The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-01
address Of Senator poo.ittle.

New HAVEN, Conn.,, Feb. IS
Senator DoOlittle addressed a meeting of
Republicans here tonight called together to
sustain the President. Geo. 81. Watrous, ESQ.
presided.
Mr.. Doolittle made temperate speech, call
ing on all Republicans to stand by the Presi-
dent. He contended that Mr.. johnson had
carried out every requirement of the Balti-
more platform Of 1864, and no set of men had
ought to bind him to another. What if the
Democrats do come to favor him? They must
go somewhere They cannot get together
now and resolve that the war is failure
Grant and Sherman have settled that. Wher-
else can they go but to the party which de-
termined to carry on the war, and carried it
on, determined to put down the rebellion and
put it down determined to save the Union
and saved it beyond the reach of peril He
explained that the President does not main
tain that Congress has not right to judge of
the credentials of the members, but that he
insists on the right of each House to decide
whether people have a right to elect Rep
resentative or whether a Legislature is com
petent to elect a Senator. f. <-is 5t'i
Suppose England we're to capture in war one
OF the districts in Maine, OF course the people
Of that district could not elect member of
Congress; if she should capture three of the
five districts there could be no quorum in the
Legislature, and SO there could not be Sena-
tor elected from Maine in the United States
Senate. But suppose in the progress of the
war we Should recapture one district, then that
district would be competent to elect repre-
sentative to Congress; and ii four of the five
districts were reclaimed, might not a Senator
be elected? He applied the same rule to the
South, and insisted on an immediate admis-
sion of the loyal members. t.{} = Is
He opposed forcing negro suffrage upon the
Cn1Itl, nd said
him it would result in war of determination.
He also opposed amending the Constitution in
any way, maintaining that changing the basis
OF representation is unnecessary, masmuch as
at least million of negroes have died or have
been killed since 1860, and by 1872, when the
next apportiOnment goes into effect, two-flths
of them will be out of the way. About one
third OF the Southern whites have been killed,
SO that the representatives Of those States
would not probably he increased. He spoke
disparagingly of the extremist, Senator Sum-
ner, and Others, whereupon he was greeted
with storm Of Kisses, followed by applause,
interrupting the Speaker for some time He
(Mr. Doolittle) conceded sincerity to all, but
thought the men who had the courage to sus-
tain the acts, had saved the President to the
Union party. sii 4iss.,.-, ..... fl...
The resolutions adopted at the meeting ex.
press the opinion that there is no good reason
for the disruption OF the Union party; that
the President and Congress have the same
great end in view; that Andrew johnson has
not, and never will, betray his trust, and that
in urging that the Southern States be admit
ted to Congress, with none but loyal represen-
tatves, he is carrying out the policy OF the la
mented Lincoln.
The Rev. DIR. Bakon also spoke, saying that
he did not come specially to endorse President
johnson, Or anybody else. He hoped the
South might soon be represented with safety,
but wanted the strong arm of the law to pro-
tect the freedmen and loyal whites in their
rights. Gen. Terry declared to him recently
in Richmond, that should his army be materi-
ally lessened, he should be obliged to remove
his headquarters to Fortress Monroe.