The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1866-07-25
LETTER FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL
SPEED.
WAsmN0roN, ID. c., July IA, 1866.

To Hon. j. e. D0oLittle, Chdlrman,G dc
Still have the honorto acknowledge
the receipt of your note of the 10Th inst,
with printed copy of call for Nation
al Convention; TO beheld at Philadelphia
on the ii day of August next. You
request, in case the call, and the princl
pies enunciated IN it, meet my approval,
that reply at my earliest convenience
This language would seem to imply that
no answer is desired if do not approve
the call and the principles avowed in 1T;
i'm other words, that failure to reply
may be interpreted as a disapproyal, not
only of the call, but of each ard all of
the principles announced in it.
This is a position in which I am unwil-
ling to be placed, when | approve of
many of the principles Sc. forth in the
call, and yet do not approve OF the call
itself I will briefly state my reas MS;
first promising that I do not recognize
the very respectable gentlemen who have
made this call as the acknowledged
organs of the great Union party Of the
country.
Since the outbreak of the terrific strug-
gle from which the country has now
emerged, we have had a National Union
party that has exhibited more devotion,
made greater sacrifices, and m infested
more unsclfSh patriotism than any party
ever dll previously in the history Of the
world That partyis still in being, with
its organization intact, and its organs
known and as that party, by its faith,
its doctrines and its exertons, has, in
the face OF the prophecies othaf the New
and all the eli World, saved tho Gov
ernment and the republican institutions
OF our common country from demoral.
lz1tion, and indeed from utter ruin, by
vindicaling at all hazards the primordial
theory OF the eternal, indissoub|e union
Of the States, through which only can n
particle Of tho theory of State rights
ever be maintained carried out, it
would appear to Inc to be still the only,
or at any rate the most cTactual means,
as far as party can do it, of finally adjus-
ting all the remaining minor and unset-
tied matters of reconstruction consistcnt-
ly with the requirements Of the theory
mentioned.
. l have said that mary of The principles
stated IN the call are, in my view, obiec>
tionablc, but content myself with stating
that the cali fails to. take any notice of
one Of The great issues now before the
American people. allude to tho ques-
ton whether the several States shall
ratify or reject the last amendment pros
posed by Congress tothc Constitution
Of the United States. This is grave
and all important question. The Issue
upon 1t cannot be avoided. 1t should
be placed fairly and squarely before the
peoplo The failure to take ground
upon SO important and all absorbing a
question mast be attributed either to II
desire to avoid the issue, or,,as declara,
ton of belief and policy against the
adoption OF the amendment, Being N.Y.
self, earnestly and decidedly in favor of
the adoption of the amendment by the
States, cannot 60 into m organization
that would either openly oppose that
or that would smother it by
avci'ling its discussion,
This party is the same TO day as it was
In the days OF its, trial, the same party
now as then, but few moths ago, it
elected Ii, coin and johnson, AMI the
majority of the present Congress; and as
acted with it then, for paramount
reasons, my sense Of duty d mands that
| remain and act with it now.
The pith and marrow OF the prsent
call. | should say, tends toward cons
vention to form a party for sustaining.
not the Government in is entirety, las
has been the mission ofthe Union pariv)
bat department of the Government.
And here | must take the liberty ofadd>
ing that | can hardly conceive of any
sadder spectacle, under. tho c,isis ct
present circumstances, than that Of tho
tried Union party of this county becom-
ng dislocated and broken up by divis-
ons, or that ofone branch OF the Gov.
'rnment OF the country taking an isolat-
I'd position upon questions Of deep and
common interest, and placing itsefin
hostile conflict with co Ordinate depart
merits.
For these ard other reasons, which
might be mentioned, l cannot join in the
call for the Convention in Philadelphia
must nlso add, that no man is more
aesirous thsnI am to attain the entire
of the American Union, with
its practical workings in moro perfect
harmony and concord than ever, ard the