The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1866-08-02
NUMBER 81

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these people have laid down their arms al
though they had committed treason, and
forfeited their lives and all their rights.
civil and political, yet the moment they
laid down their arms all these rights again
came back to, them, and they were as fully
Restored and entitled to rights and privi-
leges as American citizens as any other
people in this land. 1t might be that this
doctrine would lead us into AN awkward
! they laid down their arms. had, all their
rights restored to them by the mere fact of
/ laying down their arms, then should like
to know what there is in rebellion or trea-
son that is criminal Suppose we conclude
here to-day that we will arm ourselves
against the State Government of Illinois,
and 90 to work and cOmmit treason against
it, and forfeit our lifes and property by the
act; suppose after doing this we look
around and find a great army has been
brought against us, and that we are boiihd
to be whipped; suppose, then, that wesay
that we are ready to lay down our guns
because we. stole them anyhow, and they
Fcost us nothing, [lahghter,I suppose we
say, after we have done this, that we want
to go back home. and are -pefmitted to do
so, and then commence running for office,
4 become candidates, and. take part, i'm poll
tics the same as before, what sort of a po-
Stion would that place US in a.
The loyal man fights for:his Government
The traitor fights against it. Ifithe traitor
wins he makes for himself an ihdepend-
ent nation, and forms a hew Government.
4 fhe loses, why, he loses nothing OH Gods
earth. 1t IS a singular game, is it not P
ITS heads win, tails you lose. Laugh
ter and cheers.l The traitor loses moth
ing-the loyal man everything, His gov
/ ernment is lost his protection to property
i and life is gone, bat the traitor loses noth-
ing. Upon the same principle, man may
rob you to-day of your money, may burn
your house. yet you are to protect him in
his crime whenever he throws down YOUR
purse and says. you may have it back.
lit is trlte,' he says, your house is burh-
ed, and of course cahnot restore that, but
| won't burn any more" and so You just
take him up and SAY, ':Hll right, old fellow
Just go back home" Laughter There
is the theory and a practical illustration Of
it,. If the traitor loses nothing and forfeits
nothing. then upon the saline principle you
may commit any crime, and whenever You
find you cannot continue any, longer in
the commission of the Offense. you cah stop
suddehly and say, Il beg pardon, quit :
and lf you are told sit Is all figlIt,'' thel
you are TURNED loose OH the community
again. This seems to inc to be the corfec
illustration of this whole matter.
If these people were entitled to repfesen
tation in Congress- or the rights, civil an(
political, which they enjoyed before The
rebellion,as soon as they laid down theil
arms, tell ME what act there has beef
on the part of the Government of the Uni
ted States that has restored them? Has i
been done by any law of Congress? No
3 By any act Of the people of the United
States? No. Well, what is it then tina
restores them? The mere fact that they
laid down their arms? Certainly not
Because every man does that when he i:
whipped. The Government must tax,
some action in promises and until thi
is done these men stand in the sam.
relation to the Government that they die
at the time they fired the first gun upoi
tile flag of the country as traitors to th
Government. Cheers.] If the right come
back to a man without any act on the par
of the Government, then he never forfeit
ed 1t.
would like to ask our friends, for W
will call them our friends because we cal
, every body our friends, unless we know
, they afe. our eiieimies, or you may call then
what YOU please,-I ineah the people VIII
opposed the war-the people who are 1oy
opposing the restoration of the Ufiioh up
ON PROPER bhsis--I would like to hav
, them tell me why it is that they are S
, anxious to have these people tapresehte
in Congress how, as soon as they lay dow
their arms when these people have declin
q eel for four years to be represented? Wha
+ is the cause of their anxiety? / canno
see. These people left Congress withou
: anybody requiring. them-to do so. The
declined to be represented for four years
= but the very moment they laid down thei
arms, they say, why, we are members Q
q Congress They want the foreign mis-
] sions to be distributed among the Southern
people, and the Southern people want thei
: rights. They talk about their rights.
: Laughtcr.l Wen, so might horse. THE
! at the very time he is being tried befor
the Judge. aid after the proof has bee
! given, and it has been shownthat he stol
! the horse, he might say, "Judge, ] wan
: my rights The Judge might say, M
+ dear friend, you will get them in yer
:, few minutes. l think the jury will sen
= you to the penitentiary for about twent
years." Laughter and cheers.l But the
: want their ri9hts-rights that they for
!, feited, that they are not entitled to; right
: that by their own acts of treason they de
: priyed themselves of They claim the PRO
Il lection ofthe Government, although the
: defied its authority by their acts, and los
: all the rights they had and now instead G
n marching up with a pardon in one pecke
: and certificate of election in the othel
It and demanding what they call their right
n what ought they to do? They oughtto b
5 on their knees and imploring this grea
: and glorious Government TO be magnani
= nous toward them. and to bestow the elem
ency upon them that our gallant, faithft
if honest Abraham Lincoln offered then {
: yer and over again, and they as often de
= clined! Loud cheers.l