Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-17
Union and American.
sGREssIoS.L PROcEEDIyGs.


From the Report of House Proceedings. Jan. 81
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE AND RECON
sTRUCTIoN POLICY.
Mr.. VOORHEES,, (dem) of Ind, called up
the, resolutions heretofore submitted by him,
namely:
Resoiced, That the Message of the President Of
the United States, delivered at the opening OF the
present Congress, is regarded by this body as an
able, judicious and patriotic State paper.
Resoired, That the principles therein ,advoca-
ted for the restoration of the Union are the safest
and most practicable that can now be applied to
our disordered domestic affairs. ~. M
Resolved. That no State or number Of States
confederated together can. in any manner, sun
der their connection. with the Federal Union, ex-
of government and that the President, in enur-
cating this doctrine in his late message, has but
given his expression to thesentments Of all those
who deny the right or power of a State to secede-
Resofred That the President Is entitled to the
thanks of Congress and the country for the faith
full. wise and successful efforts to restore civil gov
eminent. law and order to the States whose ctr
gems We're lately in instruction against the Fed
eral authority; and we hereby pledge oursely es
to aid, assist and uphold him in the policy which
he has adopted to give harmony, peace and union
TO the country.
Mr.. VOORHEES, said that in introducing
these resolutions he did not intend to step in
between the majority and the ,feshpots he
had no eye to the public crib on which they
had fed and fattened so long, nor upon
unfathomable contracts, or anything that
was theirs. They of the minority had lived
without such assistance to their patriotism
and would not bend the knee that thrift
might follow awning. For his own, part in
the future as in the past, he would pursue
the course he thought was right, irrespective
of rewards or perils. What were the issues
declared by the President? Were they new,
strange and sinister, that they should be
viewed with indignation and alarm !? They
had been assailed by the veteran of the Re
publican party MIR. Stevens as if every
word were filled with contagion and death.
That gentlemenhad deliberately declared that
the Southern States were destroyed by the re-
bellion, and remain destroyed to the present
day, and now the House was asked TO ravel
to pieces all the President had done and
begin it anew. He himself should stand
by the Presidents position as o cure against
the blind empiricism which first pronounces
the patient dead and then gives the medicine
He was in ne sense the Presidents partisan.
He did not support him for election. He
dreaded the issue which would be made if he
obtained power. But since the day he took
the oath Of Office he beheid in him the mag
istrate, not the private citizen. He (Mr.
Voorhees, never maintained that the South
ern States had right to secede. Many of
the men of that section, while maintaining
the same view, held that they possessed the
right of revolution. To say that the South
ern States are dead is to assert that the war
to restore the Union is an utter failure, In
every aspect was the theory of the majority
frmight With death and disgrace to the Gov
eminent. With this he contrasted the course
of the President, who when the Temple of
Janus was closed, extended the hand Of
friendship to the people of the Southern
States tomeet the demands ofthe people He
did not, as others, view the conduct of the
President as an usurption of power. He
found the Southern States without law, and
in the performance Of his duty he used the
best means to restore them 10 power, He
hailed the appointment Of Sharkey, Perry,
Johnson and Parsons as Provisional Govern
ors, as bright promises of good admins
tration and as harbingers of peace to the
Southern people, and of prosperity to the
whole country. Such men as Butler had
been disappointed of their fat, juicy pickings,
and hehungry sharks in theSouthern waters
had been deprived of their prey. Combating
the doctrine that the Southern States are
out Of the Union, Mr.. VOORHEES, said that in
morethan hundred instances, in letters, in
proclamations and speeches, the late Execu-
tive always recognized as dc swe the South
ern States. If these States, then, are in the
Union, what power can close the doors
against themi How could. this House re-
fuse 10 receive their representatives. Peace
and submission to the law are the only guar
antees that can be demanded Of conquered
people. The eourse pursued by the South
ern States in adopting the constitutional
amendment abolishing slavery was wise and
in furtheraDee Of the question of guarantees.
The refusal TO adniit the Southern repre-
sentatives arose from a sense of power, and
NOT of right or justice. Had not Congress
made record il could not ignore? Had 1t
not officially assumed position it could not
overthroys During the war were not Lou