Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-01-31


tinction made by the President between
a State outside of the Unicn and State
inside. Neither the President, nor any
Senator upon this floor. nor any states
man in the nation, would have thought
of prescribing any of thase conditions to
= State which had nsYer been out of the
Union
Why, then, did the President impose
these conditions on the seeded States T?
Because they are out of the Union, and
therefore be was right in demanding con-
ditions. l say he has done we'll. so far as
he has gone. l want him now, as said
before, to put the keystor in the arch,
to invoke the loyal people in the South,
those who have stood by US through evil
report and through good report, whom
YOU can trust, on whom you can rely to
day. tomorrow, and forever, as an Offset
to the traitors you propose to let in. l
want to counterbalance them, for l dare
not trust them alone. l say there is no
more constitutional difficulty in the way
of accomplishing this result than there is
in the way of any condition that the Pres
ident has enioined on that people, They
all stand upon the same principle precise
"; and l wonder that any statesman or
lawyer can contend that the President
might impose the important radical con-
ditions that he has insisted upon, and
rightly insisted upon, as conditions pre-
cedent to the organization and admission
of these States, and stop there. If he
can do what he has done, he can do any
thing else that is necessary to effect the
purpose, to bring these States back into
the Union.
There is no great difference in princi-
pie between what he has done and what 1
want him to do. He is right as far as he
has gone; and now l want him to make
what has been done secure by placing
this great question where it must be
placed before it will rest in peace, and
that is as said before, on the rock of
eternal justice and truth. 1 hope the ma
ton will be agitated as by an earthquake
until she shall be ready to do right. l
know she will finally get down to this
rock. You may build upon the sand, but
the human mind will Rot rest upon such
a foundation. 1t never hasrested upon it.
We have progressed from one point to
another until l think we are about step
ping upon the rock. and then this coutro-
Versy will cease and we will be at rest.
Again, sir, deny that the organization
of these State governments in the South
has begun at the right end so far. con-
ten1ed during the last Congress that the
President had no right by military Order
No. 81, or any other military order, to or
ganize a State Government anywhere
Our Government must be a Government
of the people. In this country you can
not force a Government upon any body.
1t might e very convenient if we could.
A despotic Government may do it with
perfect ease. When Russia conquers Po-
land she may trample her under foot, be-
cause armed with despOIic, irresponsible
power. When we conquer people we
must deal with them within the pale of
the Constitution. in analogy to the great
principles of our glorious free Govern
ment. If a people conquered by US are
as perverse, if they have been educated
and stimulated by hate for generations,
so that they cannot act with US now, you
connot make republican government out
of such material. You are beginning at
the wrong end.
Who has asked the President and Con-
gress to establish civil government in the
South? How can Democrats contend
that people shall be bound by an organ
ting from the centre? That is not the
place for 1t to originate. These people
must be held under military subjugation
Though an equitable one | would con-
tend for) until they themselves shall see
that the time has come when they can
act in accordance with the old Constitu
tion and Government of the United
TI,,, 81 to fhaf az
and nobody is surprised that they have
not. Do you suppose that IN moment
the temper and disposition OF men who
breathe dfre,and wrath against you for four
long years and murdered three hundred
thousand of our bravest sons, and COM
mitted all the atrocities to which | have
have been so changed that they
will ask to be taken back into that Gov
ernment which they had invoked foreign
despotisms to overthrow. and to destroy
which they had hazarded their lives and
fortunes?
know that the Southren people will
come back l know it is as much for their
interest, and infinitely more for their in
terest, than it is for ours. We all have
pride in the whole nation; as the Sena-
tor from Wisconsin said, we will never
consent to lose a single star from the old
flag; but when we repair this breach.
want it to be done by the people of the
South becoming convinced that it is for
their interest, and telling US Eve are sick
of war; we are sick of contending against
the power of the United States and we
ask and petition Congress now to permit
us to organize a State government IN ac-
Il IL N---&.e,,k.a,, or fha
United States, and we are ready to back
up our petition by majorities in the State,
by the army, uninhuenced
by anything except the will and wish of
the people to get back int the old fold
from which they had strayed." l know
that they will come in due time, but you
cannot force it.
What l wish to inculcate and insist
upon is the utter absurdity of supposing
that democratic people can force anoth-
er people to join them and comply with
the forms of a Government when their
hearts are at variance with it. The old
maxim was that one man could lead a
horse to water, but ten men could not
make him drink. You cannot make a
people drink in democracy until they are
ready for it. You may give them the
forms, but they are all idle ceremonies
unless they are imbibed with the spirit
Govern them Justly by the strong arm of
the Nation until such time as they them
selves shall have had an opor,unity to re-
fleet, to cool off, to become willing that a
State government should be revived over
them. when they see their interest plain
Iy in that direction. When this is done
there is no doubt they will come asking
to be allowed to have State government,
some sooner, some later.
Time is a great element in all such
cases, and he is a most unreasonable man
who expects that in the twinkling of an
eye you can make a people cordially Co
operate in this free Government who the
day before were endeavoring to over
throw it; and until the people themselves
can agree to it, it is vain and idle, and
worse, to contend that you can force
them into this Goverement by this hot
house operation and induce them to bar
monize with you. They will come beck
in due time no doubt, and no man will
rejoice more than | shall when that time
shall come, and l can tell you when II