The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-02-25
sI4aaIlrille &t(niuu.
The Cooper Institute Meeting.
speech of Mr.. Seward.

say ! am not here as an alarmist
am not here to say that the nation is
| peril or danger-in peril if you ado
the opinions-in peril if you reje
them-in peril if you adopt the vieY
J, Of the apparent or real majority
Congress, of if you reject them.
1t IS not in peril any way; nor do
think the cause of liberty and huma
?. freedom, the cause Of progress, smell
ration or civilization, the cause of N
tional enlargement, present or fRtur'
> material or moral, is in danger of b
ing long arrested, whether you adoI
one set of political opinions or anothe
The Union, that is to say, the NatioI
! has been rescued from all its perils.
) The noble ship has passed from TEN
: pests and billOws into the verge of
safe harbor, and is now serenely ridih
, into her ancient moorings without
broken spar or leak, starboard or lal
board, fore or aft There are som
small reefs yetto pass as she approache
those moorings. One pilot says tina
she may safely sail directly througl
them. The other says that she mus
back. and lowering sail, take time t
90 around them That is all the differ
ence. 1t is merely the difference o
opinion between the pilots. | eoul,
not practice my habitual charity if
did not admit that / think them botl
| sincere and honest But the vessel viii
90 in safely one way or the other ThI
worst that needs happen will be tina
by taking the wrong instead of tn,
right passage, or even taking the righ
passage and avoiding the wrong one
the vessel may roll little, and somt
honest, capable, and even deserving
politicians, statesmen, President, o.
| COngressmen, may get washed over
board, / should be sorry for this, but i
IL can not be helped it can be borne
If / am one of the unfortunates, let M
friend be concerned on that account
As honest, as good, as capable politi
clans, statesmen, Congressman, and
| President, will make their appearance
hereafter faster than needed to com
mard the ship, as well and as wisely a
any that have heretofore stalked theil
hour upon the deck, in the alienation:
of calm and tempest that always at
tend political navigation.
| Nevertheless, although ! DO not think
thatwe are in a crisis, the question to
day is worthy of deliberate examination
and consideration. The subject before
US is q difference of opinion that reveals
itself but too clearly between the Pres
ident and Congress. The President, as
we all see, is q man of decided convic
tiOns. The legislative leaders are try
ing not to coincide with him in opinion
They have appealed to US outsiders, as
it were, TO pronounce between them.
| The speaker then went on to prove
that there was actually no difference oil
opinion between the President and
Congress, however much it might seem
otherwise. He said that both have goi
the Union restored as originally plann
| ed. IL should be without slavery, Sc
| cession or compromise; not with freed
men and refugees abandoned to suf-
fering and persecution, but with freed
men employed in productive, self-susp
tanning industry; with refugees under
the protection Of law and order. The
President sees that it has come out
right at last, and he accepts the situa-
tion. Congress, on the other hand,
hesitate, delay, debate and agonize,
not because it has not come out right,
but because they have not individually
had their own way in bringing it to
that happy termination.
| apprehend no serious difficulty
| from the conviction that there never
was, and never can be, any successful
| process for the restoration of the Union
and harmony among the States, ex-
cept the one with which the President
has avowed himself satisfied. Grant it
that the rebellion is dispersed, ended
and exhausted, dead even at the root,
then it follows, necessarily, that the
States, sooner or later, must be organ
lied by loyal men, in accordance with
| the change in our fundamental law,
and resume their places in Congress.
All the rebel States but Texas have
done just that thing, and Texas is do
ing the same as fast as possible.
The President is in harmony with all
the States that were in rebellion, and
| the Executive and Judicial depart
ments are rapidly resuming their func-
tions. Loyal Representatives, more or
| less, from these States, are standing at
the doors of Congress, and have been
standing there for three months, ask
ing to be admitted TO the seats which
the disloyal Representatives had pre-
viously left Meanwhile Congress
passes law after law, imposes burden
after burden, and duty after duty, up
on these States, which, against their
earnest desire, are left unrepresented.
| feel sure that loyal men, from the
now loyal States, viii, sooner or later,
be admitted into this Congress or the
next When this is done, the process
of restoration will be complete, for
that is all that remains to be done
The speaker thought that territorial
governments for the seeded States
perfectly impracticable. This was also
| rejected by Mr.. Lincoln. Say what
you will, the States are already organ
led in perfect harmony with our
amended National Constitution, and
are in earnest cooperation with the
Federal Government 1t is impossi-
BILE 10 reduce States to territorial
condition. Congress has had Recon
struction Committee, composed of fif-
teen members, who have STONED the
wheels of legislation three monts TO
enable them to submit plan different
from that which is now on the eve of a
happy contamination. And what have
they given us2 One proposed amend
ment 10 the Constitution to compel the
excluded States to equaIize suffrage
upon penalty OF abridgement n repre-
sentation. This was no plan OF recon
struction, but one Of obstruction.
The resolution which passed the
House Tuesday last directly declares
that loyal Representatives shall not be
admitted from loyal States until Con-
gress shall pass law for that purpose,
which law cannot be enacted without
the Presidents approval and which
cannot be consistently given in view OF
the opinions he is known TO entertain.
This resolution, then, is not A plan fo1
reconstruction, but for indefinite most
ponement and delay. When the rebel
lion began we determined to humble
the rebels We have humbled them.
and brought them back with humilis.
ton and repentance.
No State has ever been hindered in
coming into the Union except on the
question Of African bondage, which has
now gone 10 the dogs, surely finished.
No State will hereafter be hindered in
| coming into the Union on the ground
of slavery. A territory wants TO be g
State because It is q pleasant and good
thing to possess the privileges of g
State. would not keep State in q
territorial condision, any longer thar
compelled. In the beginning, praotic
ally, every State had slavery We abol
ished il in some States without disorder
and when slavery raised itself in oppO
sition to the Government, We destroyed
it altogether. We have done all this
in ninety years, without imperial GOV
/ ~ tha fr.o,r,erflar fnrTIfCTla