Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-03-01
4olhitaI.
RECONSTRUCTION.
SPEECH OF HON. h. WARD.
OF NEW YORK

| MIR. SPEAKER - should not thrust
myself upon the attention of the House
at this time, could with Justice tc
myself remain silent.
So varied and novel are the schemes
OF reconstruction and the resolutions
upon that subject that are crowded
through the House without opportuni.
| ty for debate, under the operation OF
the previous question:" that it seems
necessary for members who desire their
true position understood upon this vex-
ed question to take the opportunity of.
fered for the discussion of the Pres:
dents message to do so. .. ..
After so many great minds, at both
ends of this Capitol, have exhausted SO
thoroughly all views and phases of this
lquestion, it will not be expected that
| will advance anything new. | shall
only express the earnest, deeply fixed
convictions of one of the humblest up.
on this floor, and you will receive them
simply as such. Who can but tremble
at the vast responsibility to our coun.
try, our countrymen, and to God, un.
| der which we rest as members of this
Congress -* s.t*5i.. .r' '.
| Never before in the history of ma.
Itions has Legislative body met charg.
ed with such duties and obligations as
have been imposed upon us. We are
legislating for the present and the fu.
turc. The effect of our action will not
be circumscribcd by our time and coun.
try alone it will reach the whole
earth and the remotest generation.
Ten million people, emerging from
the chaos of war, stand before us pow.
/ erless, disarmcd, without government
without law, save from the strong arm
OF the military power, awaiting our ac
tion, demanding from ms the full exer
else of the rights they enjoyed in the
better days gone by, when, true to tn,
Union, they stood side by side will
us in upholding the honor of our com
mon flag. What have they done
Why are they knocking thus at the
doors Of our national councils ? Why
these vacant seats All /! they have
committed the most fearful and gigan
tic crime known in the records of time
They conspired to overthrow and
blot from the book Of nations the Gov
ernment Of our fathers, under whose
protecting power they had grown rich
powerful, and enjoyed every blessing
without cause, save the desire to per
pctuate human bondage. They con
spired against popular rights and lib
erty. They sought to dishonor and de
grade labor.
Governors, Legislatures, judges, mu
nicipal officers /; the whole machiner,
of government, State and local al
collective and individual action Of tn.
people, were directed with awful pow
er for long and terrible years for thu
destruction of this Republic.
In the cabinet, ON the field, on tn,
ocean, in foreign climes and capitals
with armed men, with the torch, witt
poison, with fire. by robbery, arson
murder, starvation, pillage, and all tn,
crimes that a fiendish ingenuity coul,
, devise and put into execution, the,
pursued their work of death.
They declared the Union was dis
, solved, its mission ended, and that ney
er while they lived on earth, willie tn
last man could grasp the last musket
would they yield this pretension. An
well they did their internal work. The
i. stand before God and man staggerin,
under the murder of three hundre
!, thousand Of the noblest men that eve
: went forth to battle and to deatf
They have desolated and darkened G,
cry home in the land So, ,0O0, 900 90
n Of national debt, $500, 600, 900 NOR
Il obligations incurred by States an
3 counties two million men have shou
, Idered arms for the Republic !; one hun
\ dred and three thousand pensions upo
our bounty cansed by the war. Thes
are some of the results of their actor
. They failed. Such men as were gait
Q cred into hosts and marched to TIL
e music Of the Union and swept the arm
!. les of treason from the land were ne,
= er before given to any country. Ho,
: we should prize and cherish those VIII
live, bind up their wounds, give ther
Of our substance in their time of neet
8 And those who died, whose preciou
J. dust reposes in the soil of every Stat.
o let us remember and sanctify thei
. resting-places, and guard well the
d widows and orphans as the nation
4 treasure
It What is the condition of those State
and people What their relations I
the General Government What sha
. we do with themg
. And now. without resentment or fea
C or looking backward or trimming on
"a sails to catch some popular breeze, ac
!, ing under our oaths, and with the d,
q sire only to do right as it is given u
= to see the right" let us enter upo
+ the consideration of these momentou
Questions. e
!. All sovereignty rests with the pc,
!, pie in this country by virtue Of thi
:. sovereignty they have organized State
!. and State governments, and been r,
= ceived as such States into the Union
= and subject to the Constitution of tn
y United States and the laws of Coz
= gress made in pursuance thereof eac
, State, as long as the people there,
I have observed their allegiance to til
General Government, has been fire
and independent
m The legal union of the States cannc
q be broken by the action of the peopl
T. Of any State 1t is accomplished by su
T. cessful rebellion The rebellion faile,
is and therefore all the people who has
e. upheld the Union and still control il
* Government can insist that the Unio
4, is not dissolved, and that territorial
ne the States in rebellion still exist. Sow
I'd reignty is still inherent in the peop
In OF those States. to be exercised whe