The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1866-07-27
GEN. LOGAN ON RECONSTRUCTION.

~ the grand gathering Of soldiers in sa-
lem, Ill, Gems Sherman and Logan, with
Gov. Oylesby, made addresses. From
what Gen. Logan said we extract few
notable passages: sd
Would YOU have believed two years ago,
when certain great man OF this land said
that treason must be made odious and trul-
tors must be punished, and not only THAR,
but that they must he Impoverished, anu
that their property must he dis'I,p',."
among the loyal people, that he wou'a uo'
clare tina, they were entitled to repressn;a'
tion in the United States! mol ~ nc
d;J. he had n very strange why oil express
inc himself Tha, is all can say on that
snL;eci. U.aughter.) No, sir; tina work Of
restoration in this country belongs to loyal
men. and not to traitors, and while loyal
men are engaged in performing this work
and restoring this country, they must say to
these traitors: Gentlemen, we intend to
confer these rights upon you whenever We
are minded to. Il is not for you to say the
time when il shall be done, but il is for Us
TO say. Il is in our hands, in our power.
We have the right, and you have no PR
vilcges in this country. Good, good.
That's SOY The only acts that they can
perform are such as we recognize N being
lawful by our recognition. The acts that
we saw to them they shall not perform, they
cannot perform until we say they shall.
Oh, but some of the opposition say, why,
if YOU do not allow these people to DO re-
presented, there is one-half Of the Union
unrepresented, and the laws that you pass
in Congress are unconstitutional because u
portion Of the country is unrepresented.
Laughtcr.)
Well. l presume upon the same hypo-
thesis all the laws that we passed during
the war are unconstitutional because Jetf
Davis part Of the country was not repre-
sented. (l.aughtcr.) SO il might be in
reference to this representation ii The doc
trine now cnunciated by the opposition
to the Union people in this land Is correct
that is, that these people, the very moment
they laid down their arms, although they
had forfeited their lives, although they had
forfeited their property, although they had
forfeited their rights, civil and political, all
those rights came back to them, and that
they were rs fully restored as fully entitled
to the rights aud privileges Of American
citizens in representative rs well rs IN any
other capacity, as any other people in this
land.
I am willing that the people shall have
their property, or the little they have got
left, though think they have good deal
more than they ought to have, unless they
behave better than they seem tn. Hut i
care nothing about that. u the people are
willing, have 10 objection. ] do not want
to be their cxccutioner; but | do want TO
do few things rs one of the American PEG.
pie, us che OF the loyal citizens Of this land.
want to bc recognized in this land as
soldier Of the Republic OF the United
States, and not rs disgraced man. want
to be recognized, at the same time, rs n
man who has done more for hls country
than n traitor. (Applause.l want il to be
so in this land that Gen. Sherman may
stand here to-day before the American pco.
pie in n prouder light, higher socially,
morally, politically and every way, than
does Joe Johnston, the man who fought
against him in the armies of treason. ZAP
plarse.)
After touching impressively upon the
rights of the freedmen to government pro.
lection, Gen. Logan alluded to the dishon-
oring Of loyal graves at Augusta:
Hence want him to have protection OF
the law. am in fayor of his having 1t. !
ask you, my countrymcn, ask YOU, moth
ers, who are sitting around in this little
group. thar have some fond sons that lie
away far of beneath the hot burning sands
of Georgia, whose faces you will see no
more OF earth, whose graves you can never
visit again. perhaps, and the old fathers,
too, and the little pratiling babe, that often
asks his mother, another, when will my
father again return to me?' to have the
laws of this land so modified that while
traitors in the South have their gatherings,
day after day, to strew garlands Of flowers
upon the graves OF rebel soldiers, that they
may live in their memory rs long as life
shall last, il some poor, old, deccpid ne
gro, who has gained his liberty by the
march and prowess of American arms.
shall come along with basket OF flowers,
to strew upon the grave Of some poor loyal
soldier, that he shall have the right to do il,
and that no person shall have the right to
Interfere, aud that he is to DO protected.