The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-02-08
~ nspeellle Act.p

+ The speed of Mr.. SheIlabarger, dc,
'liycred in tho House Of Representa-
tises, Januafy 9Th, is the most e&haus-
tive and condensed argument, yet, do
lisered in favor of the radical view of
-reconstruction. We append from the
speech the following powerful array
OF specific aels, with their terrible eli.
max by which the rebel States put
themselves ont Of the Union: b ~
al"Does The gentleman yet ask Tor
'.thc specific actp that deprived these
States Of all The rights Of States, and
made them "cnemies :" / once more
answer him IN the words of the Supreme
Court that the specific acts were: they
causelessly wagcd against their own
Government "war which all the world
acknowledged 70 have been the greatest
civil war known in the history Of the hu1
man race" That war was waged by
these people "as States" and went
through long dreary years In it they
threw off and defed the authority of
your Consultation, laws and Government;
they obliterated from their State con-
stitations and laws every vestige of rec.
ognitlon Of your Government; they dis
carded all official oatbs and took in their
places Oaths 10 support your enemy's
government. They seized in their
States, all the nations property; their
Senator's and Representatives in your
Congress insulted, bantered, dcfed,
and then left you; they expelled from.
their land or assassinated every inhab.
liant of known loyalty; they betrayed
and surrendered your armies; they pass
ed sequestration and other acts in flag
itious violation Of the law Of nations,
making every citizen of the United
States an alien enemy, and placing in
the treasury Of their rebellion all mon
ey and property due such citizsns.--
They framed iniquity and universal
murder into law. They beseiged. for
years, your capita, and sent your
bleeding armies, in route, back here
upon the very sanctuaries of Jour ma
tiOnal power. Their pirates burned
yoar unarmed commerce upon every
sea. They carved the bones of your
unburied heroes into ornaments, and
drank from. goblets made out Of their
skulls. They poisoned your fountains,
put mines under your soldiers pris-
ons, organized bands whose leaders
were concealed in your homes, and
whose commissions ordered the torch
and yellow fever TO be carried to your
cities, and to your women and chik
dren. They planned one universal
bonfire of the North from Lake On
tario to the Missouri. They murdered
by systems OF starvation and exposure
sixty thousand Of your sons, as brave
and heroic as ever martyrs we're
destroyed in the five years Of horrid
war another army so large that it
would reach almost around the globe
in marching columns, and then to
give to the internal drama fitting
close, and to concentrate into one
crime all that is criminal is crime, and
that is detestible in barbarism, they
killed the President of the United
States. sEu-'Ff na'
Mr.. Chairman. l allude to these
horrid events of the recent past not
TO revive frightful memories, or 10
bring back the impulses toward the
perpetual severance of this people
which they provoke. Iallude to them
to remind us how utter was the over
throw and oblitcration of all govern
ment, divine and human; how total
was the wreck of all constitutions and
laws, political, civil, and international.
| allude to them to condense their
monstrous enormitics ofguilt into one
crime, and to point the gentleman
from New York Mr.. Raymond to
it, and to tell him that was "the spe.
cifc act. s. ID" e'fai..s i- q