Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-21

Press the task of perpetuatjng the republic and In
surinR the liberty AMI welfare OF its entire pOpuls
tion ~ this and future generations Posterity woulC
mold thlS Congress accOunta BILE for the improvement
| OF this splendid opportunity securing civil lib
erty. IL was the Offering Of the age. and had beer
brought to bear in these times amid the shOcl
ana agony OF revolution, for tho realization O
grand and benifeent purposes in the divine honor
thSt il msttercd not whether or how COpgres,
acted 10 these unsettled and pregnant times
was dangerous teaching IL partOok too largely Of
senility blind TO peril and ObiviOus of principle,
| and which dreaded being forced from its honorable
ease by the shock Of contendng parties in this
tran,ition. Hence, whom a mistake might be fatal
to liberty, the people would not be ued into secu-
Tlty by tnecircean form OF speech, nor would thoy
long submitin patience to the narrow ambition and
unthinsing zeal which attributed TO q question Of
temporary policy the Importance Of essential prin-
ciples. and staked the permanent welfare Of the
wise bat dc isiye action, and he in healthy con-
ptsubtle dialectcs and musty precedents which
there was no power TO enIOrce. Justice and public
safety were TO tnem the natural and supreme law
and by them the york Of Congress would be tested
they would never consent that Congress shou ID put
liberty to sleep upon any prOcrustean bread made by
Others, much less strange it in the cast-o
OF its ownc ildhOod. American liberty being eq nal
lty before law and the protection of perJOn and
property, no emancipation was complete that
dld not secure these primary RI hts TO
the freedmen. Nothing less would satisfy pub
nc opinion or accord with the spirit Of the
amended constitution. Political heresy should be
excluded from places Of power, and never again per
mtted TO scatter its poison in the fountains OF leg
lslatlOn II was the simplest dictate of legal tstice
and political prudence that the leaders of the ebel.
lion should be banished forever from the balls Of
legislation, the uris Of justice and the seats of al
mlnlstrStlon, aud 1t was equally clear that time
shOud be allowed to remove tho preiudce5 and
soften the asperities Of hostile population, before
they were permitted to exercise the elective fran
chlse. lie thought these mad no business before
congress Dut TO plead for pardon. lie would pay 10
these fallen chiefs the tribute due 10 men who were
brave IN bad cause, and no would give them the
prlyllise e TrG dle p,n b ,1n3nolested ob;curity.
great iength and concluded bV saying, 10 Congress
belongs the duty of assuri the safety and perpstu
ity Of the mon. Let US do our work in the spirit Of
christian charity, aGd in our admiration Of men VI
noble nature and heroic mould, who dared TO
stand like heroes and fight for tneir hearth
wrongs and ster spirit Of patriotism and of
brotherhood which shall embrace svery State aud
every citizen in our broad and .set-girt domain
IN rs climates and blessed in its people.
~ Mr. ROSS, Of Illinois, next addressed the House.
The htst and greatest Of the practical issues before
the country was the restoration Of the Union VITA
amcable and fraternal relations between its differ
ent ectons The bects for whi;hthe war wa prose-
cuted had been authOritatively enuncated by TesO.
lutOns Ot Congress. aud that patfUrm Acquiesced
in by every department Of the Government. The re-
heilon had been suppressed peace restored aud tue
Union n'Ained. amin slty had begun 10 give way,
sectional pickering 10 be hushed conf icnc TO revive
aud the Executive had insugurated and was success
fully carrying out policy for civil authority which
commended itself tO the country and the civilized
world, at the time when Congress convened. These
bright visions aud cherished hopes had received
ther hrstrude shock when the Speaker Of the House
IN bus serenade speech. sounded the key-nOi Of
position To tue restoration. to the Union. in the
phrase that Congress should make haste slowly -
Inc sentiments enunciated IN that carefully
prepared speech, by one OF tho ablest and most dis
tingul. he'd of his party, bad fOreshadowed unmis-
takeabv the purpose to thwart the Executive in his
policy for the restoration Of the Union. HI believed
that tho decentralization committee was created for
the purpose OF preventing restoration and thus far
IL has successfully carried out tho objects AMI pur
poses for which 1t was ushered into existence. That
enmmttec vas opposed 10 the restoration of the
Union, and the Union would never be restored so
long as that committee had the power 10 prevent it,
lie was not disapp inted in tho action Of the com
mittee. According TO all parliamentary rules and
usages, it So uld have been constructed with ma
Jurlty favorable 10 the object with which il was spe-
cialy entrusted. lie feared that tho orphan cni1 Of
reconstruction wOuld never receive much nOur-
Isnment from the breast of its unnatura
untrendly mother. Like mi itary cOurts-inartia
the committee bad been organized to convict; its
object had been 70 dsseyer and destroy TO estore
ami build up. The ) uthern people had committed
grave error and been gully of a great wrong in
wagng war aga nsr q benefcent government, and
had been greatly humiated and severely punished
In their penury and penitence they asked 20 come
back; Ho was frank to say that he had no heart t.
turn his back upon the returning penient If there
were still roots o. bitterness sprngng up in the
hearts of the SOurthern people, the sure.t and mos
expeditions way to eradicate them was by justice
tempered with mercy AntagOnistic plans radically
diff rent, were pending before Congress and the
country.