The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-28

to break up the Government. It was
to put down the rebellion. The rebel.
lion has been put down and for what
Was 1t to destroy the States? VeriIv
never! For what have all these lives
been sacrificed, all this treasure expen-
ded? Was it for the purpose of des-
troying the States? No! it was for the
purpose of preserving the Union OF
the States. That is what we have been
contending for, and to establish the
fact that the nation can lift its own
head over and beyond internal wars,
and treason and traitors, at home.
When the rebellion in Massachusetts
was put down, did that put Massachu-
setts out of the Union and DESTROY the
State? When the rebellion in Pennsyl-
vania was put down, did that DESTROY
the State, and put it out of the Union?
30, when the great rebellion was put
down, and the Constitution and the
laws of the country restored-the Con-
stltution acknowledged and the laws
restored in the States engaged in the
rebellion-they stood in the Union, a
portion of the glorious, bright galaxy
OF States, under the Constitution In
passing through this ordeal, which has
been done under the direction of nv
lamented predecessor, we commenced
the work of reform. We succeeded
before came here, in restoring there
latlons which had existed between the
States in rebellion and the rest of the
Union, with one exception-the rela-
ton of representation. came to Wash
lngton, and under extraordinary cir
cumstances, succeeded to the Presiden-
tial chair. The Congress of the Uni
ted States had adjourned, without
prescribing any plan of restoration. I
then proceeded as [ had done in nv
own State in reconstructing the Gov
ernment, to restore the other Sta,e i,
and how did we begin. We found that
the people had no courts, and we said
to the judges, district attorneys and
marshals, to go down and hold your
courts, the people need the tribunals of
justice to be opened. Was there any
thing wrong in that? The courts were
opened. What else. We looked about
and saw that the people down there
had no mails They had been inter
rupted and cut off by the operations
OF the rebellion. We said to the Post
master-Genoral, let the people have
fair facilities. for mails, and let them
again begin to understand what we
felt, and again that we are one people,
We looked out again and saw that
there was blockade-that the custom
houses were all closed. We said open
the doors of the custom-houses, and
remove the blockade-let the pursuits
of peace go on, and it was done. We
thus travelled on, step by step, opening
the custom-houses, appointing collec-
tors, establishing mail facilities, and
restoring all the railroads that had
been interrupted by the rebellion. Was
there anything undertaken to be done
here that was not authorized by the
Constitution, that was not justified by
the great necessity of the case, and has
not been clearly consistent with the
constitution and with the generous
spirit of our government? cheers.
What remained to be done? One 9TH
er thing remained to show the civilized
world that we had passed successfully
through the tried ordeal of our nation
al existence, and proved that our gov
ernment was popular. A great princi-
pie was to be restored, which was estab-
llshed in our revolution. When our
fathers were contending against the
power of Great Britain, what was one
of the principle causes of their COM
plaint? It was that they were denied
they complained of tax
alton without representation. cheers
One of the great principles laid down
by our fathers, and which fired their
hearts, was that they should be taxed
representation. How then does
the matter stand? Who has been usur-
ping power? Who has been defeating
the operations of the constitution? What |
now remains to be done to complete
5he restoration of these States to their
former relation under the Federal Gov
srnment, and finish the great ordeal
through which we have been passing?
It is to admit representatives. cheers
When we say admit representatives,
what do we mean? We simply mean
representation in the constitutional
md law-abiding sense, which was uni
ed at the beginning of our Government.