The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-04
Loontinned trom ne Elflh pnne.1

When adverse WINGS nave driven him from his
course, when the sky has been obscure in
storms, he seizes on the drst momenC of time
when the sun appears In heaven to ascertain the
longitude and lau ude-upon ihe vast ocean by
which he Is surrounded.
we may draw practical lesson from the
sXlliul mariner. 1t Is well for us to look and
ship of State is drifting, by whom she is
manned and directed, and to what port she is
bound.
ask this audience to rccollect that express
my own opinions. ask and expect no party
no man to be responsible for those opinions. 1
VIII endeavor, in my own way, 10 give you the
reasons upon which | form the opinions which
l express. First, l propose to state what |
think ought to have been done when this Re.
bellion collapsed. The most moderate aud con-
servalive suggestion that l can make is that
think lew examples ought to have been made
in the way of capital illustration (Terrihc
applause.)
If homicide is committed in your midst;
every good man, whether ne be Copperheau
or Union man, says let the law be executed
Now hold and Think was gong TO say was
threefourths johnson ma1-I am johnson
man, as he was tApplause.) / hold that treason
against such Government as ours IS the highest
crime OF which man could be guilty.
| do not hold that our Government under the
old regime was Just what 1t ought to have
been, or just what its fathers and founders in
tended it to be; but it is the best the sunlight
of heaven ever shone upon (Applause.) AId
we can conceive no crime so wicked as that
parrIcdal hand that was raised to break it
and in the loyal city OF Philadelphia, let me say
one of your own sons contributed much to that
result. Why, an old man whose heart had
never, so far as | know, been melted by the
genial smiles of woman tapOlause), could not
find in the Constitution any power to save the
government under which he lived.
Now it, when this Rebellion collapsed, we had
made very few examples-I would not have had
many would have had some-it would have
had most wonderful effect, in my Judgment,
upon all the rebellious States. There was
no prescription that modern democracy or
modern Copperhe 1ism, could have prescribed,
that would have been worth half as much. They
expected because they knew they deserved it.
There is another thing which in my judgment
ought to have been done at that time. They call
me radical, but am very conservative man.
Uaughtcr.) Lock at your statutes, and see
what the good old fathers did in Un1 revolU'
nonary war, They told the aebels-the Cop
perheads are not any better than Rebels-they
told the tories ofthe revolutionary war, or those
VINO were tones OF the revolutionary war, in
the words upon the statutes think of every
State in the Onion, that 1t was not healthy for
them TO refnain in them: that they might un-
uergo Choking sensation if they remained.
NApGtause) And what did they do? Like the
gentleman to whom it was intimated that he
would be kicked out if he didn't go, they with
drew, and went 10 the provinces OF Nova Scotia;
and there is the true secret why the provinces
are so hostile TO us to-day.
Conservative as | am. l tell you precisely what
/ would have done when Shis Rebellion closed,
and put 1t to every lady and gentleman here,
TO ans wer me in their good, sober judgment, if
it be not right. would have said to every man
who was member of the so called Confederate
COngress-to every man who claimed to repre-
sent that Government at foreign courts-to
every man who had been educated at the eX-
pense of our Government, and sworn allegiance
to ito every maior-general commanding in
the Rebel forces, If j include brigadiers would
have said to them, and every man who claimed
to be Governor of Rebel State, not as our
r,A1o Loo,
l would have said to them, you may stay here,
you may have the protection of life and pro-
perty-although the Civil Rights bill gave it
but you can never again participate, either as
voter or an othcc-nolder, in the Government
you sold; and ask you, my friends, If there is
not justice and merit in the proposition Gap
plause), but now were told they may stay as
friendly citizens. (Laughter)
Now we are told that the class of men who
engaged in the conspiracy, like a class
of men who are engaged in a larceny,
must not have their case adjudicated until they
constitute part of the, panel that is to try
them. do not believe that. Uaughter)
When the Rebellion collapsed, the only ques-
tion that these men in the rebeliious States
asked themselves was, ''Wlll our lives be
spared?" They have forfeited every right under
the Constitution and the Government, even to
their lives, and they were prepared to con-
cede any terms that these loyal States would
ask OF them.
When they conceded the abolition of slavery,
founded their Government. When they did
that there was no other thing they would not
have conceded. l am sure, in my judgment,
this at least should have been demanded.
Gases are easily selected. Upon few the
penalty of the law should have been imposed,
that we ourselves should know, and that we
should hand down to all future ages, that trea-
son is crime that ought to be punished
(Applause.) Will we not do 1t? What were the
logical sequences? Why at some other day and
hour in the history of the republic prominent
men could get up a new and another rebellion
the Bos IN Bge went down to the
those who instigated the Rebellion art
10 go unwhipped of justice. Was not tina
the logical sequence? God grant tina
we do not admit that, and wash my hands O
all such action. But tell you all, my friends
that the trials of the war came too near my owl
hearthstone to agree to that. No, 1t cannot be
In the name of the patriotic dead and the heroi
living, who are in four midst with honorabl
scars, upon them we cannot agree, and we oUgh
not to agree upon any other terms than shal
show to future ages that treason is a crime an
we will punish it.
Now this is what l think ought to have bee
done; and coming from the little State of Main
tvociterous applause)-o which my friend wa
disposed 20 kindly to speak-coming from there
might have opinions which would be some
what in advance OF this central portion of Ou
Union. ] might have made a very short speec
in parenthesis, almost with a single sentence
and interest you more, perhaps, when / sa
look at the responsibilities that rest upon tn
country. The right arm has spoken; now 70
must 60 and speak too. Coming from that Stat
where we make no distinction of race or colo
Cloud applause), | express my own oplnio
when say that universal suffrage ought to hav
been in this canvas.
And am led to that conclusion very much b
an illustration that Benjamin Franklin gave Ill
''that the property qualification of one hundre
dollars was necessary to entitle a freeman
votes" and he put the question forclbly and sis
-.sn L. Il = IL.