Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-04-06

Grand Rally Of the Democrats of New
London.
SPEECH OF GENERAL ROUSSEAU.

Grand Rally Of the Democrats of New
London.
SPEECH OF GENERAL ROUSSEAU.
FELLOW CITIZENS: / need hardly tell
you, for you already know it well, that there
is a difference existing between the Presi-
dent and Congress but want to tell you
that the break between Charles Sumner and
Wendell Phillips, and Thad. Stevens and
the President, is as wide as between the
heavens and the earth, and | trust that In
all time TO come it will never be healed
For four years the people have struggled to
save the Government of the United States.
For what else did they 60 into the war?
The resolution passed by Congress the day
after the battle Of Ball Run declared that
the war was wsged for no purpose of sub
jugation or conquest, or in any spirit of re-
sentiment, but for the restoration of the
Union and of the rebel States to all the
rights they possessed before the war. We
staked the Union on the result of the war.
Do you suppose, if we Southern men had
known that the Union was TO be dissolved,
whether we succeeded or failed in the war,
that we should have entered into the con-
test? We of the South entered into the
war with all the pledges that the people
prosecuted TO secure to all the people of the
United States their rights under the Consti-
tuition, especially the loyal people of the in
surrectionary States. With that understand
ing we aided in carrying the war to sue
cessful termination and now, when to-day
we remind those gentlemen Of those pledges,
we are told, II did not matter in the least
whether JEFF. Davis succeeded or failed, the
Union is alike destroyed" Now that the
war is over, let us rehectand see for what we
have expended three thousand millions of
dollars and sacrificed half million lives
and if the Stevens-Sumner school are right
we are no better off than when we begun
nay, we are infinitely worse off, because, not
outstanding the suppression of the rebel
lion, the rebel States are ont Of the Union,
and must be governed as military depart
ments. by Congress. Had it not been better
if jeff Davis had been allowed to break up
the Government by peaceable secession with
out war and the desolation incident TO it,
than that we should have waged the war and
at its close allow Mr.. Thad. Stevens and the
rest to accomplish what JEFF. Davis had
failed to do?
1t has been said by my friend, Mr.. Tay-
lor, that he does not know the motives that
prompt this action of the Radical leaders.
| do know their motives. / am not left to
guess them or to learn them by hearsay.
Thad. Stevens himself has stated that the
object is to save and keep in existence and
in the ascendancy the Republican party. He
has avowed that on several occasions on the
floor Of Congress. | have no hesitation in
denouncing such a motive and syEtem Of
policy as utterly and entirely infamous
Think of yielding up such Government in
order to enable one-half of the people to rule
and Cypress the other, simply for the sake of
keeping in power parcel of INSCRIPTIONS
politicians, drawing from the Golfers of the |
Government the meney upon which they |
subsist while they thus assail it. APP |
plause. And shall we Union men, who |
love our country, be called upon to follow |
Mr.. Stevens in this policy, and be denounced |
as traitors if we refuse? Cries of "No, |
no." All the world could not force me to |
follow him. l want to know, as an honest |
man, if | must sacrifice my country for the |
ascendancy of party, L care not what par
ty? No, never. | must now, as heretofore, |
stand true to the flag which gives freedom |
to every nook and corner of the land. APP |
plause. / want to tell you tonight that |
this break between the majority in Congress
and the President has been deliberately |
sought and forced upon him by the Radical |
leaders, under the lead of Thad. Stevens.
l want to say to you that when this Freed
mems Bureau bill was presented there was
no more necessity for it than for Mr.. Stevens
10 go South to enforce it. | want to assure
my Republican friends that that bill was
thrust upon Andrew johnson in order to
elicit his veto, and then to denounce him
for it. The subject-to-wit, the negro race
IL II.
10 my certain knowledge, certain people
North and South had been insane for the
last thirty years. The Freedmen's Bureau
law, which is now in operation in the South
ern States, is the most oppressive that can
be imagined. 1t authorizes, nay, requires,
its agents to disregard the constitution and
the laws of every State Wherever a negro
is interested in any way these agents have a
right to try and decide his case no matter
whom it may involve nor to what extent.
The Civil Rights-or rather civil wrongs"
bill is vet more odious in some respects.
| believe it allows agents ten dollars for
every arrest and fifteen dollars for every
conviction. Now, how many arrests and
convictions might one of these agents make
in a week? Why he wouldmake hundred
dollars a day, and have scarcely TO turn in
his chair. The Freedmen's Bureau agents
are by the law placed above all courts and
authorities, national and State.
They act as appellate courts in all things,
and from them appeals can only be made 70
the President. So the President is called
upon to decide all appeal cases connected
with the negroes and the Bureau beauti-
full business for your President to be called
on to follow-and he would have ample
time TO devote to national affairs after dis
charging this light duty. Andrew johnson
is now denounced because he placed himself
between our liberties and the enemies of the
country by vetoing this infamous legislation.
In consequence he has at the present time
but a corporaPs guard in Congress. Yet |
predict that in less than year seven-tenths
of the people Of the United States will be
with him. Loud and long continued APP
plause. / may, for one say that shall
stand by him to the last. ! am told that in
this | am getting into strange company, and
that am among Copperheads. If ! am
hope they will not bite me. / certainly
prefer to be with a Copperhead right than
with Republican wrong.
| have worked with the Union men for
fsur years to save the Government Of the
United States. The leaders of that party
now want TO destroy what we have saved;
but if the people will support the Presidents
policy, as l am confident they will, we will
stop all that. Your Copperheads have been
in this matter. and it is said you were the
reserve. l wish you had come up sooner;
but better late than never. If you will only
come up now, Messrs. Copperheads and aid
in taking care of the Constitution and the
Union against Stevens, Sumner, Phillips q
Co, will forgive you for having been Cop
perheads heretofore. Many of my Union
friends may leave the Union platform when
you come to it. l shall be sorry for it; but
! cannot prevent it. 1t is not the first time
my friends have left me. At the beginning
of the war old and tried friends who favored
the rebellion asked me if | would join the
Yankees in the subjugation of the South. l
told them | would aid anybody in suppress
ing the rebellion, and thereupon they be-
came my enemies.
SO it is now. Men who have stood true
with me for four years in defense of the
now leave me to go after Thad.
Stevens. The present action Of Radical
leaders is deep laid scheme to keep up the
excitement that we have had for the last
four or five years and, in fact, TO fritter away
and throw away all we have gained by the