St. Mary's gazette., 1866-06-21
This is the great blood -haptizcd Tsr;ncl-
ole of this American republican Govern

sir. | believe the President has the power
10 -i,rriu this principle as It Is his nfos
sacrei t',t!y L. do So # hc has r Il i
fu;,1a n .atal and >Lnl,tl be observed Il.
nny "a free 4ov.rninon, cndsrcs. tEcl
wherever his power reaches 1t has he re
corded in heaven a sacred oath that he vii
preserve, protect, aid defend 1t. Let tax
alton be suspended Eberc representation !;
denied. Let him thus s;t an appeal Il
the American ineFo-Saxon race for tit
support and defence OF .ilne-honored An
cro-SaxoT1 principles This viii bring Ia,
almig gh'y dollar in its proper position
which opens the eyes Of srne who sha
them to everything else With them IT Il
potent whether to be received by them o.
withheld from them The necessity of IT
4 early reconstruction of some sort would
then pr, baby soon become apparent.
But TO return I stated that | was ad
verso to the Presidents specific policy q
rcconstructing this Union. In my view
the southern seeded States have DO right
70 Representatives on this floor or in the
Senate, and BY my vote [ have heretofore
invariably rejected every application which
has been made by any person claiming
such right; and, sir, not only do | be-
lieve that they have no right IN Their pres
; ent position to send Senator's and Repre-
Y sona:lves here, but | do not think they
have the right to furnish US With Presl-
dent or Vice President, although there
are many here and elsewhere, who, while
tacreeing with me that these States are out
Eof the Union and not entitled to represen-
Atation anywhere, have been SO fraternal IN
their feelings and SO magnanimous IN their
conduct as to go beyond the line III order
to obtain the services of the gentleman who
at present fills the executive chair Of the
United States. Being citizen of scceced
and unreconstructed Tennessee, he is, in
nv opinion, as also upon their theory, only
President de f1rto, forced upoL the coun-
try by their votes, attended by that very
effective implement, their bayonets. When
I cannot avoid it, |, like every one else,
acouiesce in de tucto Governments and "e
f1cfo Presidents but if it could be expec-
ted BY any one that can cast my vote at
the next presidential election for Andrew
johnson, of Tennessee, for that high office,
then, at least, the status of Tennessee her
self must be completely changed ; she must
be admitted into this Union by act of Con-
gress upon her application to become a
member of it. New States may be ad-
mitted by Congress into this Union, says
the Constitution, and this, according to
my theory, applies to Tennessee, as also
every other State that seeded. w ny
should | or any Democrat, at least south
crn Democrat, sacrifice our principles by
casting a vote for Lincoln Republican
Shall we indorse the acts of that party, or
any man who belonged to it, by whom
many of us, our wives, and children, have
been reduced to poverty and want! Shall
we kiss the baud that has thus scoursed
us or aided in giving the nhleton =
Who are his confidential advisers and
counselors? Is there any one there who
avows that his political action is controlled
by law higher than the Constitution OF
his country, any savage tyrant whose chIcf
! rleasure seemed TO be derived from op-
pressing our citizens in direct violation ct
the Constitution We will take time to
inquire into and to reflect upon these mat
tcrs.
have said how I think these States can
! be admitted into THIS Union. 1t should be By
| act Of Congress and with the assent of their
people. But, sir, no congressional bill for
that purpose can ever receive my vote as
! long as that test oath disgraces your sta
tute book That test discriminate' most
cffectually between citizens of.these States.
deprivlng all but a chosen few of the dear
est political rights, and necessarily super
! inducing what seems to be SO odlous when
only negroes are involved, a dcsplcable
oligarchv. 1t is an insidious and fatal
blow al the political equality Of white men
and at our American republican form of
government | will do all | can to remove
it, and if it cannot be removed L will Go
t all can to rescue the noble citizens of the
South frem the slavery and degradation II
| imposes even though it lead to contlnu-
ance of the dissolution of the Union. =
I Anxious as am to restore the States to
their former status in the Union, | Will
not by my voice weaken these guarantees
of liberty which our fathers established for
themselves and for us their posterity, even
to continue or preserve the Union itself
Liberty is worth more than Union. The
Congress, sir, that will keep that test III
force will only admit those southern men
who will misrcprcsent their constituents.
Better wait for better times and better men.
"When vice prevails, ard impious men bear
sway.
The post OF honor is a private station
There is another objection of kindred
character. and producing similar results to
the one have just referred to, which bears
strongly upon my mind, and which as the
facts arise, would cause me to cast my vote
against practically bringing about either
mode of reconstruction. The exclusion
from the ballot-box of the white men .c1
the South in the choice of their Represen-
tatiyes. whether brought about under the
Presidents plan or the congressional plan
shall never receive ms sanction No mat
ter what prctensc for excluding them from
the polls. whether for too little loyalty OF
, ~ ,,,,h d;sl,r,lt,, ca ., lla1 kv my vote