, 1866-02-02

90 Tor tce southefn cane would be equally
successful with our Northern production
SENATOR 110WRs, sPEECH.
The pressure Of telegsaphlc aud other orig,
iual matter, has constrained ns reluctantly te
forego publishing in full the very ablc speecl
Of Senator Howe, Of Wisconsin, on the all
absorbing question of the day--the recon
struction Of the Southern States. Through
out, 1t was logical aud dignifed, though caus
tic. Senator Howe Is one Of the cleares1
beads In the Senate, and will faithfully repre-
senl the party by whose votes be holds his Of
Gee. He Is no trimmer for either Executive
or popular favor, but speaks the truth as God
has given him 10 see it, and II II places hin
ahead Of others, he waits for them to come
up to him. The following extrasts give more
fully than our telegraph synopsis heretofore
published, the pith Of his speech on the
mooted questions Of Estate suicide" and the
power OF Congress to establfsh provisional ol
territorial governments over the Southern
States.
The President Is pleased 10 say that by
these acts "the States attempting to secede
plnced themselves In condition where their
vitality WAS impaired but not extfnguished
their functions suspended but not destroyed u
am, myself, quite%unable to find any clause
ct the Constitution which dIscrimInates bn.
tween those acts which impair the vitality Of a
State and those which extfneuish It. Nor do
l comprehend that principle OF philosophy
which admits that any toIm Of Lie can be i'm.
paired and Jet cannot be e11inEuished. With
al detercnec should suppose that any form
OF vitality In order to be sure against extinc.
lion, should be proof against deterioration.
But am not disposed to insist upon this cril.
Nor do I think It worth while for the great
Union party to divide upon the question
whether the Constitution requires rs to say
that the functions of a State In giTen emef.
geucy are "snspended'' Or 'tdestroyed.'' Be-
ing claEscd With the radicals this year, 1 nc.
knowledge n leaning to the more positive
forma Of expression. I have, therefore, rather
insisted upon the theory Of suicide. But rather
than disrupt our organization think I could
compromise upon That Of syncope. But 1t is
conceded that the functions Of the rebel States
we're suspended, wera gone. Perhaps the most
the American photography would be TO
say they were "played out" At MI events
they were suspended Now, that Is precisely
what allied Lazarus. When lie had lain four
days in the grnve and already skunk, 1t vas
enly because his Functions were suspended -
them plainly, lazarus i dead" notwithstand-
ing he knew he conld raise him from the
grave. And so saytttese rcbel1lous States
lre dead. But know although they have
lain in the grave four years, md smell worse
than Lazarus did. llaugllter,] yet the recre-
aiatiye power Of the nation can make them
live again. Indeed, The suspension Of the
1nnctioas y sure death to man or State.
But, first, who shall answer that question :
Whit department of the Government Is
charged with the duty OF declaring from time
20 time the pleasure Of the United States =
No one prctends that the judicial department
rue TINT it Is for the President to decide when
these functions shall be restored, and that has
already decided It. do not myself under
stand that the President has. decided that
question. II he bad done SO. think he
would not have withheld so important fact
,nunication upon ''the state OF the Union"
hare carefully read that well-considcrcd and
able message. I found IN uuequtvocal decla-
ration that the functions of those States
which attempted to seccde have been BUS
PENDED, but 1nd no int1mation that they
have been restored.
And manilestly II Is not within the puryiew
III bis official duty to restore them. It Is the
province of the President to execute the na-
tsonal will, not to cxpound 1t. He Is placed
In command or the Army aud Navy, to enable
him to 81 tnIe care that the LAWS be faithfully
executed, - not that they be wisely made. With
nll that power in his hands he cannot right
fully so much as transfer m old musket from
one citizen to another without the warrant
Of the United States, tested by a Judge, de-
claring the right OF tho claimant to haye
It. The President cannot fix the price to
bc paid for an acre Of the public domain,
nor the duty to be paid upon the importa
Hon ofa pound oftea. Is 1t supposablc that
tho people who withheld from the Executive
The right to fesislatc upon such tri1ing con-
Germs would authorize him to fix the terms
UPON which eight million people, who had
forfeited their lives BY law, shonld be orEan-
iEed into eleven States Of the Unfons I am
not only confident TINT this Is the iast power
which the people would confer upon the exc
c1tive department, but ] am persuaded It Is
the fast power which the present Executive
would consent to exert ; and that not solely
or mainly bccause Of the unsuitableness Of hls
Office fer ascertaiuinE the national will upon
the question, but chiefly because Of his per
senal relations to and bis possible interest In
the question to be determined.
Do acnators comprehend n hat consequences
result necessarily from restoring the functions
at those Statess II will add hfty-eisht mem
brrs to the House Of Represent atlvcs, more
than onc.tourth Of It's present number. 1t
Will add twenty-five members to this Senate,
pcarlY onc-ha1f its present number The
Constitution designed the Legislature 10 be
independent Of tile Executive. But what In
dependence has that Legislature into which
tic Executive 1aay at his pleasure pour 80
many votes: The Queen Of Great Britain
las no such power orcr the Parliament of the
realm. She "ay constltutionally add that
oi Lords, but It Is beyond the stretch
Of lcr vast prerogatires to add a
<ete to The Commons But this is not all.
Restoring the function of9'atcs TO the people
Of those lately rebelllous districts adds eighty
yotes to the Electoral College which chooses
the President and the Vice President of the
kent ofthc White uouse was ambitious Of y
re-election-the sppposstlon Is In no wise de-
Eogntory to hiul-thnt ID an ambition which
becomes any distinguished citizen OF the Re-
public, and no one better than himself. But
suppose he were, as some aspirants for that
exalted place hnve been, not orer.scrnpnlous
rs to the means By which he secured
his election who is 20 blind rs not to seeth
terrible advantage which would be p1aced in
lts binds BY conced1ng him the power to add
10 the vote of the Electoral College more
than onc-third Of it's present numbery
: L few years since We heard much Of n set OF
+ fellows Ia Sun Francisco who were designated
as ballot-box stutfers. hut what balIotbox
tstul1iBg ever known In San Francisco could
: PARALLEL tlat which such concession OF pow
q. TO candidate for the Presidency would
;legitinates*
But gentlemen soy this Is radical. and the
times demand conservative measures Why,
str, If gentlemen will say what 1t is they wish
to conserEe, can better say whether this will
answer their purpose.
II they Wish to conserve the supremacy OF
the milton, this Will enable them TO do IL, for
it retains authority in the hands Of the na:
10 wicld it In harmony With the national in-
terrsts If fhey wish to CONSERVE the euuull.