East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1866-01-31

sary for the gentleman 10 show that ohedience 10
law exists at this time In the reclaimed territories
Mr. Enthusiastically 1 think the Pres
ident aud General Grant have shown that fact
But one step further In this Congressional rec
ord. As nto forever settle the construction which
should be placed upon The condition Of the South
ern States, and their right ~ representation,
Congress enacted and the President approved a
law on the 4th Of March, 1868, which here read;
CRAP. AXXVI-An act fixing the number Of
the House OF Representatives frun aud after
the third day Of March, eighteen hundred and
sixty-three.
"Bs IL enacted By the Senate and House Of
Representatives. Of the United States Of Amer
ica in Congress assembled, That f.om and after
the third day Of March, eighteen hundred and
sixty three the nun Der Of members Of the House
States shall Re two hundred and forty-one and
The eight additional members shall be assigned
one each to Pcnnsy ania, Ohio. Kentucky, Illi-
nois, Iowa, Minnesota, Vermont aGd Rhode Is
land"
In order to obtain the number of two hundre l
and forty-one Representatives, as contemplated
by this law, every Southern State whose citizens
were 10 revolt must have been represented ac'
eording TO her population. What more cnn | do
than to make ths statement What argument
could add to It's binding force 7 If men will re
putiuic lD-uiy Nuht tIcl uiu ltSttiuHN ~ s"ey
refuse to be bound by their own principles de-
cared. in the solemn form of law II the high
est precedents Of their own official action t,l
without force upon their cars, then, indeed they
are hey ond the power Of reason, and csllous 10
TIE reproach and dersion Of the world
Sir, the most melancholy phase Of corrupted
and fallen human nature in its selfish tenaeity TO
the low purposes Of the hour In their headIong
pursuit it spurns the fixed principles and ever
lasting laws Of the universe from its sordid path
way. II SCOTS NJ wisdom that is "hoary and
white With eld," aud jeers tho venerable expert
ence of ages If they arise obstacles to its inn
mediate qualification. Constitutions, laws and
sacred ordinances are lighter than eobwehs in tho
way Of its consuming desires. Even the dread
Jehovah who made man and the code Of dlvin-
ity which claims his obediance, IL but dmly re-
membered when tie prize Of the hearts dearest
passion lies close and tempting 10 our hands =
Our line of vision Is on the level before us. We
bow TO the earth and worship its transient spolls,
while the stars which sail over our heads and
beckon us TO celestial duties and betoken eternity
70 UNDECIDED in their grandeur. We hear the
siren voice Of the moment, but fail to catch the
oftier harmony Of the eternal spheres Who has
fathomed the dark and my sterous depths Of his
own motives1 The rules Of right rise or sink ms
they can be made subscrvient 10 our interests,
our hopes, our loves and our hates The mer-
chant prince Of to-day adopts n new principle OF
trade from yesterday, because his harvest OF profit
will be richer and his chambers of wealth en-
larged The rulers and legislators Of nations do
the same. Napoleon worshiped With the faith OF
Moslem ut the Pyramids when he dreamed of
reviving and reignng on the throne Of the Pha.
roahs He imprisoned the annninted successor of
st Peter when the indispensable rT'ge of his am
bition strove for the empire Of Europe. lie died
with the consecratcd water on his lips when he
sought the salvation of his soul in the midst Of the
storm at Helena Cromwell commenced his ca
reer in the name Of the Lord, the champion Of
liberty and the enemy Of kings. His Ircsc mt
purposes were gained by these fair and spccinus
prctenses but he passed from the earth as the
FIRST of mn imperial dynasty, with every vestigs OF
civil and religious liberation destroyed, and every
evidence Of free government swept iIpm the
British Empire. David, the king, the statesman,
the warrior, and the man of letters, yielded 10 the
temptation Of n beautiful hut nomentary visio1,
darkened his fame with cowardly aud crae innr-
der, and corrupted his line With the offspring OF y
two-fold crime. Even tho primevial parents Of
the human race who had connuned face TO face
with the eternal presence, and whose daily guests
in the bowers Of Eden we've the angels and min
istering spirits from heaven, looked no higher or
further than the branches Of n tree where tho
forbidden fruit hanging in the fatal srlendor
promised IN immediate enjoyment aud the ful
flment of imm' Mate desires. And are these
mournful instances in the sad philos) phy Of hu-
man nature to bring us no Lesson Of warning in
the discharge Of our present duties shall we
grasp the close proximate pleasure OF power and
revenge IN defiance OF all the principles Of the
Republic, in violation Of the Constitution and in
contempt Of all our own deliberate aud solemn
commiials, with no thought care for the future.
