The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-02

The leaders of the Democratic party say "that
the people of the seeding States have a consti-
tutiOnal right to be represented in the Congress
OF the United States." If they have cOnstitu-
tionsl right, how comes it that they are de.
prived OF this right? How comes it that right
Is questioned? presume che Democratic party
has forgotten IT., but we have not forgotten 1t.
II is because these states by solemn enactmeuts
ssolyed all connection with the American
Union, and formed themselves into a separate
ConiedeTacy. Their Representatives and Sena-
tors deserted their seats in the Congress of the
United States, The ordinances OF their Legls-
latuTes denied our sovereignty.
They claimed our territory; seized our forts,
our custom houses, ana our arsenals; plum
dered and bore away our ships upon the high
seas; starving our prisoners; setting fre TO our
Northern cIties and injecting them with DIS
case; begging upon their bended knees the aid
OF England 10 divide our nationality; they una
shalied armies, and for four years carried on
gigantic dend-like, and cruel war; in which thirty
five hundred millions of dollars was expended; in
which million Of our soldiers we're wounded;
which brought the desoation of death to the
homes of three hundred thousand orphans aud
widows, and il only ended when their power
was crushed, their armies surrendered, and
their power annihilated. (Applause.) Now
this is to plain man treason, high treason,
which by all the nations OF the world ancient
or modern, civilized or unciYlllzed has been
punished by the severest penalties.
England up to the time of George ILL., pun
ished traitor by dragging him to the scalfold
and hanging HIM by the neck cutting him down,
taking out mis- entras and burning them
before his face, cutting his body into four
quarters, and hanging it up in the marketplace.
This was treason. We must not alone punish
the culprit, but we must make that crime exc
cradle and infamous. We are TO forget all and
forgive these men These men are not to be
punished; they are to be elected back to the
seats they LETT Ay ever before the smoke
has ri,en from the battlefield. Five hundred
thousand of our soldiers have not recovered
from the wounds they received. n
/ afraid I shall On puprUptip thiG
subject that / won't be able to get on, put l
will try to keep myself down.
Now say that before we allow them to come
back into the government of the United States,
it is the duty Of the President will say no
more of that (laughter)-it is the duty of the
Congress of the United States -(vociferous
cheering)-it is our duty, to examine into the
record OF these States since the TALL of the Re-
bellioD; to examine the record; not to be misled
by any protestatons OF repentance. Every pre-
sumption is against them; they have betrayed
the country; therefore | say, scrutinize their
acts, examine into their record, and make such
guarantees as are not in VIOLATION of justice or
Christianity, which will guarantee to the re-
pubic of the United States security and peace
in the future (ADplause.)
Now, the President says they have amended
the ordinance Of secession; let MS look at that.
Two States have not annulled it. south Caro-
lima has repealed il; 80 also has the State of
Georgia. You recoleCt one legislature has
right to make d law, and another has the right
to repeal it-a third legislature has the right to
repeal the repeal.
South Carolina and Georgia can repeal this
ordinance, and it would stand as before. There
has not been one OF these ordinances submitted
to the people. Here, in Il country like this, we
have a right to demand that things like this
should be submitted to the people. All that is
necessary is to let the people examine and ap-
prove it. Here in PennSy lvania, no amend
ment can be made to the Constitution unless it
Is voted on by the people.
The speaker stopped here for some time to look
at his notes. and as the audience we're continu-
ally appaudng he thought they were impa
tient, andisaiu:-I assure you, my fellow citizens
it is not because | have forgotten anything in
my notes, but because / am getting hoarse.
They say they have accepted the amendment
| abOlshing slavery. Three-fourths OF the States
| who elected Lincoln are in favor Of amending
| the Constitution as to slavery. Some of the
| Southern States have adopted the Constitutional
| amendment, but let us look into the record OF
| those States, and see how they have agreed to
| this amendment. VIII call your attention to
| South Carolina. South Carolina agreed to the
! amendment to the Constitution as to slavery in
! these Words:-"The slaves of South Carolina
! have been emancipated by the action OF the
United States authorities" That is the way she
| has agreed to it-not because ii was right; not
because there was a horror for slavery; not be-
| cause it was in violation of every rule OF Chris
tianity; but because the SGOeS of South Carolina
hdOe been e7l7lcl pQteQ 0y me dctlOn OF me OI1Ied
| States authorities.
II they had sufficient power they would repu-
diate the amendments to the Constitution. Some
people say lle SOuJu nave repuuidleu Gne heDel
| debt. How have they repudated it? Has it
been done? North Carolina, October IL, 1865,
refused to repudiate It. October IL, they received
| a note from the President of the United States,
and they afterwards concluded, for political pur-
| poses to acquiesce IN it. North Carolina finally
| repudiated the debt by majority OF twelve.
Mississippi refused entirely to repudiate the
Rebel debt. They have passed law there now
| appropriating twenty pa cent. OF all revenues
| OF the State for the purpose OF supporting the
widows and orphans OF the Rebel soldery They
| want to be represented in Congress and in the
| Senate. Who has Georgia elected Senators
Herschel " Johnson and Alexander II. Ste
| phens. Stephens was the VIce-President of the
| southern Contederacy, and johnson was Il
| member OF the Senate. Now. OF all the traitors,
! with the exception of John c. Breckenridge, the
meanest and the worst is Alexander II. Ste
phens. (Applause)
No one win question his ability; no one prior
to the war questioned his integrity. He gave a
most magnificent Grafton in favor of the Union
that ever fell from human lips, but short time
afterwards turned against his oath, turned
against his country, and planted his foot In q
high place in tie Southern COntederacy, and
then proclaimed that that government was The
greatest government that ever lived in tide o
time.
MIR. Herschel johnson and Mr.. Alexander II
Stevens are both elected United States Senators
from Georgia, and declare, since the Rebellion
closed, "tEey still adhere to the doctrine tina
a State has the right to secede,
"They believe in the sacred principle set fortf
in the Declaration OF Independence, that every
people have the right OF selt-goyernment anC
the right to change aud alter their GOYernmen
as they may see proper.
They expressed their purpose of living sepa
Iately from the North; this was all. They didn'
invade the North. II was not their purpose t
wage war against the Northern States, but tC
live peaceably by them as neighbors and friends
They said they had the right to secede from tn,
that right; that's all! (Laughter) For thi
| attempt they have been Conquered and subiued