The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-09-04

you have Of loyalty than these men
give? Who has fought this rebellion
with more consistency and determi-
nation than I have-who has sacri-
feed or suffered moro for the coun-
try! But because my sacrifi> 5 and
suHerings have bssa great, as an i'll
cldent growing out of great civil
war, should I therefore become in
sensible to truth and principle? We
are told that those men, notwith-
standing their professions of loyalty
and devotion to the Union, are not to
be believed; but ask you what bet
ter evidence you can have of loyalty
and devotion than profession and
action? Who dares, in. this day of
political and religious freedom, to set
up an inquisition and go into the
human bosom to search for motives
and sentiments? How many men
have lived under this Government all
along, from its origin up to the pre-
sent time, who have Loyalty obeyed
the laws and payed their taxes, and
aided the Government in every way
required OF them, vet who, perhaps,
would much have preferred to have
had it greatly modified in form, or
even to have lived under monarchy?
The best evidence that can be shown
OF loyalty are loyal professions and
loyal actions, and when those gentle
men, met i'll convention from the
North and South, come forward and
profess devotion to the Union and
Constitution, and when their actions
and professions correspond, who shall
| dare to doubt them? Have we reached
that point that all confidence is lost
in men? If we have, tell you that
| your Government is not as strong as
a rope of sand It has no weight,
and will tumble to pieces.
The adhesive power Of this Go
vernment is in the confidence which
the people put i'll each other. Great
cheering. These men who sat in
convention sat in II city the profes-
slons OF whose people in times gone
by were that they were Il peace-loving
and war-hating people. These men
sat there i'll convention in the inter
ests Of peace, and their professions
are doubted. These people say to
them, we won't believe you, and,
teal dissolution Of the Union must
continue to exist Why, as South
ern man-though 1 do not speak
here tonight as Southern man, be-
cause first saw the light Of Heaven
in Il Southern State-thank God, [
feel that L entertain opinions and
Ideas that are co-eXtensive with all
the States and with the people Of
them all. While I am q Southern
man, 1 am IL Northern man also
that is to say, am citizen of the
United States, and am willing to con
cedc to other citizens what I claim
for myself
But | WAS going to call your atten-
ton to point. The Southern States
or their leaders proposed separation
Now, what was the reason that they
did so? The time has come to con
suit our reason, and not mere impulse.
What was the reason, or one OF the
reasons, that the South gave for de-
string separation? They said they
feared that the Constitution of the
United States could not be enforced,
and that their rights could not be Sc
cured in the Union; that was the
reason they gave. They said the
Constitution cannot be enforced in
the Union, and, therefore, we will
separate from the Union, and we will
form new Government for our
selves, and will take the Constitution
of our country and enforce it there.
That was separation; it was against
the Union, and was always opposed
to anything that was opposed to the
Union. l took my position in the
Senate Of the United States, and as
sumed then, as L have sine, that
this Union was pcrpetlIal; IT,, 1t was
a great magic circle that cou never
be broken. Applause.
But the reason the South gave was.
that the Constitution could not be
enforced under the then existing
combination of States, and, therefore,
that it might be enforced, they
wanted separation. They attempted
to separate, bat they failed. But
while the question was pending, they
established for themselves 2 form of
Government, and what kind of q Go
Z vernment was it? What kind of =.
Constitution did they adopt? Was it
not the same old Constitution, with
some few variations, the Constitution
of the United States? You know
that it was, and that they desired to
hive under that Constitution, and en-