Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-04-27

Ihe next ordeal through Wnlcn natlOn
has to pass is when it is called upon to give
Eevidence that it has strength, capacity and
power to maintain itself among the nations Of
the earth. In giving such evidence wepass-
ed through the war of 1872 and through the
!, war with Mexico This was our second or
deal. But nation has another test still to
undergo, and that is to give evidence to the
nations of the earth and to its. own citizens
that it has power to resist internal foes that
it has strength enough to put down treason
within its own borders IL We have comInenc-
ed that ordeal, and / trust in God we will
pass through it successfully. 9[Cheers.] ta]
I feel complimented by the allusion Of your
representative to the fact that I stood in. the
Senate in 1860 and 1861, when the nation
was entering on this third ordeal, and raised
my voice and hand against treason, and trait
ors at home.i stand here to-day, holding
to and maintaining the same principles which
/ then enunciated.- Cheers. I stand here
to-day opposing traitors and treason, wheth-
er they be in. the South or in the North. -
Loud cheers. [ stand here to-day, as I
then stood, using all my powers, mental and
physical, to preserve this nation in passing
through the third phase Of its existence.
The organized forces and combined pow
ers that recently stood arrayed against us are
disbanded and drawn from the field, but it
does not follow that there is still no enemies
against our present form Of Government and
our free, institutions. Applause.
States denying the doctrine Of separation and
and secession. I denied then, as / deny now,
that any State las the right of its own will
to separate itself from the other States, and
thereby to destroy the Union and break up
the Government, and [ think I have given
some evidence that I have been sincere and
in earnest. M
While l thus exposed personally and pub
licly and in every way, some Of my present
traducers and calumniators were far removed
from the war and were enjoying ease and
comfort. CHEERS and laughter. But [ care
not for them. care not that SANDER, the
foul whelp Of sin, has been turned loose
against me. [ care not for all that, and let
me tell you here to-day, that although pref
ty well advanced in life, [ feel that shall
live long enough to live down the whole pack
of traducers aud slanderers. Applause.
They have turned the whole pack loose to
lower me in your. estimation. Voices
They can't do it'll Tray, Blanch and
Sweet. heart, little dogs and all, come along
swapping and snarling at my heels. butt heed
them not. [Cheers.
The American people, citizens, soldiers and
sailors know, that from my advent into pub
lie life, to the present moment, have always
!. stood unyielding and unwavering by the ad-
vocates and defenders Of their rights and in
terests. [Cheers. Y
We are now in the nations third ordeal.
We are not yet through it, We said that
States could not go out Of the Union. We
denied the doctrine of secession, and we have
demonstrated that we were right. We dem
onstrated by the strong arm. What follow
ed? The Confederate armies were dispersed
and disbanded, and there was willingness
on the part Of the people Of those States to
come back. be obedient to the laws and ac-
knowledge the supremacy Of the Constitution
of our fathers. 22' l4eA4 a
The rebellion has been put down, and for
what? Was it to destroy the States? Cries,
" never For what have all these lives been
sacrificed and all this treasure expended p
Was it for the purpose Of destroying the
States? MOI it was for the purpose of pre-
serving the States in the Union of our faith
ers. ICheers.l twas for that you fought.
Tt was for that toiled Not to break the
Government, but to put down the rebellion
and preserve the Union Of the States. When
the rebellion in Massachusetts was put down,
did that put Massachusetts, out Of the Union
and destroy tie State And when the rebel
lion in Pennsylvania was put down, did that
destroy the State and put it out Of the Union!
So when the recent great rebellion was put
down, and the Constitution and laws of the
country restored, the States engaged in it
stood as part Of the Union. The rebellion
being crushed, the laws being restored, the
Constitution being acknowledged, those States
stand in the Union, constituting part of the
glorious and bright galaxy Of States Loud
cheers. @ aoas orr
In passing through this ordeal what has
been done? In Tennessee, under the direc-
ton of my lamented predecessor, we com
menced the work of restoration. We had
succeeded before I came here in restoring the
relations which had existed between Tennes-
see and the rest of the Union, with one ex.
ception, and that was the relation of repre-
sentation I came to Washington, and un-
der extraordinary circumstances succeeded
), to the Presidential chair. What then the
Congress Of the United States had adjourned
without prescribing any plan. I then pro
ceeded, as / had done in my own State un
der the direction Of the Government to restore
the other States, and how did we begin?
We find that the people had no courts, ane
we said to the Judges, the District Attorney
and Marshals, Ego down and hold your
courts. The people need the tribunals Of
Justice to be opened. y 4
The courts were opened. What else
We looked out and saw the people there hac
no mails. They had been Interrupted ant
cut off by the operations Of the rebellion
2 We said to the Postmaster General, .'let thu
people have mail communication, and le
r them begin again to understand what we al
: feel and think that we are one people. W.
$ looked out again and saw that there was (
[ blockade-that the custom houses were al
:. closed. We said: ''Open the doors Of tn
: custom houses and remove the blockade