Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1866-01-10


on the 2lst Of December, 1865, in re-
ply to tie 'snegro" speech Of Senator
Summer
y Mr.. COWAN. Mr.. President,
am not disposed to allow the speech
of the honorable Senator from Massa-
chusetts Mr.. SUMNER to go to the
country without a very brief reply
N If that speech be true, and if it be
q correct picture of the South, then
n God help US; then this Republic, this
n Union is at en- end then the great war
which we waged for the Union was a
n folly; then all the blood and treasure
b which we have expended in that war
in order TO restore ourselves to COM
panlonship with the people Of the
u South have been equally follies. But,
n Mr.. President, is il trney Or is not
this series Of e.r parte statements
made mp by anonymous letter-writers,
people who are down there more like
n ly stealing cotton. people who are
down there in the enjoyment Of place
and power, people who are interested
that the disturbed condition of things
winch exists there now shall always
continue, because they make profit Of
il? Is there any man who has had
any experience in the trial of causes,
any man who knows anything about
the nature Of evidence, who does not
know that the honorable Senator
could have sent his emissaries into
any one county in the lately rebellious
States and gathered up from the ex-
pressions Of knaves and fools and dis
conteniod, single-idead people, FAR
more than he has given US in this
speech.
We are told here Of the exceptional
Instances of bad conduct on the part
OF the people of the South Why,
what n large volume it would take to
hold all that If man were to 90
about anywhere in the loyal States
and hunt up what he might suppose
TO be REASONABLE expressions, hereti-
cal expressions, how many could he
find And Yet we are treated to all
this here as if it was the whole Of the
evidence in the case Ono man ont
of ten thousand is brutal to q negro,
and that is parsded here as a type OF
the whole people Of the South, whereas
nothing is said Of tho other nine thou
sand nine hundred and ninoty-nine
men who treat the negro well One
man expresses great deal of dissat-
isfaction st the present state Of affairs,
and that is paraded here, while moth
ing is said Of the other ten thousand
men who are contented to accept it
and make the most Of il.
What, then, are we to do2 We are
10 suppose that the people of the
southern States lately ia rebellion have
common sense; and when their utter
ances are in accordance with what is
common sense and the dictate of their
own interest, we have a right to pre-
sumo it to be true But according 20
what We have just heard. everything
that has come from the people Of these
States and from their public bodies,
from the representatives of these peO-
pie, is to be taken as false and WHY ?
Because some cotton agent, some cor
respondent Of a radical newspaper in
the North, some office-holder who has
been making profit Of the state Of
things there, chooses to say it is all
false : The heresy Of State rights IS
not destroyed there, the honorable
|}Senator says: "Have we not heard
from almost all the public men Of the
south that that question was put TO
1he arbitrament of the sword, that
<hey submit. Have they not acqui-
esced in the abolition Of slavery-that
Thing of all others which was the last,
~ the opinion Of everybody, that they
would submit to- But still further
<uarantocs are wanted; we are not
told what they are What are they
hat Is wanted Everybody admits
. <11t The negro ought to have his nat
1s&[ rights secured to him. ] believe
4Il me moderate conservative men of
I1l1 (bamber are fully agreed that
e<~<J man should have his natural
rights secured-the right to life. lib
arm and the pursuits Of happiness !;
ne r0tection Of property, limbs, and
x1I 1tion that be should have the
rid 10 sue and be sued, and TO testify
81 Fts OF justice. The negro has
I'M bcrto been allowed in the south
11 ties 70 testify in courts Of jas
a. nd rhyy Because be WIS
~ knd ifl had been a citizen Of
- Ehern States when slavrey pre-
v1I mere, / would have resisted
~ To testify in courts. A wit
Dco1 y 3 voter ought 70 be free
na1 should not belong 70 anoth-