The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-10-17

| rightly, opposed from the beginning. I
never learned 10 stultify myself and | 10
not propose 10 begin at this period OF my
| life. Others can exercise their own iudg-
ment, and their own rights propose TO
exercise mine.
have said to you, fellow citizens, that
could not speak the language or sentiments
nor maintain the doctrines OF tie Demo-
cratic party, Without supporting The Con-
stitItlon and advocating the Union, and
hence ] Am the firm, earnest and de-
| termlucd supporter STILL az from the time IL
was finally declared about one wear ago,
of the policy of the President 90 no
| further back. do not now assume to dis
! CuSs the question whether in the beginning
! that policy was properly proclaimed.
have an earnest and decided opinion upon
| it. As elsewhere | have said and be-
| lievc, it would have been far wiser aud
| better every way. for the whole country.
and infinitely better especially for thc
| peace of the country now and hereafter
/ had the President approved of the terms
/ agreed upon between Gems. Sherman and
| Johnston. In North Carolina, in April, 1868
But the explanation is satisfactory, at least
| To myself The President had but for n few
| days been in the office OF Chief Magistrate
lie was surrounded by men of whom hc
was almost oven personally. ignomnt-men
who. had lle dared place himself in their
| pathway. rs since, thank God, he has h;pl
! the Couruge.tO do, might have disposed oi
him rs sIunmarily as tEey did of the body
of Booth. For this reason, | think we
ought not to quarrel With him for this mis-
| take-and n mistake think il to have
been, for had those terms been accepted
they would have accomplished what Cen
cral Sherman declared in his order to the
army accompanying the announcement
/ made peace in four and twenty hours, with
! Union from the Potomac to the Rio Grandc,
They were terms OF Immediate restoration
of the Union. They required only what
the Crittenden resolutions dcmandcd-the
surrender Of the Southern armies, the lay
Ing down of their arms, submission To the
| Constitution, and obedience to thelaws and
| the Federal authority. aud with that the
! return, also, to the exercise Of nll rights
under the Constitution. And this was
sialcsmanship-hig noble craftsmanship /:
and more than thar, the highest aud noble
est patriotism.
| Again--for am here to speak plainly
do not believe that the President had Il
right to annex conditions of any sort to the
admission To the exercise of their rights by
! eleven States which, according to his thpO-
| ny, according to what Is admitted hy Dem
Oerats every where, and what never was
inconsistent with the declared doctrines of
the Democratic party In national conyen-
tiou, whatever mAy have been the private
opinions of individuals, what is now re-
cognizcd. even by the South, in every State
| Constitution, declaring their ordinances of
secession null and void, were never out of
! the Union. lie had no better right, as
Commandcr-in- -chiefor us President, in my
humble judgment, TO require of them con
ditions precedent than Thaddeus Stevenson
Charles Sumner, or benjamin Wade. But
it Is needless to discuss that question The
South accepted these conditions. and ia
cnrporntod them into their State Constitu-
! tions; and now, after one year has passed,
the President has proclaimed that, whereas
they have submitted TO the Constitution and
obeycd the laws and subjected themselves
to all the burdens of government, they are
entitled to admission to the exercise of their
right of representation in the Senate and
House of Representatives, and in tile Elcc-
toral College.
1t is said by some who conccdc
that these States are in the I'M
ion as, they always were in the
Union, their ordinances OF secession being
null and vod-that they are entitled, there
fore, TO representation, but that il can be-
only in the persons Of "loyal' men. agree
To that, except that | quarrel with the
word. | never see it but with scorn and
contempt. We never heard it until 1861
1t is not an American word not II republi-
can word, not a democratic word. Ii does
not belong TO a free country. IL Is peclI-
''''' ~ ''''''''''''' ''iN lubtldlNlll'c
To denote personal attachment oI
fidelity To an individual or q
crowned head. II has no business here
II never would have been introduced, eX-
cept by men who were attemping-as men
are still attempting-to establish a strong
or mOnarchic government In this country
The true Old-tashioned word was ''patriut-
&C." That is the word you were accustomed
TO hear from the beginning of your lives
on the 22d of February, on the Fourth OF
July, and wherever and whcnevcrany man
addressed you appealing to your love OF
country. Now, however men use the word
> "loyal," and tell us that in the Senate and
, House of Representatives, rs in the clcctor-
nj college, none but loyal men should he
f admitted to seats. Now, propose to tab,
. the definition of loyalty as given by the
President, not by any Of those smaller
lights who undertake To interpret the sig-
J Indication of the word and comment upon
J the text laid down by the President. ]
choose to go to the fountain-head, not "a
the muddy stream lower down. Let us see
In remarks at an interview with commit
tee of the Legislature OF Virginia, on the
10th of February, 1856. Mr.. John B. Bald
win, Speaker of the House of Delegates
from Richmond being chairman of the del
cga,iOn, Andrew johnson, referring Ia
! this very question, said son the cardinal
, principle of representation, TO which YOU
lhltl - WIZ littNN ~ rlllElf ltiiIllhs 4 llNl
principle is inherent. II constitutes one ui
! the fundamental elements of this Govern
ment. The representatives of the State,
and of the people should have the Q,mlllca-
! tions prescribed by the Constitution of The
United Statcs.p
There alone | find the authority to de-
clare qualifications, and find, moreover
an oath prescribed; and for Que, deny the
! right of Congress, or any other authority
of the Federal Government, to supcrald
one syllable, or letter, to the oath which
our fathers set down in that instrument
and the Supreme Court-and state il on
the authority of General Frank Blair, as
well as other authorities which need not
b and will not namc-has already decided
, that only the oath prescribed by the Con
situation Is the oath which Congress can
exact. The President continues, IN word,
4 which are strongly emphasized: "HAcS,
II qualifications most daqaesti0Rdbb inlpiD
= iOydiiy.n Now, again protesting against
I the use of that word as n substitute for
Patriotism or attachment to the Constitu-
/, tion, as Jefferson called Il, say unques-
= tiOnably the President Is right, No man
@ can be attached To the Constitution and not
\ have the "loyar' qualifications 10 entitlC
5 him 90 a seat as a Senator or Representa-
- tive. During the war, men who were IL
- rebellion, rs II Is ealled--men In armed
y hostility to the Federal authority, who re-