The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-05-18
Issues of the Day.
A GOOD REPUBLICAN SPEECH.
PRESIDENT JOHNSON DEFENDED BY
A BRAVE SOLDIER WHO
VOTED FOR HIM.
Speech Of Gen. F. p, Blair, at Macon
City, Mo.
(Concludsd.)

kSOuCluU6u.J
Gentlemen, President johnson made the
observation, and some malicious persons
have said that it applied "Louder.O l
was speaking of the observation made by
President johnson in his 22d of February
speech, which is quite familiar to all of you,
which has been, maliciously on the part of
some, attempted to be applied simply and
solely to one person. He spoke OF dead
duck, !" and persons have applied that remark
to Forney alone, but they say the president
intended that that remark should apply like
wise to Drake (laughter1 and the mistake, or
apparent mistake-tor it is more apparent
than real-ths apparent mistake which he
made in the sex of the fowl is accounted for
by the fact that Drake never did anything
like q man in his life, and, therefore, he
might still be spoken of in the feminine gen
der-as a duck. Laughter. l say that
the president meant to apply that remark to
Drake, and not alone to Fornsy. There are
other dead ducks than Forney-many of
them-of whom the principal in this state is
the gentle-the fowl to which | have alluded.
We all know that this man is the author Of
the constitution of the state of Missouri
that ID sprang from his fertile braln-tertlle
for mischief alone-for he is, like many in
sane persons, incapable of doing anything
although he has large sbility-for the good
of his kind. He has an inhrmity, and 1t
is chronic malignitv-.just such as possessed
the devil and made him aban don heaven and
90 to hell laughter because 1t was the on
ly place which suited his baleful bad pas
sions. And so it is with Drake. 1t he should
enter paradise be would convert it into the
Internal regions if it were possible for him 20
do so by any reach IF intellect which he has.
G. L. 49, 81 kh al
which he belonged, and creeping like snake
into our paradise of Unionism, he persuaded
Eve to eat of the apple. and brought sin and
death upon Us. This man, with the most re-
markable faculty for the conception and
achievement Of evil purposes, has manufact-
ured q constitution for the state of Missouri
which destroys every landmark Of liberty
possessed by the people. You ara none of
you fit to be called freemen as long as you
live under this constitution Tor you have no
rights which Drake for a moment cares t. re-
spect, and which cannot be taken away from
you by the will of one man. Every one of
the great charters which have been regarded
by our people from time immemorial, by our
own English ancestors. and by those VINO
have lived before u5-every one of the great
monuments of liberty, which, according to
our great charter, secures to Us life, liberty
and the pursuit OF happiness, have besn rett
from US In moment by this demon in the
shape of a man, this foul bird of evil omen,
I treat him as the chief Iustigator OF this
mischief, because he undoubtedly is so. The
work which such men as Gratz Brown, John
Henderson, Fletcher and Anderson. and all
those other followers have done, has been
simply to obey what he com ma n led them to
do-although they disapproved it at the time
and believed it was improper TO be done, and
said SO in written letters; yet they had to
take it down at his diction-such was his
power over them-for they were
running for the offices, and be
would not let them have them unless they
would do his bidding.
Well, it was impossible to carry this con-
stitution even with the prestige and forcs of
these men that had been whipped into it's
support by Drake, by any fair election, and
so it was declared to be passed by this infa-
nous governor of the state and his still more
Infamous secretary-when the votes, ma
jority of them, were against it. In the midst
of a civil war, the bad passions of party are
already instilled into an instrument which is
called a constitution, and then the most frau
dulent practices that ever were perpetrated
by people on the continent of America are
invoked to give q semblancs of law and make
it binding upon this people. That particular
device, my friends, by which this constitution
achieves most Of its evil is in certain oath
called an ''oath of loyalty, (which under spe-
cifcations, eighty odd in numb Der, reach over
and search into the life of every individual
who is brought up to take this oath and If
he has ever, In any weak hour of his lite, felt
sympathy tor an erring brother, Or the son of
his own loins, who may have gone out and
taken up arms against tue government of the
United States, he 49, unless he perfumes him.
SELF DISTINGUISHED. If he has ever done an
act, even some acts SO slight in their charact-
or that they would hardly reach to the digni-
ty of courtesy to q passing foe-if he has
been guilty of any such act as that, he Is like
WISE disabled to pursue any occupation by
which he may procure the comforts of live
ihood for his children, the wife of his bosom,
He is debarred from the exercise af the great
functions which were given to man by his
Maker. Why, my friends. Paul the Apostle
prosecuted the saints, and yet he was the
greatest of the apostles, and although be
smote himself upon his bosom,
saying, 81 am the greatest of sinners, "yet he
saved more sinners than all the other apostles
combined. But If men in this day and gen.
GRAFTON have committed the least of faults
that mission which his Almighty Father has
given him to preach his word. which will
save souls in the world to oome-is str;nnaj
from him by this constitution. and his bodv
"a Incareerated in dungeon with felops a.
the Savior was sacrificed.
Yet these people contend that this is a re.
m h,;can constitution. What If the state of
ppI.hama to-morrow should pass an act say
~ that shs was admitted into the Union and
had her place in congress BY an undlsputed
-;rht. should pass an act that any msn VINO
"a aver borne arms against the Confederate
States sa should never be allowed TO vote wouio
that be constitutlonal? It would e1oiuoe az. 9s
s sr1 man who ever had sympathy, IN ana
h:me. for the old government OF .ns on .ni
which had shielded him ana ms ' "nau,;., :,
rhich had brought back to him seculi' .