The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-04-20


tice to be opened" Was there anything
wrong in that The courts were opened
What else9 We looked out and saw that
the people down there had no mails.
They had been interrupted and cut OIL by the
operations of the rebellion. We said 10 mo
Postmaster General Let the people have
facilities for mail communication, ana let
them begin again, to understand what we All
feel and think-that we are one people. we
looked out again, and saw that there was
blockade: that the custom houses were all
! closed. We said "Dpen the doors OF the GUS
tom houses and remove the blockade let trade,
commerce. and the pursuits of peace, be re
stored and ii was done. We thus travelled
on, step by step, opening mp custom houses,
appointing collectors, establishing mail faclil-
/ ties, and restoring all the relations that nave
been interrupted by the rebellion. Was there
ANYTHING undertaken to be done here that was
not authorized by the Constitution, that was
not justified by the great necessities OF the
case that has not been clearly concurrent
with the Constitution and the genius ana the
DRY of our Government? Cheers what
remained 10 be done? One other thing re-
NAMED to demonstrate to the civilized ana
Pagan world that we had passed successfully
/ through the third ordeal of our national exist
cncc and proved that our Government was
perpetual.
/ \ great principle was to be restored which
/ was established III our revolution. When our
/ in theirs were Coutcudiug against the power oil
/ Great Britain. what was one Of the principal
/ causes Of their complaints 1t was that they
were denied representation. lhey colnpEilhed
/ of taxation without representation. lCHeerS.I
| one of the great principles laid down by our
, fathers. and which fired their hearts, was that
there should he no taxation without repre-
srutati0n. How, then, does the matter stand Z
/ who ha. been uSuTpnE power, and who has
Lrpn defeating the oprratiOu Of the toustitu-
ton And what now remains 10 b" done 10
complete the restoration of these states 10 al
their former relations under the Federal go,
NrrrIurur and 10 finish the great OfUcai
j tIv oh Il irb -
admit representation. Cheers. And when
we say adIaIt representation, what DO we
mean? We mean representation IN the con
~fItutiOual and laW-ahidmg sense, "a was III
/ tended at the BEGINNING of the Government.
And where does that power lie? 1he consul
! tuition declares i'll express terms that e'tch
House. the Senate aud House of Representa-
lives each acting for itself, shall he the Judge
of the returns OF election and qualifications OF
| il own members. II is for each House to set,
/ tie that question under the Constitution, ana
! under the solemn sanction of IN oath and can
w, believe that either House would admit any
member into lis body to participate in the
legislation of the country who was not quail
fed and fit to SIT in that body and participate
in its proceedings. They have the po"cr-hot
. the two Houses, bat each House for itself.
The Constitution further declares that no
state shall be deprived of its equal suffrage IN
The Senate Of the United states without It's
consent. Then where do we stand? All thal
i needed To finish this great work OF restOra-
ton i for the two Houses respectively to de-
trrruiuc these questions. Ion 80 but som"
viii say "a traitor might come IN The an
swcr to thatis: Each House must be- I'll" Judge
and if a traitor presents himself, caunoteither
House knoW that lac Is Il traitor lapplouscI
and if he is 4 traitor, can they not kick him
oat of the door and send him back, saying to
the people who sent him, You must send Us
4 loyal man" L 'hcerS, and 4 voice, " That
the logic" Is there any difficulty about that?
TCrics of - No, no
TIA traitor presents himself to either House,
cannot that House say 10 him " No, you can
not be admitted into this body. Go back W"
will not deny your people the right OF repre-
srntution. but they must send Il loyal repre-
srnlatvr Cheers. And when the States
do send loyal representatives, can you nave
any better evidence of their fidelity 10 the
Constitution and the Laws ? There Is no one
learned III constitutional Inv who viii say
that If traitor happens 10 get INTO congress
the body cannot c\pel him after he gels IN.
That makes assurance douhly sure, ana con
forms the action of the Government 10 The
Constitution of oar fathers. Hence say, let
H. stand hy that Constitution, ana in standing
BY il, the covenant viii be- preserved.
While / have been contendinE against traI-
tors, ana treason, and secession, ana the dlSSo-
luton Of the Union, | have been cOntendIng al
the same time against the consolidation OF
power here. Itrle> 81 goud.I thlhk me
consolidation OF power here Is equally danger
ouS with the separation of the states. Cheers
/ The one would weaken lis, and might run into
! ~uaryhy, while the other would concentrate
! ;uG run into monarchy. Ithr"rs, and crrS OF
! '.tnu't 30 it," o. hut th"r" /. Hn idea abroad
/ that one man can be- Il despot: that ON" man
can hr usurprr, but rllt Il hundred or two
hundred men cannot.
Mi Jefferson, the apostle of liberty, tells
u>. 80 does common sense, that tyranny ana
dr>putism can he exercised by many more
vigorously and more tyrannically than by one.
What power has your President 10 be
tyraut% What can he do? What can Ii"
originate? Why, they say. he exercises the
'Itslt In watt
power? 4 voice" Toput down the Niger.
EIHurhltr /.
Who's your President? Several voices
candy JohnSon'"I Is II" not elected by the
people through the electoral colleges The
President is nothing more than the tribune of
the people. His office is tribunal in its cha
racter.
elected in the Roman Republic, they stood 1T
the door Of the Roman senate, which was then
ovcrrcachug on the popular rights aud put
Ting the heel of power on the necks OF the
people The people chose I tribune, ana
placed him i The door of the Senate, 80 that
when that body Ncuturcd an oppressive act,
he was clothed with power 10 say ''Veto u
forbid. Your President is now the tribune OF
the people, and thank God am, and intend
to assert the power which the people have
placed in me. Cheers.
Your President, standing hrreda after day,
and disCnargIng his duty, /. like horse on the
tread wheel aAd hcrauS" he dares 10 differ III
d. denounced as a usuI per and tyrant. Can
he originate anything under the veto power
| think the veto power is conservative IN its
character. All that can be- done by the veto
power j. 10 say, when legislation i improper,
haStv. unWisc. uuCous titutioual, . Stay-stop
action. Wait I'LL this can be submitted 10 the
people, and let them consider whether it is
right or wrong" [Applause.l
That is all there i in it. Hence | say that
tyranny and power can be exercised some
where else than by the Executive. He Is
powerless. All that he can do Is TO check le-
zi-laticn-lo hold il in Il tate of allegiance till
the people can consider and understand what
i. being done. Then, what has been done? l
have done what ! believed the Constitution
required me to do. Applause. have done
what | believed duty aud conscience required
me to do Cheers SO believing, | intend to
stick TO my position, relying on The Judgment,
the integrity, and the intelligence of the masses
of the American people-the soldiers and sail
orS expressly. [Cheers.
Then, for my life | cannot see where there is
any tyranny. II is very easy TO impugn mo-
tiycs and suspect the purity of the best acts of
4 man : life. Ii YOU come forward and pro-
pose n certain thing, your motives are sus-