Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-03-20
What Thad. Said on Saturday Week.

MT Price, OF Iowa, having interrupted Mr..
Stevens by asking him if he was not the
man the President had denounced by name
Mr.. Stevens said-Mr. Speaker does the
learned gentleman from Iowa suppose, for u
single moment, that the speech which pre-
sumo he refers to as having been made in
front of the White House was an actual fact?
Laughter l desire now to put the gentle
man right. What l am going to say,
however, l do not wish to be reported 1t is
confidential communication, [laughter1 and
presume that nobody will violate the conf
dence which repOse in him. Sir, that speech
which was imposed upon the gentleman from
Iowa, and which has had considerable run,
and has made some impression on the public
mind, was one of the grahdest hoaxes that
has ever been perpctrated, and more success
ful than any except the moon hoax" which
| am told, deceived many astute astronomers
Laughter. | am now glad of an opportu-
nifty, although I do not wish it to go out
publicly, lest my motive might be misunder-
stood, Of exOnerating the President from ever
having made that speech. Laughter.l 1t
is part of the cunning contrivances of the
Coprerhead party, which has been prescribing
our President since the 4th of March last
Mr.. Stevens proceeded to quote newspaper
comments on President JohusOn's inaugural
address, and the alleged circumstances att
tending its delivery, and proceeded to remark
that, taking advantage Of an incident which,
it is thought by many, was brought about by
themselves, they have been ever since perse-
cutting MIN with such SANDERS as that; but,
sir, although they have asserted it from time
to time, they have never made the loyal re-
publican people Of this nation believe it, and
they never can. We never credit it but
look with indignation on the SANDER thus ut
tered against the President of our choice
Laughter. Being unable to fix such odium
upon our President by direct evidence, they
bring IN evidence, GLjunde with the skill of
practiced advocate in a case of de lundtico In
42iremdo,; where the outside evidence was
doubtful, they cautiously lead the subject of
the inquiry to speak the question of his
hallucination, and if they Can get him to
gabb!c and talk nonsense, then the Intrinsic
evidence in the case is made Oft. Laughter I
Now, if these slanderers cot,Id make the peo~
pie believe that the President ever uttered
that speech, then they have made out their
case. [Continued laughtar.l But we know
that he never did utter it. 1t is not posi-
BILE; and am glad of this opportunity to re-
lieve him from that odium but they had
wrought it up in such cunning way.
Virginia had assembled the free represent
atives of fragments of about eleven townships
out Of one hundred and forty-two counties,
elected in spots between the contending ar
mics, on disputed ground-twelve men-who
met within the Federal lines, called itself
convention, formed u constitution, ordered
elections for the whole State, and Governor
PeirpOint received about thirty-three hun
dred votes for Governor (half Yankee SOL
diers. suspect,) and was proclaimed, in the
market-house of Alexandria, Governor Of i'm
perial Virginia, the mother of statesmen-
In reconstruction the President acknow-
ledged him as the Governor, and those twelve
as the representatives of million aud a
quarter Of People, and counts this Virginia
as cre Of the twcnty-seven States that adopt
ed the constitutional amendment: am fond
of genteel comedy, but this low farce is too
vulgar to be acted or the stage of nations
Are these free republics, such as the United
States are bound to guarantee to all the States
in the Union? Should these swindIes, these
impOstures, bred in the midst of martial law,
without authority from Congress, be acknow-
ledged here?