Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-08-09
What is LoyalsyP


The following eloquent extract is from
the speech of Hon. Edgar Cowau, in the
United States Senate, July 6, 1866, on the
mis-. called reconstruction propositions which
have since passed Congress: ..
Suppose you pass this amendment to the
Constitution, and suppose the Southern
States, either for the purpose of getting
themselves into line with you, or for the
purpose of increasing their political power
under it, should admit the negro to the
franchise, will your children, and your
heoms and Government be the more secure
for that2 What is the difficulty under
which you labor to-day? Is it that you
have not voters enough7 Is it that the
food upon which the demagogue fattens has
grown scarce, and be has grown thin2 Or
is it the reverse? 1t is not because dema
gogism is rife everywhere, and is not dem
agogism rife just in proportion as you furu.
ish it the material upon which to work !?
Degrade your franchise, put it down into
the hands of men who have no intelligence,
no virtue, and, what is worst of all, no in.
dependsnee-put it into the hands of men
who have nothing to hope from it except in
so far as they can use it for corrupt purposes,
and shall we be safer then, I ask? Do you
suppose that the people of the States in
which there are negroes, will send you more
intelligent, more learned, more virtuous and
more Independent Senators and Representa-.
tives here if you make this change than
they would without? d Z,
Mr.. Wilson-They will send more loyal
men.
Mr. Cowan-"Loyal ?" I ask Massa.
chusetts what is "loyal2 2" What is the
meaning of the word ?" A fellow that votes
with you ! That is like the chap defining
"orthodox dox"--"orthodox is the way be.
lieve; heterodox is the way the other man
believes" "Loyal" means an abolitionist,
I suppose. At least, ! find that everybody
who does not happen to be an abolitionist,
or tarred with that stick, is said to be dis.
loyal. Loyalty, Mr.. President, is a very
simple word. Loyalty means obedience to
the laws. 1t means legality. Legalis means
law as we'll as lea means it. When man
alleges his loyalty to me, let me see his
reverence for the Constitution aud the laws.
Show me man who disregards either;
show me man who does not believe in the
Constitution which brought this country to
such pitch of prosperity for seventy.6 five
years, and made us SO happy people show
me man that lays sacrilegious hands upon
that instrument, especially when I know
that, half the time he does not understand
it, and that he never read commentary
upon it in his life; show me that man, and
I show you one who is not loyal. Show me
a man, who, for temporary advantage, eth:
er for himself or his party, would set a foot
upon one of the country's laws, and he is
not loyal. '~
It is time we were beginning to under
stand the meaning Of words in this country.
It is time, now that the war is over, when
reason ought to come back and resume her
throne, that we ourselves should be reason
able Let us look at this in the light of the
past let Us look at it calmly and coolly as
We survey it in by.gone thousands of years,
not as it looks to the eye, blood; shot with
passion, and red with rage that is hardly
dying out Let the lower stock indulge in
passion, if it is to be INDUCED in; but here,
in this, the highest forum of the nation
here, where, if anywhere, stbere should be
Justice and fairness, and the broad view over
the whole country, which take it all in, and
which considers all the people as the peo-
pie, virtuous, intelligent, independent e.
nough to govern the country let us here
be reasonable, and especially let US know
the meaning of our words.