The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-03-01

| IL it were possible for that old man
whose statue is now before me, and who's
portrait is beside me in the Executiv
mansion, and whose sentiment is thu
preserved i'm that monument i'm your vicii
iiy, to be called forth from the grave; or
IL were possible to communicate with tn
spirit of the illustriousdpnd and make hin
understand the progress of faction and o
rebellion and treason, I've would turn Owe
i'm his coffin, and he would rise, ind shuk
off the hnhiliments of the tomb, would
again stand erect, and extend forth hi'
long arm sMei finger and reiterate thai
sentiment once expressed by him on /;
memorable occasion: "'rhe Federal Tn
ion: it must I've preserved" [Great APP
pause. We have witnessed what has
Transported since kis day, in 1873. When
treason and trcachery and iniidclity to IT,,
Government and the Constitution of the
United States staIkcd forth in the land, il
was his power and influence that crushed
the serpent in its incipiency. 1t was then
stopped, but only for II time. The same
spirit of disaifection continued. There
were men disailected to the Government
b 9TH in the North and i'm the South. There
was, in portion OF the Union, peculiar
Institution of which some complained and
To which others were attached. One pOr-
ton ofour countrymcn i'm the South sSivo-
Gated that institution, while another pOr-
ton in the North opposed il. The result
was the formation of extreme parties
one especially in the South, which reached
APPOINT ut which it was proposed to dis
solve the Union ~ the States, for the pur-
T,,-e, as was said, of securing and prcserv-
ing that peculiar institution. There was
another portion OF our countrymen who
were opposed to that institution, ami who
went TO such an extreme that they were
willing to break up the Government, i'm
order to get clear of that peculiar institu-
ton of td,e South. I say these things be-
ssr.se T desire to talk plainly and in famil-
lar phraseo5sgy. l assume nothing here
so-aay beyond the position of u citizen one
who has been pleading for his country and
the preser vation of the Constitution. [Im-
mcnse cheering] These two parties, /
say, were arrayrd against each other, and
l stand here before you for the Union to-
day, as stood in the Senate of the United
States in 1860 and 1861. met there those
who were making war upon the Constitu-
ton, those who wanted to disrupt the Gov
ment and sis.s,unced them i'm my place,
then and there, and oxposett their true
character. said that those who were en-
gagged in the work of breaking up the Gov
eminent were traitors. ] have never
ceased, on all proper occasions, to repeat
that sentiment, and SO far as my efforts
could go / have endeavored to carry it
out. Great applause.l l have just re-
marked that there were two parties, one
oE which was for destroying th9. Govern
ment and separating the Union, in order
TO preserve slavery, and the other for
breaking UP the Government in order to
destroy slavery. True, the objects which
they sought to accomplish were different
so far as slavery wits concerned, but they
agreed i'm the desire to break up the Gov
ernment-the precise thing to which
have always been opposed; and whether
disuniOnists come from the South or from
the WORTH Z tand now as 1 did then, VIM
dicating the Union ofthese States and the
Constitution Of my country [Tremen-
dous applause.] When rebellion and trea-
son manifested themselves in the South, l
stood by the Government. I said then,
that was for the Union with slavery,
was for the Union without slavery; in
either alternative 1 was for my Govern
ment and it's Constitution. The Govern
4
and with its physical power it has put
down treason in the field. The section of
the country which then arrayed itself
against the Government has been put
down by the strong arm. What did we
say when this treason originated? We
said, "No compromise. You yourselves
in the South can settle this question in
eight and forty hours" said again and
again. and repeat it now, "Disband your
armies in the South. acknowledge the su-
premacy of the CONSTITUTION of the United
States, acknowledge the duty of Obedi-
ence to the laws, and the whole question is
settled" [Applause.1 What has been
done since? Their armies have been
disbanded, and they come forward now in
proper spirit, and say, 1--WE were nlista-
ken. We made an effort to carry out the
doctrine of secession, and to dissolve this
Union. In that we have failed. We have
traced this doctrine To its logical and phys
icill results, and we find that we We're mis-
We acknowledge the flag of our country,
and are willing 10 obey the Constitution,
and to yield 10 tile supremacy of the
laws" Great applause. Coming in thai,
spirit l say e. them, when you have COM
pllud with the requirements of the Con-
stilutiOn, when Yen have yielded to the
law, when y0u have acknowledged your
allegiance 10 the Constitution, l will, so
FAR as can, open the door OF the Union to
those who had erred and stfayed from the
told OF their fathers for u time. tGreat
applause.]
Who suffered more by the rebellion
than l have? shall not repeat the
story of the wrongs and suftrrings i'll
flicted upon me. The spirit of revenge
is not the spirit in which 10 deal With
a whole people. know there has been
"a great deal said about the exercise of
the pardoning power. So far as your
Executive is concerned, there is no one
who has labored with more earnest
ness than myself 10 have the principal
and conscious traitors
brought to justice, the law indicated
and the great fact judiciLuslv establish.
rd that treason is crime. Applause.
But while conscious, leading, and intel.
ligent ,rai, tors are to be punished, should
whole communities and states and p%o-
pies be made to Submi; to the penalty
of death 7 T"No. not | have AS