The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-05-03

that I shall live long eh6ugh to live down
the whole pack of traducers and SANDER
ers. They have turned the whole pack
I;loosc to Hover me iih your estimation
| Tray Blanche and Sweetheart, little dogs
and all, came along swapping and snarl-
ing at nv heels, but heed them hot
The American people-citizens, soldiers
and sailers-know that from my advent
into public life to the present moment, 1
have always stood unyielding and .,un-
wavefihg by the advocates and defenders
of their rights and interests.
We are now in the nations third ordeal.
We are not yet through it. We said that
States could not 60 out of the Union
We denied the doctrine Of secession, and
we have demonstrated that we were
right-we demonstrated it by the strong
arm. Yes, the soldiers and the sailors,
God bless them, have demonstrated by
their patriotic hearts and strong arms
that States have not the power to leave
the Union. What followed? The Con-
federate armies were overpoweled and
disbanded, and there was willingness on
the part of tho people of those States to
come back, be obedient to the laws, and
acknowledge the supremacy OF the Con-
stitution of our fathers. For what have
we passed through this third ordeal! 1t
whs TO establish the principle that no
State had the power to break up this
Government. 1t was to put down tile
rebellion. The rebellion has been put
down, and for what? Was it to destroy
the States. For what have all these lives
been sacrificed and all this treasure ex-
pended? Was it for the purpose of de-
stroying the States? No; it was for the
purpose Of preserving the States in the
Union of our fathers. 1t was for that
you fought; it was for that toiled; not
to break up the Government, but to break
down the rebellion. and preserve the
Union of these States. That ID what we
have been contending for, and to 'estab-
lish the fact that the nation. can lift itself
above and beyond intestine foes and trea-
son and traitors at home.
When the rebellion in Massachusetts
was put down. did that put Massachu-
setts. out of the Union and destroy the
State? And when the rebellion in Penn
sylvania was put down, did that destroy
tire State and put it out of the Union ?
So when the recent great rebellion was
put down, and the Constitution and laws
-oi the country restored, the States en-
gagedin it stood as part of the Union
The rebellion being crushed, the law being
restored, the Constitution being acknowl-
edged, these States stand in the Union.
constituting a part of the glorious and
bright galaxy of States.
In passing through this ordeal, what
has been done In Tennessee, under the
direction OF my lamented predecessor. wo
commenced the work Of restoration We
had~succeeded before cafhe here, in re-
storing the relations which had existed
between Tennessee and the rest OF the
Union, with one exception, and that was
the relation of representation. 1 came
to Washington, and, under extraordinary
circumstances, succeeded to the Prcsi-
\ Dental chair. What then? The Con-
gress of the United States had adjourned
without prescribing any plan. l then
proceeded, as I had done i'll my own
State, under the direction Of the Govern
ment, to restore the other States. And
how did we begin? We found that the
people had no courts, and we said to the
Judges, the district attorneys and the
marshals sGo down and hold your courts
the people need the tribunals ofjustice to
be opened" Was there anything wrong
in that? The courts were opened: What
else ? We looked out and saw that the
people down there had no mails. They
had been interrupted and cut off by the
operations of the rebellion. We said to
the Postmaster-General: "Let the people
have facilities for mail communication,
and let them begin again to understand
what we all feel and think-that we are
one people" We looked out again and
saw that there was q blockade; that the
custom houses were all closed. We said:
n0pen the doors of the custom house and
remove the blockade. Let trade, COM
merce and the pursuits of peace be re-
stored )" and it was done. We thus
/ travelled on, step by step, opening up
custom houses, appointing collectors, es-
tablisling mail facilities and restoring
all the relations that have been inter
rupted by the rebellion. Was there any
thing undertaken to be done here that
was not Authorized by the Constitution,
that was not justified by the great neces-
stiles of the case, that has not been clearly
concurrent with the Constitution and the
genius and theory of our Government?
What remained to be done? One other
thing remained to demonstrate to the
civilized and Pagan world that we had
passed successfully through the third
ordeal of our national existence. and
proved that eur Government was per-
petual.
A great principle was to be restored
which was established in our revolution.
When our fathers were contending against
the power of Great Britain. what was one
of the principal causes of their complaint?
i Il IL Il arato