American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-08-29
NUMBER 81

uis' peu py the dlscordant elements that
are brought together there, Johnsonites.
rebelites, Copperheads, and forfeited Re.
publlcans--is not that good word to use
Tor themY--and do not know what else
come together?-it is a curious mixture
it's true. 1t reminds me a good deal of
what they call happy family at circus
liaughterl where We find the monkeys.
and, the chickens, and the coon. and .bo,
possum, and the bear, and everything
else. iIi in one cage, Well you wonder,
why the bear don't cat up the chickeRs,
and the coon don't bite the possum, and
the monFey don't fight the cats, and the,
eats don't fight the rats, and all that sort
OF thing. and if you ask the question why2
the ring master will tell you that he ar :
ranges that matter. Laughter. This
man, Governor Orr, of South Carolina,
as soon as he leaves the rebel Congress
becomes candidate for Governor, and
the people down there elect him, and he
gets to be Governor of the great State of
South Carolina; and this State, that has
d white population of 100000 and has
4OO, ,oOO negroes, sends Gov. Orr to the
| fhlladelphia circus, or convention, <
| think they call it. He makes a speech
there, and he talks to the people of Penn
sylyania. He says that he hopes that
the loyal people Of Pennsylvania will de-.
eide at the election that these loyal peo-
pie In the South shall be admitted into
Congress, he being one of them. Loyal
men Why, sir, these loyal men that
have been elected to the Congress of the
United States from the South, go there,
not for the purpose of creating disturb
ance or dong any wrong, but for the purss
pose OF aiding he people OF the North in,
making laws such as will be beneficial to
all classes of this country. Why he has
got to be very patriotic. They stayed
out of Congress for four years, suppose
on account Of their 10 atty Laughter.
They withdrew on their own accord. set
up another Congress, and undertook to
make laws for few people down South,
We went to work and licked them for
that (cheers) and alter we have done
that, they propose now, at one stride, to
just step out Of the rebel Congress fnto
our Congress, or out of the rebel army
into our Congress. They just lay down
the gun and march into Congress to help.
us loyal people make laws for the benefit.
of the whole people Laughter
Well, | can tell Mr. Orr1hat we neade
very good laws for four years without his
assistance. We carried on this war with.
out his help. We taxed ourselves for
the purpose of increasing our revenues.
To prosecute the war we taxed ourselves.
We levied, collected, and disbursed the
taxes ourselves. We purchased our own
arms, our own munitions of war, furnish!
ed our own soldiers, did our own legisla--.
ting, without any of their help; and when
we want their help we will give them
due notice; that they may govern them
selves accordingly.
No sir, we proposed, as | remarked, 10
reorganize these States upon a proper
basis; not according to the dictation of
any President, noe according to the die
tation Of Robert Il. Lee, or Mr. Orr, or
MIR. A. IL. Stephens or any other man
belonging to these rebel hordes. We do
not propose to ask them how it shall be
done, or the manner in which we shalk
perform our duty toward this whole coun.
try.
Sir, when such men as Lee and Beau
regard, and that class of gentlemen come
forward now and dictate to the loyal men
Of this country the manner In which theso
State Governments shall be restored to
their proper relations to the Government
we say to them: ''Mr. Lee, and Mr.. Beau
regard, and Mr., Maury, and all the rest
of you men who belonged to the army and
navy of the United States at the time
this rebellion commenced you were edg-
Gated at the charity School of this Gov
eminent, you took the oath to bear true
allegiance TO the country, threw down
your swords and took up arms in defense
of and in prosecution of treason against
the Government that had taken YOU,
when children, and raised you at its own
charity school. Not only that, Mr.. Lee,
but N your elaborate mansion that YOU
had across the Potomac there there was
not spear of grass that received nutrf-
ment, or flower that blushed In your
gardens but what was watered day by
day by the tribute of the Treasury of the
United States of America" ~"
If it was leftto me would say, "Take
what the Government has given you
We cannot take it back. Keep your own
consciences. am sure they goad you
well. Reflect upon the blackness of your
deeds Let your own minds be constant,
ly upon the manner in which you have
performed the duty which you owed to
the Government, aud that you owed your
selves Enjoy what you have done; that
is sufficient for your reflections SO long as
yon shall live. But you shall be brand
ed, so that the lcsst prattling child in this
land, as you pass by. would point his fin
ger at you and say, there is Robert = Lee.
who bears the mark of treason upon his
brow as conspicaogsly as Cain did the
one given him because he slew his bro
ther.
AS to the men who were not army Off
GERS. but who were members OF
Congress and leaders of the rebellion,
we say the same thing. We say GEN
tiemen. according to your own deeds