Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-02-24

Tia CQnofifutiOn, end ~ y1eIo 70 Tue eurssm
~ of lsc Nv" l0reat applau.s] Com l
Ing inI bat spisit. esAy 10 tliss. when you
have d Implied w1gh the requirements ~ I'VE
Const htiou, when yvu hsve y,eIIcd ~ 'ne
Nv. snu yod have 81 now lodged your ~ |
iesisncc TO The Constitution. l will, 30 far -
can. open the door of the Union 10 those |
Who had erred aud strayed from the fold 81
their fathers for time. Great applause
Who suffered more BY the rebellion than
I havey I skall not repeat the slOty Of the
wrongs and sufferings inflicted ugon me.
The spirit Of revenge 10 not the spirit IN
which 10 deal with . whole peoplc. Iknow
there has been great deal said about the
exercise Of the hardening power. So far as
vv,lr Executive II concerned, there Is no one
Who has labored with more earncetness than
my self to have the principal intelligent ana
conscious traitors brought 10 justice. si'e
Law vindicaied, and the great fact Jud'cioos-
" established that treason - crime. Tap,
pla,ise. But while conscious, leaning ana
intelligent traitors are 10 be punished. shouh'
who,. communities and States and peoples
Re made IN submit 10 tie penalty Of death
i. No. no."1 have perhaps n much aspe'-
nv and ns much resentment rs men ought 10
have. but we must reason IN great matters"
government about man a. lie Il. We mus'
conform our actions and our conduct TO the
example OF Him who founded our holy re-
',yion. Not tia, woull make such a com
narison on this occasion, in any personal re
spec, came into this place under the
Constitution of my country. and by the M
probation OF the people, and what did nndf
found eight millions Of people who we're III
fact, condemned under the law, and the
penalty Was cath. Was 10 yield to the
spirit III revenge and resentment. anu dc
clare that they should all bc annill'lateu anu
| DESTROYED. How different would this have
becn from the example set by the holy
| uusler of our religion. the extremes O'
| whose divine arch rests upon the horizon,
md whose span embraces the universe. III
who founded this great scheme came INTO The
| world and found man condemned under The
Law and his sentence WAS death; what WAS
! his example. Instead OF putting the wOrii
Or even "A nation To death, He died UPON the
cross. aitesting by His wounds and his blood
tia, He died that mankind mi,ht live
lGrca, applause Let those who have erred
| rcsnt let them acknowledge their allcgi
ancc let them become loyal. willing sup
| porteis and u, Tenders OF our glorious stripes
and stars, and of the Constitution OF our
country. Let the leaders, the conscious, in
tcliigcnt traitors. be punished, and be SUP
ec,ed to the penalties of the law. Ap
plause But 10 the great mass who have
| been forced into this rebellion, in many IN.
stances, and in Others have been mislcd,
| say cniency, kindness, trust and conf ience.
Great applause.
NV cointrymrn, when look back over
The history Of the rebellion, am not vain
when ask yJu il have not given as much
evidence of my devotion to the Union a.
| come who croak q great deal about IL J!
| When look back over the battle fields oil
the rebellion, think of the many brave
men in whose company was | cannot
but rccnlect that was sometimes irrfsiaces
where the contest was most difficult, and
the result most doubtful. But almost before
the smoke has passed away, almost before
the blood that has been shed has done rcek-
| ing, before the bodies Of the slain have
passed through the sngesof decomposition.
what do we now hndg The rebellion has
been put down Ivy the strong arm OF the
Government in the field; but is that the
only way in which you can have rebellion
Our struggle was against an attempt To DIS
sever the Uuion but almost before the
smoke of the baltle field has passed away.
before our brave men have returned To their
homes and renewed the ties of aft, elton aud
love TO their wives and their children, We
lind almost another rebellion inauguratcd.
We put down the former rebellion in
| order t. prevent the separation OF the
states, TO prevent them from flying oil, and
thereby changing the character of our
government and weaken its power; hut when
that struggle on our part has been success
ful, and that attempt has been put down
VIC find now an effort 10 concentrate al
| nower in the hands OF u few at the Fedora
head, and thereby bring about II consolida
ton oi the GOvcrnMt mt which Is equally
Objectionable with separation. Nociler
| us applause We find thai powers are as
>umcd and attempted tn be exercised OF Il
most extraordinary character. 1t seems tina,
| governments may be rcvolu,onized, gov.
| crnmcnts "a least may bc changed, without
| going through the strife of battle b litvt
i, is II fact, al,es,ed in history. that some
times revolutions most disastrous To the pc,
We are effected without the shedding q
blood The substance of your government
may be taken away. while The Form and 'li'
| shadow .emain 10 YOU. What Is now berg
proposed We find that in the point q
lsct nearly all the powers of The Govern
mcnt are assumed byanirrcsponsib' Contra
Directory, winch does not even consult ia,
legislative or the executive department 81
the Government. by resolutions reps rte,
irlma Committee in whom IL seems thai
practically, The legislative power oi the Coy.
eruilcnt Is BOW vested. that great principle
ofthe Constitution which authorizes AMI
empowers each branch of the legislative
department # the senate and Tie il, use of re-
pr, sentaiiyts To Judge for Itself OF the cleo
| ton. returns. and Qualificat ons of its own
members has been vrin lily tnkcnaway from
the two branches of the legislative eclarl
mcnt OF the Governmental .l couirrlc,iupon
| ! committee who must report before either
| lionse can wi under the Constitution rs Ia
| icccplirig tie members who are to lake il,ir
| seats as component parts OF The resra Ciivt
| b. dies. Iy tbs rule il is assumed that tier,
| must he laws passed recognizing Stale as
| in the Union. or its practical relations IL
the Union as restored. before tie r,spt Give
Houses under the Constitution can Judge of
| the election, returns, and qualifications al
their own members. What position j.
hiatt You struggled To- fur years 10
put down rebellion. You denied
IN the beginning OF the strusel,
that any State could 60 out Of tie Union
You sad thai it had neither the right nor
| The power To do 50 Tie issue was made.
and il has been settled that the States had
neither The right nor the power TO go out ii
| the Union With what consistency, after II
has been settled by the military ann Of the
Government and by the public judgment
hat the states had no right to 80 out Of the
Union, can any one now turn round and as
sumo that they are OFT. that they shall not
come in! l am free 10 say 10 you, as your
Executive, that | am not PREF arc,l To take
any such position. lGrcat applause
said in the Senate. in the very Inception Of
this rebellion, that the States had no right
to go out. l asserted. too, that HEY had no
| nwcr to go out That question has been
settled. and il being settled, cannot turn
around now and give the lie direct to all
that | have pIof sscd, and all have done
tor the last five years. [Applausel Even
hose who rcbcllcd comply with the Consii
tuition when they give sufficient evidence Of
loyalty. When they show that they can be
trusted, when they yield obedience 10 the
law that you and l acknowledge obedience
10, I say extend to them the right hand OF
fellowship, and let peace and union
he restored. Tremendous applause /
t"ught traitors and treason in the South
| opposed the Daviscs the Toombs, the Sli
dells, and u hong list Of others which you
can readily ill without my repeating thu
names. Now when turn round aud al The
ether erd Of the line find men. l care not by
what name you call them. who st,ll stand
Il Al.