The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-02-14
McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, FEB II, 1866

And is man not to be supposed to be ortho.
dox, not to be supposed to be patriotic, unless
he believes in all the vagaries and all the
whims and the ethnology Of the honorable sen.
ator from Massachusetts,. who has travelled
l suppose. over 100, 600 miles, and has made
some 1900 or 500 abolition speeches7 l can.
not tel how much a man would know after
having made some 1900 or 1900 speeches on
one side, at the end OF house, where there
was no one to reply to him; think he would
become 80 confirmed in his crotchets and so
full OF his absurdities by that time, that il
would be impossible to teach him anything af.
forwards.
Who arrogatcd to themselves superior
knowledge of the negroes? We did not; but
l have aud do arrogate for the men of the
south who live among them, who live with
them, knowledge of the negroes and the ne
gro character superior to that Of man who
lives in New England state, and sees a ne.
gro once in three weeks or a month. should
think it most extraordinary if such were not
the case.
Mr.. President, cone back again now to
the question before the senate. 1t is simply
this. whether, in the first place, we have au.
thoriy to create this bureau wi tn this iurisdic-
ton at all; and the question that arises upon
the amendment which have moved, is wheth
or we have right to extend it into the loyal
states. It may be said, know, that it is to
be extended there simply for the relief Of the
freedmen; say that the freedmen of Pennsyl.
vania ask no relief from the freedmen's bu.
reau. Pennsylvania relieves her own destitute
and her own poor. She is not pensioner on
thu United States government for any favoTs
OF that kind. say, too, that il it is to ex-
tend beyond relief, and to administer municip.
al law there for the benefit of the freedmen,
Pennsylvania administers her own municipal
law, enforces her own police regulations be.
tween those who inhabit her borders, and SIZE
does not desire any such contrivance as this,
but would rather repudiasc it and spew it out
OF her mouth.
Mr.. President. am we'll aware, and have
long been aware, that it is Of no use here with
certain senators, to appeal to the constitution.
know that it Is Of no use to appeal to the
past construction which has been put upon that
instrument. know there are senators who
think certain things ought to be done, and no
matter what barrier stands in the way, they
think they are doing God service when they
overlap it. When war was raging over this
republic, when it required all the energies of
the loyal portion OF thou to sustain that
war, ana to support the soldiers in the field,
have often kept silent, and have not, as often
as l otherwise would have done, raised my
voice against these violations of the constitu.
ton. Now propose to give notice, as we'll us
the honorable senator from Massachusetts,
and it is, that from henceforth will resist as
long as can, in my humble way, every meas
ure, no matter what it may be, that believe
to be violation Of the fundamental law of
this nation, and which to me is sacred as the
will OF the American people. Sir, what is
thae constitution but the exponent. the embod
inent of the will of the American people?-
Think Of it, sir; packed into this small volume
[cxhibitng Il copy OF the constitution is the
will OF 80, dOO, 900 OF people; not the will of
party, not the will Of a faction, but the will Of
all parties, the viii of the American people
Who dare violate a provision Of it2 Who
dare thrust in his will instead Of that Wilt
Who so arrogant as to assume that they will
substitute their will for this great will, which is
To be our guide and our rule of action in this
body? Gentlemen talk Of the right, and of
God being with she right, and all that kind of
thing; and yet they forget this sacred truth,
warrant for what we do, here is our authority
in the premises and the man who goes step
beyond it, the man who violates it. is guilty be-
fore that God to whom that gentleman appeals
with so much facility of perjury.
The gentleman assumes that God is on their
side, and tha. God is with them So might
man assume that God was with him when he
acquie'ced in anything that took place in the
suppose the gentleman will hard.
ly deny that whatever does take place in the
universe takes place in accordance with the
will OF God as whole. He is omnipotent,
md it must be so. Whoever acquieses in the
lecrees OF destiny, can very well boast that
God is with him, Of course; but short-sighted,
Unite mortals rs we are, not knowing what
destiny is to be in the future, are not author
zed in making any such boasts.
Mr.. President, hope that the operations of !
his bill may be circumscribcd, if it is to be- j,
come law to the states lately in rebellion. as
those are the only states over whom we can
have il shadow ot a pretsnce for exercising this
right. which must be belligerent right. ii it is
any right at all. l can conceive how men
might suppose that owing TO the fact of the
previous balligerency, this bill would be de-
nanded by Il certain state of things there;
,an conceive how any one might be mised in
10 that error; but | cannot see how anybody
,an imagine that there is right existing in
his government. to extend the operation OF such
. bill over states which were never in rebellion,
md which never did occupy an attitude Of bel
igerensy toward the United States.