Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-05-17

OF the government which they fee
would be put in peril II the Southern
men, with Northern help, could ever
again hold the control OF this govern.
ment. IL is not true. sir, that the Un-
ion people of the North are dissatisfied
with the policy or the action of Con-
gress on this subject. What they do
fear Is that We shall not stand tirm to
the end. They fear the effect Of patron
age on us, and they have far more rea-
son TO than we have to fear them. Now
Mr.. President, what luck do you suppo Sc
some Postmaster, or Marshal, or Asses e
sor, made by the President out of a Cop
perhead or simpering Republican, would
have among these people arguing for
the immediate and unconditional adj
mission OF the rebel States The idea
- Empty ridiculous. The truth '"At
the Union mass Ofthe loyal States stand
firmly with Congress in this matter, aud
will do so to the end If we do not allow
them to make issues agaius. us by the
adoption OF unbearable measures. Our
platform is firm and strong, and all the
Union party will stand with and 10y US
upon 1t unless we, by our own folly, let
IN weak timber or rather plank, to
trlghten them from it. In this narticu-
lar matter OF the patronage Of the Presi-
dent, II we 10 nothing that can be made
an eNcue or cover for it, if the President
turns out good Union men because they
sustaio Congress and concur with the
mass Of their party, aud puts in others
because they agree with him, he will
raise such storm of Indignation
against himself among Union men as
has not been witnessed before. The
truth is that the President, il he enter
tains any such design, cannot build up
for himself against the Union party
Presidential party Of any considerable
numbers without having in it the
men who opposed every measure for
the pulling down of the rebellion, who
discouraged enlistmentS, opposed the
draft, voted the war 4 failure, and many
other things of that character. This
very fact Will destroy his party if he en-
deavOrs to make one. Where those
men go the people will not. The peo-
pie look upon the thing as they did dur
ing the war-nOt as sordinary questions
OF politics, but as a question of loyalty
or treasOn-and if the President aban.
dons the great Union party to form one
for himself and his party is made up,
as it must be in the main, by the men
Who opposed the war, they will soon be
the only men left in it. If the President
Is ambitious to have such q party as this
shall we deny him the benefit Of few
hired mercenaries in the shape OK federal
oilice-hOlderS he desires Ifhe chooses
10 make changes so far as my state
is concerned, he will have to make
them from men who do not belong
to the Union party. l have never
yet heard Of a Union man there who
does not most cordially support Con-
gress, believe my State is not singu-
lar in this respect, but that the same
will be found true OF every constitutions
al right and prerogative, so that any
action Of his hostile to the party that
elected him, if he be guilty Of any, shall
be without excuse. If we can keep from
killing ourselves l have no fear OF the
President being able to do so, even if he
entertains any such wicked purpose.
Mr.. President, I expect to be rebuked
and lectured, here and elsewhere, for op-
posing this amendment. | know that
one can hardly be allowed to question q
measure here, however iniudicious or
unwise he may deem it, without incur
ring the charge of being Copperhead,
or Conservative, or johnson man.
have seen in q leading Republican paper
a notice OF my motion to reconsider the
vote by which this bill was passed. in
which it was said that l had adopted
the language of the COpperhead press.
and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr.
Davis says my ideas on this subject NAV
be odd and old-fashiOned. | admit it
but they are such as have always OBJ
tanned In Vermont. AIr. President, | do
not know anybody who can sustain such
accusations with less danger of injury
to themselves than Vermont and her
Representatives. Vermont has ALWAYS
upheld freedom and law. The doctrines |
OF equal rights and equality before the /!
law have been there maintained since /
the days Of Ethan Allen. Her Iegisla. !
5lon, her officers and her courts, have !
ever faithfully fulfilled her will in sus-
tanning liberty AID freedom according |
20 the Constitution and laws. When
he war Of the rebellion came upon the
nation no State in the Union contributed
Ter proportion Of men more PROMPTLY
han Vermont. Her sons showed their
PATRIOTISM and courage on manya bloody
I9ld, with equal credit at least with any !
her State. She paid as heavy a legacy
# death, in proportion to her numbers,
$ any other. She bore her share in
utting down the rebellion most cheer
nlly, and she did it to preserve gov
OF constitutional law. She
oes not desire to have her representa-.
ives here aid in frittering away what
as cost us so dearly to maintain. She
eslres her representatives to stand
rmly Tor her principles and their prin-
lples, but to make their fight clearly
1lthln the pale Of constitutional law.
ne two great measures Of this session
Congress, which ELECTED the differ
nee OF views between Congress and the
resident, were the Freedmen's Bureau
1d Civil Rights bills. | assisted in the
separation and pertecting IF both those
eat measures in Committee, [ voted {
r both on their original passage in the
mate, and voted for the passage of :
18th, Notwithstanding the Presidents +,
to I voted for tho ioin+ ,,rolr.;1. q