The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-02-26

have always done on former OCCASIONS Il
Great applause. have said that it has e.
neeu declared elsewhere that l was guilty of q
which would have cost King !:
hls head, and in another place l have been =
for whitewashlng. When and i
where did ever whitewash anything or any =
body have been an alderman of town; !
/ have been in both branches of she legisla- I
ture of nv state have been in both houses
of the national congress; / have been at the
head of the executive department. OF my I
state; have been vice president OF the I'M
tied States; and | am now in the position
which occupy before you and during all
this career, where is the man and what por-
ton of the people is there who can say that
Andrew johnson ever made q pledge which
he did not redeem. or that he ever made
promise which he violated? None, none.
Point 70 the man who can say that Andrew
johnson ever acted with infideiity to the
great mass of the people. (Grsat applause.l
Men may talk about beheading aud about
usurpation but when / am behesded l want
the American people to be the witness. do
not want it by innuendous indecent rema,k ks. |
in high places, to be suggested to men who |
have assassination brooding IN their bosoms, |
Others have exclaimed that the presidential |
| obstacle must be gotten out of the way
word-but iuciting to assassination? No
| doubt, / say, the intention was to incite 10
| assassination, so that the obstacle which the
the people had placed here could be got out
| of the way. Are the opponents OF this gov
| eminent not yet satisfied Are those who
| want to destroy our institutions and change
the character of the government not satisfied
| with the quantity of blood that has been
shed Are they not satisfied with one mar
| tho Of H..
coin appease their vengeance and their
wrath? Is their thirst still unslaked? Do
they still want mere blood? Have they not
honor and courage enough to seek to obtain
the end otherwise than through and by the
hand of an assassin? | am not afraid of an
assassin attacking me where one brave and
courageous man will attack another. L only
dread him when in disguise and where his
footstsp is noiselsss. If they waat elood, let
them have courage to strike like men. know
they are willing to wound, but afraid to
strike. If my blood is to be shed because
yindicate the Union and insist on the pre-
, servation of this government in its original
purity, let it be shed, but let altar TO the
t Union be first erected, and then, if necessary,
take me and lay me upon 1t, and the blood
that now warns and animates my existence
Q shall be poured out as the last hbation az q
tribute TO the union of these states. lGreat
0 governments remember that when IL Is poured
out the blood OF the martyrs Is the seed OF
the church The Union will grow, and IL
II will continue to increase in strength and
t power, though 1t may be cemenIed and
d cieansed In blood. l have already spoken to
a YOU longer than | intended when / came out.
II [Go on l merely intended to make my &C.
n acknowledgements for the honor you have done
o me but before l close, allow me to say g
| L.. ~ 4
y ments 70 the constitution of the United
n States. Shortly after | reached Washington
l. for the purpose of being inaugurated vice
J. president OF the United States | had con-
is versation with Mr.. Lincoln In regard to the
l. condition of affairs. We talked particularly
l. in reference to matters il my own state. |
- told him that we had called convention,
1t that We had amended the constitution. that
20 We had abolished slavery In that state, which
r was not included IN his emancipation procia-
e. mation Ali these things iDet his approba-
a. tIon and he gave words of encourage
d ment We talked then about afairsgeBeral-
l. w. and upon the subjec. of amendments 20
A the constitution of the United States. He
said .W ben the amendment of the consti-
tuition now proposed is adopted by three
:. fourths OF the states, SIN pretty near done
il or indeed quite done in favor Of amending
4, the constitution, II there was one other adop
ident!" He said, al have labofed to pre-
serve this Union. / have tried during the
II four wears | have been subjected to csiumny
n and Misrepresentation by great and some de-
I sire has bean made 10 preserve these states
It intact under tine constitution they were
Y before | asked him again, "Mr. Presi
4 dent what Amendments is that which you
N vould propose? - "Whv," said he, il is that
ar there should be an amendment added to the
I / oh vor,ii al In
l. to send their senators and represen ta,ives to
I the con- ress of the United States" fGrea,
l. applause. The idea was on his mind that.
one part of the doctrine of the means to
"a break up this government was that the states
u If they proper could withdraw their
a senators and Representatives, or refuse to
d elect them ; he wanted even to remove that
ID difficulty by a constitutional amendment
d compelling the states TO send senators and
1t representatives to congress. But what dc
W we now fnd2 The constitution of the coun
il try even that portion of il which allows am.
lie endments TO the organic law expressly pro
e. yides that no state without its consent shall
20 be deprived of its equal suffrage in the sen
| ate, and il also provides that each state shall
1t have at least one representative in the house
ly Of representatives; but yet the position il
s. taken that certain states have not been rep
ut resented. We pose taxes upon them, we
TT send our tax-gathersrs into every region anC
portion of the states. Their people are e
il subjects Of government for the collection o
d, taxes but when they ask TO participate il
r. the legislation of the country they are met a
is the door and told: mo, you must pay taxes
? you must bear the burdens of government
ne bat you cannot participate in its Legislation
in that legislation which is to affect you througl
re all time to come" L. this Justice? Ia it fair
" No, no. | repeat, an for the Union.
!, am for preserving all the states. / am TO
I, | admitting nth the CON neils of tha NATHAN al