The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-01-10

from Massachusetts, (Mr. Sumner,) to q
TO the country without a very brief reply
IT that speech be true, and it be a correc
picture Of the south, then God help u
then this republic, this union is ct an e. q
then the great war which we waged fo
the union was folly; then all the BLOOD
and treasure which We have expended il
that war in order 10 restore ourselves t.
panionship with the people Of tn.
south have been equally follies. But, MIR
President, is it true' Or is not this o
series of er parte statements made up by
anonymous letter writers, people who are
down there more than likely stealing cot
ton, people who are down there in the en-.
Ijoyment Of place and power, people who
ar: interested tha, the disturbed condition
Of things which exist there now shall al
wavs continue, because they make prof
by it Is there any man who has had any
experience in the trial of causes, any mar
who knows anything about the nature o
evidence, who does not know that the hon
orahle senator could have sent his emissa
ries into any one county in the lately
rebelious states, and gather the expressions
Of knaves and fools, and discontented,
single-id' ad people, far more than he has
gwen US III tniS Spetcn
| We are told here of the exceptional in.
stances Of bad conduct on the part Of thr
people Of the south. Why, what large
volume it would take to hold all that l.
a man were to go about anywhere in thu
loyal states and hunt up what he might
suppose to be reasonable expressions.
heretical expressions, how many could he
find? And yet We are treated to all this
here as if it were the whole Of the eviderc
III the case. One man out of 10000 IS
brutal to a negro, and that is paraded here
as a type of the whole people of the south,
whereas nothing is said of the other 0 900
men who treated the negro well. One man
expresses great deal of dissatisfaction at
the present state Of affairs, and that is
paraded here, while nothing is said Of thu
other IL. coo men who are contented to &C
cept it and make the most of it, .
| What then, are we to do? We are to
suppose that the people of the southern
states lately in rebellion have common
sense; and when their uttterances are in
accordance with what is common sense and
the dictate of their own interest, we have a
right to presume it to be true. But &C
cording to what we have Just heard, every
thing that has come from the people OF
these states. and from their public bodies,
from the representatives Of these people, is
to be taken as false; and why Because
some cotton agent, some correspondent OF
\ radical newspaper in the north, some
office. holder who has been making prof,
OF the state Of things there chooses to say
it is all false The heresy of stat: rights
is not destroyed there, the honorable sena
tor says. Have we not heard from mos,
all the public men of the south that the
question was put to the arbitrament Of the
sword; that they have lost, ana that they
submit? Hive they not acquiesccd in the
abolition of slavery thing of all
Fothers which was the last, in the opinion
of every body, that they would submit to ?
But still further guarantees are wanted; we
are not told what they are; hat are they !
What is wanted2 Every body admits lha,
he negro ought to have his natural rights
secured to Lin. believe all the moder-
ate conssrvatiye men of this chamber are
fully asreed that every man should have
his natural rights secured-the right to
life, liberty and the pursuit Of happiness;
the protection of property, limbs and re.
putation; that he should have the right to
sue aud to be sued, and to testify in courts
OF justice The negro has net hitherto
been allowed in the southern states to tes
thy in courts OF justice, and why? Because
he was slave, and if had been a citizen
of the southern states when slavery pre-.
vailed there, | would have r, sisted bis right
to testify in courts. 4 witness like voter
ought to be free man; he should not be-
long to another man. What chance would
a litisant have against the matter of the
slaves if the slaves could testify? 1t sea ms
to me that the slaves ought not to testify
for the same reason that the wifs ought not
to testify either for or against her, husband.
| Would you ask negro to testify agalns,
his master, to go back to that master. and
be subjected to his ill-will be cause Of his
testimony? Would you allow him to tes
uty for the master as against party on
the other side? Certainly not But now
this state of things has passed away. Now
the people of the southern states them.
selves, so far as understand them, are in
favor Of opening the courts TO all these
ella, ses of people. And sir, they mus,
open them for their own security. | am
willing to lcave that to themselves; theil
own interests will compel them to allow al
people to testify, unless they are excluded
excluded witnesses from testifyng. If tn.
honorable senator from Massachusetts, anG
those who think with him, desire that thes,
people si.culd have the right OF suffrage
why not say SO broadly?
Mr.. Sumner-I do say SO.
Mr.. Cowan-V.ry well; that is so mucl
that Is clear; make it broadly; We may diff,
from him. but the people vii! decide.
am perfectly willing to acqaeiscs in ,hei
decision; do not care which way it is; bu
the people will decide that question. ant
they will decide Ii promptly. Ii the hon
orable senator from Massachusetts, want.
J to hold the doctrine that those states ar.
not states, that they are not constituen
members Of the union, let him say so
there is tribunal to which that can bt
referred. If he wishes to take issue with
the president on these points, let the issu,
be made fairly and squarely, and it will bt
) met. Thank God, in this government, no
. like that vi Russia which he has eulogz d
there is power above us all; there is +;
power to whose al bitvament and award VT
can appeal, and who will settle this thing
concusively.
Now, Mr.. Presit ent, am for reconcilja
ton. | want to have TINS unlcn restored
and a uaion means union by consent, no
by force. would like to make friends o
all the people with whom We have been al
enmity heretofore. do not want the con
test to 60 on any longer. But are we tc
make friends with them, and are they tG
be reconciled to us, and are they to behave
better by such speeches as have been made
by the honorable senator here to day
very much doubt it. do not think tha
) he will improve the condition of the south
ern heart, or the condition of the southern
mind, by thus parading these exceptional
cases to the people of this country, ane
stimulating and exciting their angry pas
: sions, more than they are now, against thi
unfortunate peop'e-unfortunate in every
res pect; unfortunate On account Of thel
}, errors: unfoI lunate on account OF the pen
T. IL coln oI thpSa