Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-25

70 the national cause as Congress or any
of its mem bers can claim to be. The
sewers of discord further insist that the
representatives who have come from the
unrepresented states, are actually disI0ysL
1t is agreed on all hands that disleyal
representatives ought not to be, in any
case, admitted. Congress, however, has
the constitutional right and power to ex-
elude all such representatives, not only
from the states unrepresented, but
from any other. When, therefore, Assem-
ater or Representative from the un-
represented states presented his creden-
tials 10 the body to which he has
been elected, he offers himself as any
other meKber does for a trial on the ques-
ton of his loyalty and allegiance. Ii be-
longs to Congress to prescribe the form of
the trial and the ~evidence.of loyalty it will
demand. In accordance with this principle,
and in view of exactly this occasion, Com
gress has heretofore established two test
oaths-one general osth of fidelity and
allegiance, the other a special one disa-
vowing and repudiating all connection
with disunion or rebellion. These laws
are general. They require every men,
Der to subscribe to. them. They are re-
H0AAO4 " ~ BAC5GhLCA W 6NGTH CIdlLIIduk
to a seat, and yet the members from Ten |
nessae and Arkansas have been six months
asking to have these oaths rendered to
them for their subscription, and have
been denied. It would seem that they
coald be justly denied only on the ground
that in subscribing to the oaths the claim
ants would commit a fraud and a perjury.
Not only is there a legal presumption TO
the contrary, but every intelligent man
in the community admits the proved
loyalty, fidelity and constancY Of all the
members who have coma from Tennessee
and Arkansas. The apology for the
denial is that although the members now
chosen are loyal, yet that they might be-
come disloyal after being admitted. 1t is
necessary TO say that the same subterfnge
may be equally resorted to in the case Of |
every other member of Congress. The
suspicion is illogical and unwarranted by
the Constitution, and even if it were both
constitutional and logical, Congress has
still the reserved, but absolute, power to
expel the member whenever he shall have 4
become unfaithful or falter in his ale
glance.
The advocates of dissension, pressed by
these facts, resort to the argument, and
although it is true that the representatives
who have come from Tennessee and
Arkansas are loyal and can meet con-
s~cientiously and legally every test which
Congress has prescribed or can prescribe,
and although they may be expected to re-
main loyal themselves, yet that among
those who, have come from the other un-
represented States, there are persons who
cannot take~the the test oaths and are
therefore properly held to be disloyal.
The reply is obvious.
Let all disloyal claimants from other
States be rejected, but in any case admit
the loyal representative of Tennessee and
arkansas. Still Congress excludes tho
loyal, grouping them in one indiscrimi-
nate mass with the ~disloyal. This course
of the opposition has failedt % be satisfae-
tory, and therefore new arguments must
be found. One of these is that although
the present representatives are loyal, the
term for which they were elected will
some time expire, and they may be fol-
lowed by disloyal successors. The same
argument would effect every seat in both
Houses of Congress, because although the
Constitutional presumption in favor ofloy-
atty in the several States always
remains good, yet no one can alb
solutely guarantee that any one State or
district inthe United States may not at
some future time send a disloyal repre-
sentative. We ell see clearly the question
is not what is past, nor yet Of what is fu-
tnTe, judged by any standard of patriot
ism and loyalty, that the whole Congress
could accept some districts in every State,
nn1 u,oDr nfAha CEoNa, 49,. - a.. L.. I
tofore suffered themselves to be represent
ed by disloyal men, and any one, or all of
them, may consent to be represented by
loyal men hereafter.
The only sure way TO guard against
this imaginary danger would be to dis
pense with Congress altogether. Thus the
advocates Of dissension seem to arrive at
the conclusion that onr entire system
of Republican government is an absolute
failure. What, then, is my conclusion ?
It is one that will at least be ad-
mitted to harmonic with my past life. |
l am hopeful of the President, hopeful of
Congress, hopeful of the National Union
party, hopeful of the Democratic party, |
hopeful of the represented states, above all
hopeful of the whole people, and hopeful
of the continued favor of Almighty God.
When l shall return here from the field
of public service, and shall have come to
mingle once more in your quiet and peace
full pursuits, 1 desire and hope then to be
able TO look with renewed affection upon
our beloved country. l hope that then,
while l remember how fearfully, within
our own time, she has been beset, be-
and be-sted, l shall nevertheless be
able TO say TO all her enemies, at home as
well as abroad,
COMPASS her walls in solemn pOmp,
YOureyes quite round her cast,