The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-01-30

better not be made at all. Hereafter, when
q question is before this body, and 10 to be
met, hope the question will be argued, and l
the question alone.
have raised simple question of constitutional /
law and the senator says that the constitution |
has been dinned IN his ears for five years. Yes,
Mr.. President, and you might din it in for 20, |
and doubt whether he would appreciate single
principle which 10 involved in it. IL the constitu
ton to be nothingf b the oath we have taken to
support it to be nothing 10 constitutional learn
ing to be sneered out Of this chamber Is con-
scientious desire on the part of senator to do his
duty a man should do it, and to carry out in
spirit and in truth that duty which has been in
trusted ts him by his constituents, here to be
made subject OF reproach on this floor And is
a man not TO be supposed to be orthodox, not to
be supposed to be patriotic, unless he believes in
all the vagares and all the whlms and the ethnolo-
gy of the honorable senator from Massachusetts,
who has travelled, suppose, over 100 GOO miles,
and has made some 200 or 800 abolition
speechesf cannot tell how much a man would
know after he had made !, 200 or 800 speeches
on side, at one end of house, where there
one to reply to him; L think he'd become SO
confirmed in his erotchets and full OF his abb
surdities by that time that it would be utterly i'm
possible to teach him anything afterwards.
Who arrogated to themselves superior knowl-
edge of the negroes3 We did not; but have
and do again arrogate for the men of the south
who live among them, who live with them, a
knowledge of the negroes and the negro character
superior to that OF man who lives in New
England state, and sees a negro once, perhaps, in
three weeks a month. | should think il most
extraordinary il such were not the case.
Mr.. President, come back again now 10 the
question before the senate. 1t 10 simply this
whether in the first place. we have authority TO
create this bureau with this Jurisdiction at all );
and the question that arises upon the amen dment
" Inch have moved is whether we have right to
extend IT into the loyal states. 1t may be said l
know, that 1t Is to be extended there simply for
the relief OF the freedmen. | say that the freed
l Dan ytp.n
mems bureau. Pennsylvania relieves her own
destitute and her own poor. She is not pension
er upon the United States government for any ia
vOrs OF that kind. say, too, that if it is TO
| tend beyond re.let, and to administer municipal
law there for the benefit of the freedmen, Pennsyl
| vania administers her own municipal law, enforc-
es her own police regulations between those who
| Inhabit her borders, and she does desire any
such cor trivance this but would, rather re pu-
| date it and spew If out of her mouth.
| Mr.. President, am aware, and have long been
aware, that II is OF no use here with certain
tors to appeal to the constitution. know that it
| lie of no use to appeal 10 the past construction
| which has been put upon that Instrument.
| know that there are senators who think certain
| things ought to be done, and no matter what bar
rier stanos in the way they think they are doing
| Gods service when they overeap IL. When war
| was raging over one half oil the republic, when il
required all the energies of the loyal portion OF
| the Union to sustain that and TO SUPPORT the
soldiers IN the field, have often kept silent, and
| have not,as often as would otherwise have done
| raised my voice against these violations OF the
| constitution. Now | propose to give notice as
! well as the honorable senator from sachusett.
and it is that from henceorth will resist as long
| as can, in my humble way, every measure no
matter what II may be, that believe to be a yio-
| lauon OF the fundamental law of this nation and
which to me Is sacred the will of the American
people. Sir, what is tina: constitution bit the ex
| ponent, the embodiment oil the will OF the Ameri-
| can people Think of II, SIR; packed into tins
\ small volume Exhibiting copy of the constitu-
ton is the will OF 80 600 900 people; not the will
Of party, not the Will OF faction, bu, the will
Of all parties, the unanimous will of the American
| people. Who dare violate provision O. ~ Who
dare thrust tn has Will instead Of thar will Who
| 50 arrogant 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 bodyl Gen
\ tiemen talk Of the right, and of God being with
the right, and all that kind o. thing and vet thew
forget this sacred truth that here Is our letter of
attorney, here 10 our warrant tor what we do
here is our authority in the premises and the ma
VINO goes a step bey ond II, the man who violates
1t, is guilty before that God to whom the gentle-
man appeals with such facility, of perjury.
| The gentleman assumes that God is on their
side, and that God is with them. So might man
| assume that God was with him when he acquiesc-
| ed IN anything that took place in the universe /
suppose the gentleman will hardly deny that vi hat
ever does take place IN the universe takes place in
! accordance with the will OF God, as whole He
| Is omnlpotent, and 1t must be so. Whoever acaui-
esces in the DEGREES of destiny can very well
boast that GOD Is with him, OF but short
! sighted, Unite mortals are, not knowing
what destiny is 10 be in the future, are not auth
| orized IN making any such boasts
! Mr.. President, hope that the operations of
this bill may be circumscrbed, If il is to become
law TO the states lately IN rebellion, those ire
the only states over whom can have shadow
of pretence tor exercising this right which must
be belhgerent right, II it Is any right at all.
| can conceive how men nigh: suppose thar, owing
TO the tact OF the previous belligerency, this bill
/ Y nf Nh,
| there; L can conceive how any might be mis-
| led into that error, but cannot see how any one
can imagine that there Is right existing in this
government to extend the operations of such bill
| over states which were IN rebellion, and
which never did occupy attitude of bellgeren-
| cy toward the United States.
In Il certain parish in Yorkshire, not long
since, an old clergyman, who had got a
strong. lunged curate, observed that one of
his hearers was becoming rather Irregular 10
| his attendance at church.. OF course the
| divine felt IT his duty visit fha ma liIar