The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1866-01-06

tain doubt. He found the Rebel States
last spring broken, shiyercd, conquered, and
subiugated.
No people since the morning Of Creation
ever fought a drawer tattlc than the Rebels,
and no men we're ever 50 defeated, 20 sub
iucated, so conquered in the field. Their
favorite idea annihiated forever, many of
them ruined in fortune. no body of men
have ever been SC conquered and so punish
ed. Sir, have it not in my heart to seek
their lives or their blood, but believe it to
be the sentiment of the country that we de-
mand guarantees for the future, but that
while we demand these guarantees we shall
say nothing and do nothing to humiliate or
degrade any body Of men in this country
| believe 1t to be in Cur power to secure all
that the patriotic and liberty-loving men Of
the country require. | believe the President
of the United States has latored according
to his sense of public duty to prepare the
Rebel States for admission into the Union
and to secure the liberties of the people Of
the country.
In some things would have done differ.
emily to what he has done; but he has done
nothing inconsistent With the Congress of the
United States moving right straight forward
and onward. In pressing tie necessary le-
gislation to complete the great work begun
he has made no issue with Congress, and
Congress has made no issue with him. He
does not undertake to dictate to us; but he
has pursued his own line of policy. and we
ought to pursue ours. If VIC believe we
should go further than he has gone,
why let us pass the needed legislation
and if then the President takes issue with
met; but do not think any issue will be
made. ! have an undoubting faith SO
that if we enact the needed legislation to
secure Tie liberties of all men in this coun-
try, and bring these States into Congress in
a proper manner, it will receive the sanction
and approval of the Executive of the coun,
| try.
know that il has been and is the policy
of ttt Democratic party to represent that Il
great aud inevitable conflict is to come be-
tween the President and Congress- 1t was
so represented before the country last au
tumn We met it in New Jersey, in Penn
sylvana, and in the great State of New
| York, and to-day, sir, Of twenty-five loyal
States that have stood l5S The country, TWEEN
ty-three of them are in harmony with us
upon the floor, stronger to day in our scnti
mcnts and opinions than any other day the
sun ever shcne upon, and will be stronger
| tomorrow. There are some men, it seems
to me, who profess to be more devoted to
! the President than the mass of the men who
| elected him.
think it to be our duty to give the Presi
dent manly, generous SUPPORT, to look on
with confidence, but to be as inneXible as
destiny itself with the cause of impartial
and universal liberty in the country. A
cause for which three hundred and twenty.
five thousand Union soldiers sleep in thcir
bloody graves to-day. cause for which
more than four hundred thousand Scared
and manned heroes tread the soil of the
country. They have done their duty. their
whole duy they have tramplcd this Rebel
lion down under the iron heel Of war; and t
is committed, not to the President alone
not to Congress alone. but to the Admins
tratlon, put into power by the American
people, to restore this Union. and so to re
store it that there shall be no oppression, and
no rules or regulations that shall Cypress a
single man we have made free. They are
our wards, to use the language of the Pres-
dent Of the United States Abraham Lin
coin pledged himself to his country and to
his God for their emancipation, and to main.
tain their liberties and that pledge, believe,
every department Of the Government exc
cutye, legislative and judicial will maintain.
Measured by what existed last April, we
have made progress. In some sections
great deal, in others less, and in some, per-
haps. We have gone backwards but there
has been general progress During the last
nine months, measured by what existed
when the President of the United States en-
tered upon his duties, and what now exists
in the country, taking the whole Rebel por-
ton into account, we have made progress.
but we have not made 50 much as ! wish we
had made, and as | think we could have
made but if we made less progress than
we desired to make, we must make manifest
in the future that progress has been made
only by fidelity to- the great cause which we
have stood by during the last four years of
bloody war.
We have had conflict of twenty-five
years of ideas and Of thoughts, words and
thoughts stronger than cannon balls, and we
have had four years of bloody war. Sla-
very and everything that belongs to or per,
tains to it lies rtcstrate before us day, and
the foot of regenerated nation is npon it.
Sir, hope no words are to be uttered and
no steps to be taken of reactionary charac-
ter hope nothing that goes by the name
of the worst word in the English language,
Conservatism, is to be allowed here.
If there is word in the English language
that means twenty years of servility it is
that word conservatism. 1t ought not to be
on the lips of an American citizen. / hope,
too, sir, that we are not to make apologies
here. The way to settle the question is to
say to She Rebels, ave don. want to de-