con-
gress will take such steps vii, reduce the dis
loyal States TO the position Of Territories 10 be
i
quate to restore the reign of loyalty TO the Union
But 1t may be said the Prcsden. ought in his Re
construction policy. to extend the right OF suffrage
| to all loyal persons. You al familiar with M
views ON this subject, and will not repeat them.
But this can be said Of the Prcn dent thus far he
| has not taken away from loyal man an right he
had under the law 1t existed before the rebel
lion, II he has not conferred the right On such AZ
then had il not His doubts Of his power in the
premises are well known and no one should com
plain that be should prefer to refer the question
| to the Congress rather than seem to usurp
legislative powers.
Let those who are disposed to doubt the Presi-
dent consider who he is. Let them remember he
rose from the laboring class, working with his awn
hands for living, and it is even said was taugh,
| his letters by his wife He has never been the
| favorite of the sristocracy but by his own energy
and independence has won his way to the hi ghe i
| offices in the nation. And his worst enemies have
never accused him of being false his friends or
OF eeurting favor from his foes. During the con.
test preceding the breaking out Of the rebellion he
Was always on the side of the Union. and athong Oh
a southern man. educated in southern political
| atmosphere, surrounded by all the blandishments
which the southern leader know how so artfilly 10
bestow, he neverfaltered wavered, but from his
lips even then fell upon the heads Of the incipi-
ent traitors the heaviest blows dealt in the Senate
| of the United States. During the contest he has
been ever found in the front ran xs for the Union
while in his person and family he has suffered bot b
loss and indignty, all the time adhering with the
greater tenacity to his principles. He WAS elected
TO the Office of Vice President by the Union party
and can any one believe him capable, in the light
OF his previous history, Of forsaking those who
| elected him, or the principles he was chosen t.
represent He, the speaker, could not.
/