The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-10-15
@PE1ICH OF.
Hon. g. L. vallandigham
At Isossville, Butler County, Ohio,
october 4, 1866 '1 1ld.y
tRcportcd for the Cincinnati COMMERCIAL b
u' l" "Mack."l
[CONTINuED.l

Reportcd for the Cincinnati commorapl by
700 "Mack.")
CONTINUED. .t,.
| have said to you, fellow citizens, that
could not speak the language or sentiments
nor maintain the doctrines of the Demo-
cratic party, without supporting the Com
| lstitutiOn and advocating the Union, and
thence ] am the firm, earnest and de-
/ ltermined supporter still, as IRON the time II
was finally declared about one year ago,
of the policy of the President. go no
further back. do not now assume TO dis
lcuss the question whether In the beginning
that policy was properly proclaimed 1
have an earnest and decided opinion lIpon
! u. AS elsewhere have said, and be-
| lieve, 1t would have been far wiser and
better every way, for the whole country,
and Infinitely better, especially for the
peace of the country now and hereafter
mad the President approved of the terms
| agreed upon between General Sherman and
Johnson, in North Carolina, in April, 1868
But the explanation is satisfactory, at least
TO myself The President had but for n few
| days been in the office of Chief Magistrate.
| lie was surrounded by men of whom he
was almost personally, ignorant---nien
| who, had he dared place himself IN their
! pathway. as since. thank God. he has had
| he courage to do, might have disposed OF
him as sulnmarily ms they did of the body
of Booth. For this reason, think we
ought not to quarrel with him for this mis-
take-and mistake | think il to have
been--for had those terms been accepted
they would have accomplished what Gem
elnl Sherman declared in his order to the
army accompanying the announcement
made peace IN four and twenty hours with
Union from the Potomac to the Rio Grande
They were terms of Immediate restoration
of the Union. They required only what
mi fnt. ,lngl fl...
surrender of the Southern armies, the lay
ing downof their arms, submission to the
CONSTITUTION, and obedience to the laws and
the Federal authority, and with that the
return, also, to the exercise of all rights
under the Constitution. And this was
Istatesmanship-high noble craftsmanship;
and more than that, the highest and noble
est patriotism.
Again-for am here TO speak plainly
| do not believe that the President had
right to annex conditions of any sort to the
admission to the exercise of their rights by
eleven states which, according to his theo-
ry, according to what is admitted by DEM
ocrats every where, and what never was
inconsistent with the declared doctrines of
the Democratic party in national conven-
ton whhtever may have been the private
opinious of Individuals, what is now re-
Icognized, even by the South, in every State
Constitution, declaring their ordinances of
secession hull aud void, were never out of
the Union. He had no better right, as
ConIriander-iI-chiefo as President, in my
humble Judgment, to require Of them con-
ditiolis precedent than Thaddcus Stevenson
Charles SUMNER or BENJAMIN Wade. But
ii is needless to discuss that question. The
South accepted these conditions, and in
cOrpOratcd them into their State Constitu-
tions; and now, after Que year has passed.
the President has proclaimed that whereas
tlnV lnVn gIilmitfnl IN tbn mt in,,n
obeyed the laws and subjected themselves
to all the burdens of government, they are
entitled to admission to the exercise OF their
right of representation In the Senate and
House of Representatives, and in the Elec-
toral College. 80
that these States are in the I'm
ion as they always were in the d
Union, their ordinances OF secession being
null and yoid-that they areentitfed, there
fore, TO representation, but that il can be
only in the persons of ''loyal' men. ngree
to that except that | quarrel with the
word. never see 1t but with seorn and
contempt. We never heard it until 1861.
lt is not an American word, not a republic
can word, not a democratic word. IL lors
not belong 10 free country. 1t Is pecu-
liar 10 monarchs and monarchies
to denote personal attachment or
fidelity 10 an individual or a.
crowned head. 1t has no business here. g
IL never would have been introduced, ex-
ecpt by men who were attemping--as men
are still attemptlng-tO establish strong
ormomrchic government in this country.
The true Old-ilshioned word was ''patriot-
ic." That is the wnrdyou were accustomed
to hear from the beginning of your lives
on the 22d Of February, on the Fourth of
july and wherever and whenever any man
addressed you appealing TO your love of
country. Now, however men use the word
"loyal, and tell us that In the Senate and
House of Representatives us in the cleetor-
nj college, none but loyal men should he
admitted to scats. Now, propose to take
the definition of loyalty as given by the
President, not by any of those smaller
lights who undertake to iDterpret the sig
niiication of the word and comment upon
the text laid down by the President.
choose togo to the fOuntain-head, not to
the muddy stream lower down. Let us see.
In remarks at an interview with n commit
tee of the Legislature of Virginia, on the
10th OF February, 1876. Mr.. John b. Bald
win, Speaker of the House of Delegates
from Richmond being chairman Of the del
egasion, Andrew johnson, referring 10
this very question, said "On the cardinal
principle of representation, TO which you
refer, will make a single remark. That
principle is inherent. Ii constitutes one of
the fundamental elements of this Govern
mtnI. Inc representatives OF the States
and of the people should have the qualillca-
tions prescribed by the Constitution of the
United States"
There | find the authority alone to de-
clare qualifications, aud find. moreover.
an oath prescribed; and for one, DENY the
right of Congress, or any other authority
OF the Federal Government, TO superadd
one syllable, or letter, to the oath which
our fathers set down in that instrument.
and the Supreme COurt-and state IL on
the authority of General Frank Blair. as
We'll as other authorities which need not
and will not name--has already decided
that only the oath prescribed by the Com
stitution Is the oath which Congress can
exact. The President continues, in words
which are strongly emphasized "7hese
qualifications must ulQaesti0Rably iiaplg
loyalty" sNow, again protesting against
the use of that word as a substitute for
patriotism or attachment 20 the COnstItu-
tlon, as Jefferson called Il, l say unaues-
tionably the Presideht Is right No man
can be attached 10 the Constitution and not
have the 'loyalN qualifications to entitie
him TO a seat as Senator or Representa-
tive, During the war, men who We're IN
rebellion, as 1t is called--men in armed
hostility 70 the Federal authority, who re-
iected the Constitution aud laws cOuId nor
hos IN asanN ftt O..