The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-02-21
virginia aad 'ss President,

/ opinons j, eagerly read hy tn, people, we
! give below a liberal extract from his reply TO
an address delivered by members Of the Vir-
ginia Legislature. THIS reply Of the Prcsi.
I dent pinchcs the corn. and bunions of The
Radicals more severely than the Montana or
the Negro one. Let it pinch, We say.
| The delegates conclude as follows: E.
The general assembly have but given voice
| to the real feelings of our people when they
tender TO you the warnest thanks si Virginia
for the firm stand you have taken against the
faction which proposes to change the iunda.
mental law. We would not, however, claim
this as the only enc. The chief merit Of the
course you are taking is, that it afford, to us
| protection IN time OF trouble. III il in exno
sitlon OF the general constitution that YOU com
manu- 'ne commence and support OF the people
OF the United States, aud it will be remem
| bered hereafter as your highest claim to the
/ character OF republican statesman that un.
der all The trying circumstances by which YOU
are surrounded, you have only proclaimed the
constitution OF the United States to be the
supreme law OF the land, and have defended
1t alike from violation and Innovation.
The President replied:
l have no doubt tina: your intention !, to
carry out and comply with every single prin.
eip!e laid down in the resolutions you have
submitted. know that some Of yeu are dis
trustiui, but am Of those who have conf
dehce IN the judgment, in the integrity. in
the intelligence, and ia the virtue OF the great
mass OF the American people. And, HAVING
such confidence, am willing to trust them;
aud thank God that We have not reached
that point where we have lost all conf ,enes
III each other. The spirit of the government
can only be preserved; we can only become
great and prosperous as peo,r:,cc w mutual
totbeara1cc and confi1l Upon that faith
an" co'::.",-encs alone can the government be
successfully carried on.
On the CARDINAL principle OF representation
to Which you refer, viii make single re-
mark That principle is inherent. 1t consti.
tutes one of the fundamental elements Of this
, government. The representatives of the
| states ind Of the people should have the quail.
hcatiens prescribed in the constitution OF the
United States, and these qualifications un
doabtedly imply Loyalty. He who comes rs a
representative. having the qualifc tons pre-.
scrbed by the constitution TO fit him to take
seat in either of the deliberative bodies which
constitute the national legislature, must ne.
ceSsariy, according to the constitution. be
loyallman, willing TO abide by and believe in
the union and constitution Of the United States
He cannot lie Tor the cenStitution-he can
not be for the union-he cannot acknowledge
allegiance to all the law, unless he is loyal
When the people send such men in good faith
they are entitled to representation Through
them.
In going into the recent rebellion or insur.
fecuoh against the government Of the United
States, you erred, and in returning and re.
Stunning your relations with the federal govern
ment, am free 10 say that all the responsible
positions and places ought to ba confined. dis.
tioc;ly and clearly. to loyal men. II there
were only 5,U00 men in a state, or less mum.
Der. but sufficient to take charge of the p0iti
Cal machinery Of the state, those 5000 men.
or lesser number, are entitled to it, if all the
rest should be otherwise included. look
upon il as a fundamental principle that The
exercise of political power should be confined
to loyal men, and l regard it as implied in
the doctrines laid down in these resolutions,
and in the eloquent address by which they are
accompanied. may say, furthermore, that
having passed through the great strur gle, in
which ne have been engaged, We shonli be
placed upon much more acceptable grounds if
in resumlng rclaliens to the general govern.
ment Enthusiastically and unquestiOAlbiy loyal
men were presented to fill the places Of power.
This being done, feel tie day is not far dis.
tant-and | speak confidently in reference to
the great mass of American pcople-when
they will determine that this union shall be
made whole, and the great right OF representa-.
ton in the councils OF the nation be acknowl-
edged. Gentlemen, that is the Fundamental
principle. No taxation without repres enr alton
was one OF the principles which carried us
through the revolution This great principle
holds good yet; and, if we hut perform our du.
ty-ii We comply with the spirit of the reso.
luton presehte! me to,day-the American
people Will mainta.a and sustain the great doc
trlnes upon which that was instituted. 1t can
be Gone and Viii be done, and | think that if
the effort be fairly and fully made, with for.
oearance, With prudence, and with discretion
ana wisdom, the end is not very far distant
Ii seem, to me at present, that, with cor sid.
eratien, the best policy that could he adopted
at present would be "A resto ration oi the states
and Of the government upon correct princi-
pies. We have some foreign difficulties: but
| the moment it can be announced that the un
ION oil The states IL again complete-that We
nave resumed our career OF prosperity and
gIeatness-at this very instant almost all our
foreign difficulties will be settled, for there ia
no power on earth which will care to have
controversy ora rupture with the government
OF the United States unoer such circuastan-
ces.
If these states be fully restored, the area for
the circulation of the rational currency, which
was thought by some to be inflated to a very
great e1 ent, Will be enlarged; the number Of
persons through whose hands it 10 to pass will
be Increases; the quantity of commerce in
which it Is to be employed as a medium of ex-
cnahSe VIII Le enlarged; and then it will be
GIN 10 appreciate what We all desire, \ specie
STANDARD. Ii all the states were restored, ii
peace and order re gned throughout the land
Ind the Industrial pursuits and avOcatons of
peace were again resnmed, the day would not
be far distant when we could put into the com
| meice 0i the world two hundred and fifty
| millions of dollars, or three hundred million
dollars worth OF cotton and tobacco, and vari-
Gus products of the southern states, which
| would constitute, in part, basis OF this coun
| try. Thus, instead Of coin being invested, we
should reverse the position and put the base
| at the bottom, as it ought to be.
| Gentlemen, l shall continue to pursue the
same line of policy which | have pursued
| from the commencement of the rebellion to
| the present time. My efforts have been to
preserve the union of the states. never, for
a single moment, endorsed the theory that
state could Withdraw from the union OF it's own
| will That atteapt was made and failed. /
shall continue 10 pursue the same line OF poll
| cy that has been my constant guide, and can
not take the position tina, q state which at.
tempted to secede is out of the union, when
| contend all the time that it could not 60
out, ard that it never has been out. l cannot
be forced into tl.st positions; hence when the
states and their people comply with the re-
quirements OF the government, l shall be in
favor. OF their resuhing their former relations.
do not intend to say anything personal, but
at the beginning Of the recent gigantic strug-
gle between the different sections north ami
| south, there were extreme men north and ex-
treme men south This great iault was kept
upon the anvil, hammered during the rcbell-
ion, and it has been hammered since the re-
/ bellion, and there seems to be disposition to
continue hammering until the government is
destroyed. have opposed tina. system al
ways. | oppose it now. The government, in
assertion of its powers, and IA maintenance
OF the principles of the constitution, has