Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-04-29


who here would say that the assassin, it taken.
should lot suffer the penalties Of his crime
Then, II you take the life Of one individual for
the murder of another, and believe that his pro
periy should be c0nfscated, what should be done
with one who is trying TO assassinate the nationf
bat should be done with him or them who have
attempted the life Of nation composed Of thirty
millions Of peoplel We we're living at a time
when the public mind had almost become oblivi-
Gus of what treason IT, The time has arrived nv
countrymen, when the American people should
be educated aud taught what is crime, and the
highest crime know to the law and the constitu
ton. les, treason against all the states-ues
son against the government OF the United States
is the highest crime that be committed.
ard those engaged in il should suffer all the pen
altes. know il is very easy 10 &c, up sympa
thy and sentiment while human blood is about TO
be shed-easy 10 acquire reputation for lenieucy
and kindness; but sometimes ts effect and prac
teal operations produce misery and woe TO the
mass of mankind
Sometimes an individual whom the law has
oyertaken, and on whom its penalties are about
to be imposed, will appeal and plead with the
executive for the exercise OF elemency: but be
fore its exercise be ought TO ascertain What Il
mercy and what is not mercy IL is a very i'm
portant question, and one which deserves the
consideration of those who moralize upon crime
cases, action should not be suspended here aud
transferred to Him who controls all. There, If
innocence has been invaded. If wrong has been
done. the Controller and Giyer of Good-one
of whose attributes is mercy-will set il right
IL is not promulgating anything that have not
heretofore said TO say that traitors must be made
odous. that treason must be made odious. that
traitors must be punished AMI impoverished
APPLAUSE They must not only be punished
nut hqf al nj no
not. they will still maintain all asceudancy. and
may again become numerous and powerful; for
in the words Of a former senator of the United
States, "when traitors become numerous enough,
treason becomes respectable And | say that
after making treason odious. every union man
and the government should be remunerated out
of the pockets Of those who have Inflicted
this great suffering upon the country. An
planse.)
But do not understand me a. saving this in
spirit of anger for il understand my own heart,
the reverse il the case And while say that the
penalties OF the law, IN a stern and lniexble
manner. should be executed upon conscious. in
telligent and influential traitors-the leaders, who
have deceived thousands upon thousands OF la
boring men who have been drawn into this re
bellion; and while say to the leaders punish
ment, also say leniency cancellation and amnesty
to the thousands whom they have misled and de
ceived. And in reference to this. "a | remar ked
| might have adopted your speech az my own
AS my honorable friend knows. long since took
the ground that this government was sent upon
great mission among the nations of the earth
that it had great work to perform, and that in
starting it, il was started in perpetuity Look
back for one single moment to the articles OF
confederation, and then come down to l1c1 .
when the constitution was formed. What do you
hndl That we, the people of the United States
n a I'm ar fpct
&c. Provision is made for the admission of new
states TO be added 10 old ones embraced with
in the union
Now turn to the constitution We find that
amendments may be made by recommendation
OF two thirds of the members Of Congress, il rat
flied by three fouTihs of the states Provision j.
made for the admission OF new states; no provi-
lou IL made for the secession of old ones The
instrument was made to be good in peruetuity
| and you can take hold of it, not To break up the
government, but to 90 on perfeetng il more and
more il runs down the stream Of time We
lind the government composed OF integral parts
An individual is an lnteger, and a number of in
dlviduals form state, and state itself is an in.
teger; and the various states form the union
which is itself an integer, they all making up
the government OF the United States. Now We
come TO the point Of my argumen: 50 far as con
Germs the perpetuity OF the government We
have seen that the government is composed Of
parts, each essential 10 the whole, and The whole
essential 10 each part
Now, fan individual part OF state declare
war against the whole in violation of the consti-
tuition, he, citizen. has violated the law, ami
il responsible for the act a. an individual II
may go on till they become parts of states-the
rebellion may go on increasing in plumbers till
state machinery is overturned. aud abe country
becomes like man paTalyzed on one side But
we find in the constitution great Danacea pro.
vided Ii provides that the United States-that
is, the great integer-shall guarantee to each
state (the integers composing the whole in this
union republican form Of government Yes, if
rebellion has been rampant, and set aside the ma
chinery OF a state for time, there stands the
great law - remove the paralysis and revitalize
it, and put II on its feet again. When We come
to understand our system OF government, though
1t be complex, we see how beautifully one part
acts in harmony with another Then we see
our government is 10 be a perpetuity. there being
no provision for pulling it down. the union being
its vitslizing power, impartng life TO the whole
OF the states that move around it like planets
round the sun, receiving thence light and heat
and motion.
Upon this idea OF destroy ing states my position
has been heretofore well known, and | see no
cause TO change il now; and am glad to hear
its reiteratiOn on the present occasion. Some are
territorial and other diyisions--are to lose their
character as states. But their life breath has
been only suspended, and ii is high constitu
tional Obligation We have TO secure each of these
states in the possession and enjoyment of a re
pub lean form of government. A state may be
in the government with peculiar institution,
and BY the operation of rebellion lose that fea-
ture But il was a state when il went into re-
belOn and when il comes out without the insti
tuition it i still state. Great applause /
hold it az solemn obligation in any one of
these 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 stateI hold it, say. high duty to
protect and secure to them a republican form Of
government This is no new opinion 1t is ex-
pressed in conformity with my understanding of
the genius and theory Of our government
Then. in adjusting and putting the government
upon its legs again, think the progress of this
work must pass into the hands of It's friends
(Applause.) IL a state Is to be nursed until il
again gets strength, It must be nursed by lis
friends. 10. smotherod by IL enemies (Ap
plause Now cermit me to remarksthat, while
| have opposed dissolution aud dsintegration on
the one hand, or the other am equally opposed
to consolidatiOn-( applause or the centraliza.
ton of power in he hands Of few Sir. all
this has been es')rted from me by the remarks
YOU have offerel nd as have already remark
ed. | might have lopted your speech as my
own. | have de-, lined you longer that expect