The Portland daily press., 1866-08-28
kansas and in Tennessee, not Union man
stands by Mr.. johnson. Yet they say that Mr..
Lincoln's policy and Mr.. Johnson's are identi-

cal!
The Philadelphia convention declared that
neither Congress nor the general government
has any right to withhold the privilege OF rep
resention from State. This again was not
Mr., Lincoln's belief-nor Mr.. Johnson's at the
beginning of his administration. In my opln-
ion they ought, as soon as possible, to be admit
ted to the Union, but do not believe in sur
rendering unrestricted power into the hands
OF the enemies of my country
Mr. johnson in the beginning of his admin
istratlon required the insurgent States to rat
ify the Constitutional amendment abolishing
slavery. Only one Southern State accepted
that amendment Internationally All but one
insisted as o condition of their ratification,
that the clause giving Congress authority to
legislate for the freedmen should be inopera-
tive Such q ratification is really no ratifica-
ton. The insurgent States have not complied
with Mr.. Johnson's condition., yet he insists
upon restoring their forfeited privileges at
once
But there is one thing the insurgent States
did do. They accepted the Presidents power,
though they rejected his recommendations,
and they have exercised that power to promote
their own purposes. Political power at the
South is not like political power at the North.
If every man in this State who has discharg-
ed public duties should be stricken out of exis-
tence, there are thousands and tens of thous-
ands who would rise up well htted 10 take
their places. At the South political knowledge
and influence is concentrated'i in the bands OF
of the Southern people, to educate them for
the duties of citizenship. That is the whole
truth of this contest. That was what Mr.. Lin
coin wanted, and in this we are only pursuing
his policy. aiat Ill t.
The purposes of the Philadelphia Convention
were not declared in the address of Mr.. Ray
mond but by Mr.. Stephens, of Georgia, who
said it was their business first to get into Con-
gress and then they could take care Of their
rights. These men who have been the enemies
of ON f,ffv xvh IN have
plotted for its overthrow, who are confirmed
aristocrats-for them new party has been
formed. No man who supported Lincoln,
North, South, East or West, now supports
johnson. We shall not deliver over the power
of the country into the hands Of its enemies.
Unless we accept the Presidents views, we
are told that civil war will ensue. Civil war is
q serious matter. After the experience of four
years of civil war, the Southern people will be
in no haste to engage in another conflict of
arms. If the President intends-as he and his
friends intimate-to inangurate another war,
he must put men in power who will obey his
orders. "a voice-that's soD Do you suppose
that Grant, or Sheridan, or Ord, viii obey an
order to turn their guns against the men with
whom they served, and the people who faith
fally supported them in the field? No man
knows better than Grant that if these men
succeed in usurping power, they will place their
own officers, their Lees and JOhnstons in COM
mand of the troops of the United States. But
SuppOSc tIty SuCCtcu III Placing b1clr Officers
in command, who will compose the rank and
file? "a voice-the copperheadsD | think
not. They have never shown any distinguish
ed courage in defending their country, and do
not believe one of them would shoulder mus
ct to defend his own family, to say nothing of
President johnson. daughter and cheers).
But the military power of the country is
two fold Besides the regulars there are the
volunteers, and the regular force is compare
lively small. The regulars in my opinion,
- 1~1A H. L. otrxw.k 30
are sure to be on the side of the country.
At this point General Banks, who had been
speaking with evident difficulty, excused him.
self on account of the trouble in his throat
alluding also to the presence of Senator Viii
son who had entered just before and had been
received with round of cheers.
The Chairman advanced to the front of the
platform and said, Massachusetts,, always
liberal, always generous, has exceeded our de-
mands We sent for one statesman, and she
has sent us two. I have the pleasure of intro
ducing Senator Wilson"
Mr.. Wilson spoke of meeting two years ago
in the beautiful hall which has since perished,
a large assembly of the citizens of Portland
The eyes of the country were then as now fixed
upon Maine. Our brave soldiers were then
face to face with the enemy, and convention
at Chicago had resolved the war failure The
heart of the country was thrilled by the vote
OF this State in 1864. We are now engaged in
the same great contest, and know that the
citizens of Maine will stand in 1866 where they
stood in 1864. (Cheers)
L say the contest is the same. The Rebellion
has gone down. Not rebel flag waves; not
rebel bayonet CLEANS in the sunlight. The
rebel power was ground to atoms under the
tread of million of loyal soldiers. The work
of the soldier is done; the work of the citizen
k<f fN11 a. Al. lrAl
ham Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew
johnson assumed the reins of power which
had fallen from his predecessors strong hands,
The army of Northern Virginia had surren-
dered to the brave old army of the Poiomac.-
The rebels were ready to accept any terms
We did not desire to mrke hard terms. Our
capitalists were ready to send their money in
to the rebel States; our young men were ready
to help build up the waste places; our yonng
women, who had bound up the wounds of their
countrymen in the hospitals were ready to
help raise the veil of ignorance from the op-
pressed blacks and the poor whites of the South
and say that the people of this country, hav-
ing sacrificed 100000 of their best and bravest
having incurred debt of $3,00O,O 100000, which
must be paid, having seen their sons die at
Andersonville, Salisbury and Belle Isle, and
having seen Abraham Lincoln struck down by
the assassins were yet true to humanity. All
we want is to secure the blessings of peace and
the liberties of the people of all parts of the
SOuin uO ulabtcI Wndb UlOOu TuIlS IN Cnelr
veins On this issue we stand before the coun-
try, and by the blessing of God will stand to
the end (Cheers.)
No people, since the morning of creation
were ever SO completely played out, whipped,
subjugated, used up! They were ready to ac-
.cept any terms. The volatile New York Her
aid, the leading Democratic paper in New Eng
land, the Boston Post, and the ultra Democrat
ic World, all expected negro suffrage. The
black code might have been repealed. Gen.
sherman offered ag am 20 fnrr roc oh
terms as were accepted from Johnston, the ut
ter humiliation of the South which forbade any
undue hope on her part After sixteen months,
we have Memphis massacres, New Orleans
butcheries, q series of outrages great and small,
throughout these lately humiliated States In
Alabama, where Gov. Parsons lives, who re-
Gently addressed the people of this city, 400
cases for assault came before the Freedmen's
Bureau in four months. Fifteen hundred muir
ders had been committed among the freedmen
during the last fifteen months and not per-
son had been executed for one of these offenses.
He cited cases in Georgia of horrid barbarity,
one of which was the brutal murder of wo-
man over sixty years of age, by two men, who
were apprehended, tried and sentenced to be
executed But President johnson had respit-
ed the prisoners from time to time, and now
they are at large.
: He spoke of the danger in which the white
Union men of the South constantly lived
From the Potomac to tine Rio Grande they held
their lives in their hands. They were not so
safe as they were six months after Lincoln was
elected President. ra
The President had contrived that all the
Southern States should be placed in rebel
hands, and these had, with one exception, elect
ed unbroken delegations of rebels to Congress.
Gov. Parsons of Alabama, was one of them.
Mr.. Wilson caused to be read resolution of
fered by Gov. p. in August, 1868, while a mem-
Der of the Alabama Legislature, expressing
confidence in the patriotism and ability of Pres
ident Davis, and pledging him their support,
sc. And this, said Gen. W., is the man who
comes North to teach Union men how to act.
He comes to the State which furnished a Ber-
ry and Jameson, and Howard, and Cham
berlain, to teach men their duty! The fact was
Gov. Parsons had been elected to the United