which will be filled with misery, disaster and
IA l.a
powerful here than the past the future. The ma
joiity in Congress Us utterly ignores its record
uf he last four years ms II II was blotied from the
memory II man und TO attain an unlawful re-
su!t would launch the people of this government
ON u future destitute If constitutional protection
Mr.. Speaker, shall here rest the discussion of
the relation which the Southern States bear TO the
Federal Government, and their right to represen-
tation in these halls it WAS one II the very few
great questions that arose during the war in
which both the political parties Of the North
agreed The principle that the Union was unbro-
ken was declared in the platforms Of all the con-
ventions, from the smallest ~ the greatest; and
now that lis denial has become the corner stone
Of new AMI aggressive faith have found but
little difficulty in showing that the doctrines Of
the Constitution and the highest official actions
of every department Of the Government alike in
woke US TO rcsist the bold advances Of this bieful
and destructive hercsy. There are other points,
however, on which wish briefly In dwell in con-
nection with my support If the principles onunci-
ated in theaannual message Of the President.
Second only in importance to the ighty ques-
ton of union and constitutional government is the
financial policy which, through tho approaching
generations Of sweat, toll and pain shall govern
the tax payers Of this deepy-indebted nation
Our public debt has assumed proportions vast
and threatening that thinking men shudder in its
contemplation. There would be no profit now in
inquirng whether II might have been less and
yet the Union preserved. Ii is fxcd reality
and fastened upon us beyond the power at least
of present rescue. have decided opinions which
apply to the past, and which have expressed,
and which | shall never recall. now appronch
the future in connection with results over which
had no control, but which none the less impose
duties incident to the postum which / hold
These duties shall discharge with not one par
tisnn selfish motive IN the interest Of every tax
payer and every son Of labor in the whole land.
Sir, how long can the inequalities Of our pres
ent revenue system be borne >4Iow long will
the poor and the laborous pay tribute to the
rich and lille We have two great interest, in
other. The past four years Of suffering and war
has been the opportune harvest Of the munufac-
turer The looms and machine shops Of New Eng
land and the iron furnaces Of pcnrsy lyana have
been more prolific OF wealth to their owners ihnn
the most dazzling gold mines Of the earth.
might here stop and dwell on statistics and fig
ures, but the public mind is already familiar with
their startling import. They are the result Of
class legislation, OF n monopoly Of trade estab-
lishcd by law II may be said that they Indicate
prosperity. Most certainly they do; but it is the
prosI GRITTY Of one who obtains property of his
.ghbor without any equivalent in return. Tho
present law Of tariff is being rapidly understood
Ii is no longer deception, but rather well-de-
fined and clearly recognized outrage. The agri-
cultural labor OF the land is driven TO the coun-
tiers Of the most gigantic monopoly ever before
sanctioned by law. From its cxort liant demand
there is no escape. The European manufacturer
is forbidden our ports Of trade for fear he might
sell his goods Mt cheaper rates, and thus relieve
the burdens of the consumer. We have declared
by law that there is but one market into which
our citizens shall 60 10 make purchases, AMI we
have left ii b the owners OF the market To fix
their own prices. The bare statement Ut such a
principle fOteshadows at once the consequences
which flow from IL One class Of citizens and by
FAR the largest and most useful, Is placed Mt tho
mercy, for the neccssaries well ms the Injuries
VI life Of the fostercd favored and protected class
to whose aid the whole power of the Government
Is given. viii not such n privilege lie abused U
ft.f.t MI etah "A