Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-11-07
SPEECH OF HON. LUKE P. POLAND.

REPRESENTATIVES, S10ss1 OW Vte cVe""S " OSss
PAIN. 81
Mr.. President and Gentlemen Of the Legis-
lature IL am suffering 90 severely to day
that i. was hardly my purpose to have oocu-
| pied any time at all In addressing the MEM
bers of the two Houses upon their invitation
contained in their resolutions, but it was in
sisted by my colleagues that ought at least to
Join with them and say word upon the sub
| ject indicated, yet have no doubt you would
have been equally grati6ed had the time OF
the distinguished gentlemen who have prece-
ded me been extended so that no remarks could
be made by me. 1t has been no part of ny
vocation to make political speeches. My du-
| ties have been of different character. First,
gentlemen, appear before you to express my
acknowledgment. to you and to the people
of Vermont for the long continued public ia
vor that has been bestowed upon me and the
constant support 1 have received, and also to
return my thanks for your renewed express
sions Ct favor at the present session of the
legislature.
have been invited by the resolutions OF
that body to address the two Houses upon
the subject of the proposed constitutional
amendments and political topics connected
Herewith. For forty years, gentlemen, this
country has been governed in the interes. Of
slavery, and for long period, among tho
people of the North it had been decreed that,
institution OF slavery to the present slave
States-that is the then present slave States
that it should occupy or spread itself into
no more of the territory of the United States.
| This was as tar as the fondest dream of the
intense loyor of liberty, OF the most ardent
hater of slavery went-that 1t should be con-
faed wi hin its then present limitations. Ii
had been claimed that the Congress of the
United States had no power whatever over
fa stttn fInp of al no STAT aS
tina the power to remove or retain it remained
with the several State governments that IL
could not be removed except by constitu-
tonal amendment and no one supposed, then
that ;hsy would ever see constitutional
amendment adopted by which slavery in the
United States would be abolished To restrict
slavery to its then existing limits was the
fondest hope of the mos. ardent lover of lib
erty In the North. Upon that Issue the peo-
: pls went into a Presidential election in 1860
i and succeeded in electing Mr.. Lincoln al
President OF the United States. This was
made the occasion tor the revolt-although 1t
was not proposed by the party IN power thai
slavery within the States should be disturbed
abolished, interferred with In any way
They claimed that they had the right to settle
the matter by bsllot-no one claimed they
had the power to do any more than this
This was excuse enough for the southern
States to attempt the disruption OF this gov
ernment. After four years of bloody war
after the lose of thousapds of millions OF dol
lars, and after q loss of almost half q mlllior
OF lives, drmsd rebellion throughout the LANE
has been subdued and we now come to the im
5 portant question of how these States, which
0 have been IN rebellion, be restored 4
D., 70 their proper Status In the Union. Their
are two theories upon the point-two polcss
One Is the policy Of Congress and Is embraced
IN the cons ti;utiOnal amendments as pro
!. posed, and the other is The one termed th
: policy Of the President, or - My Policy
). The question now to be decided is-whIch o
these is the right and the true policy
y Which will most quickly advance the reetora
= ton of the Union We are met at shs GU
1t set by this argument the part OF IN
!. Presiden. and hIs followers. They say tina
\ nobody has any right to impose conditions 9
any description upon the South until the
are represented IN Congress; that when 81
s rebellion was suppressed these States assume
Il their former status in the General Govern
ment; that they came out in all their orig
u nal strength and beauty, and that nobody hs
night TO Impose sing lie condition upo
them prior to their readmisslon into the n'
tonal Congress.
Of Now, gentlemen, if thai is trUe-if 1t /
10 true that there exists in this government Z
"A power whatever to extend conditions to thoi
who have Just retired from u trultless etol
10 u overwhelm and s.roy this government
70 then there is end of the whole matter
ut once That Is the policy OF the Presider
,, n0W-What was 1t when the rebels first la
down their arms What was his doctrIT
- then Did he then say, that no condition
o could OF should be imposed upon Rebels
w hat did he do? The first thing to be dol
~, was the appointment CT Provisional Cover
- ors over the recently !ebeilious States. Go
to eTnor Holden OF North Carolina WAS the hs
he were directed to assemble conventions OF del
gates from the various counties and prec nc
:" within these States to meet for the purpo
u OF making and framing new constitutions
DO amending their oil constitutions, whlchev
d. might be deemed best, and set them up
IL that they could DC restored their places
the Union. They told that prior
'ui taking their places In the Union they mt
ire adopt the amendment to the Constitution alb
at, ishlng slavery through bout the United STAT
-, They are told, must put a clause
"P your constitution that all debt incurred
any form TO carry this rebellion and
support this revolt, that every debt of th
sort Is void No question shall ever be rails
'' by any State as TO paying any deot OF IL
vii sort. And yet the President, having Dc
by III much says n0D that there 10 no power
nal listing in this Government to ask of or I'M p
upon these States any conditions whsiev
VI prior 10 their admission into The halls
Elk Congress If there was not any right exi
of ing IN this government anywhere to imp
fiji Conditions pom the rebel States prior to tn
= readmlssion In Congress, what right had
'i' President to appoint provisional Governo
er, and call conventions, and tell them on wi
re- conditions, etc. ETC., they can return to
er Uniou? If there Is such power, gentle-n
in whom does it rest? That is the quests
but i. is one upon which l need not dwell
length for it has been clearly expounded
:; the gentlemen who have preceded
Whose government is This We have priI
nth ourselves upon having government VIII
ion was emphatically the government OF the
de. pie, that this WIS q government where
or, power rested in the people Themselves a
Congress in the representative of the peoi
ave gifted with power by the people TO make Ia
re- for tbcm. The people elect their represen
hey yves 10 meet ana MAKE apeir ha"S io .ts =
pie. The Congress of the United States, fol
and contributes the real making po
of the people of the United States, and If
body has light to impose conditions upon
sey representa- ives of the late rebellious St'
cen it is the la NAL ng power of the governm
,r.s and not the executive power.
Now whether it be true or not that II
'op states have ceased to be rebellious, it is SUI
ent true that they did rebel, and that their pr
ets teal relations states toward the gem
government had ceased and became annui
This is the language of President John
himself, that all civil government In tt
can states had been destroyed and that new
government was to be set up. Now. in "
WI" department OF the government did the po