The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-13


conduct of the President as usurpatioi
of power. He found the southern states
without law, and in performance o.
duty he used the best means to restore
them to power. He hailed the appoint
ment of Sharkey, Perry, JonsoH, and
Parsons, provisional governors, as bright
promises of good administration, and as
fharbingers of peace to the southern PEG
pie and prosperity to the whole country.
Such men as Butler had been disap-
pointed in the fat, juicy pickings, and
| the hungry sharks i'm the southern
waters had been deprived of their
prey.
Mr.. Voorhees,, in combating the doc
trine that the states reout of the Union,
said that in more than hundred in
stances, in letters, prOclamatiOIs, and
speeches, the late Executive always re-
cOgnized, as de .jure, the southern states.
If these states, then, are in the Union,
what power could close these doors
against them? How could this House
refuse to receive their representatives
Peace and submission to the law are the
only guarantees that can be demanded
of a conquered people. The course pur-
sued by the southern states in adopting
the constitutional amendment abolish
ing slavery was wise, and in further
ance of this question of guarantees. The
refusal to admit the southern represen.
-tatives arose from sense of power, and
not of right or justice.
Had lot Congress made recOfW it
could not ignore Had it not officially
assumed q position it could not over
throw? During the war were not
Louisiana members admitted to seats by
the very men who now keep them out
Was Tennessee destroyed? Her name
was called more than half the period OF
the war and Representatives answered
from both ends of the Capitol. Could il
then be asserted that Tennessee was a
portion of foreign government, and
the President himself naturalized
foreigner? Frederick the Great said, II
I wanted to ruin my Government /
would make 1t over to the philosophers,
for philosophers contradic themselves;
and of this they had abundant evidence
Those, too, who claimed to be represen-
tatives from Virginia were admitted
during the war, but were now excluded.
Mr.. Deming asked the gentleman to
inform the House whether he thought
the right of representation must conl-
LAtllkC dt ~ 4llctdLl vi NCbLyBUuts.
Mr.. Voorhees, said he would answer by
repeating sentence he had already ut
tered, namely: That peace and obedi-
ence are the only guarantees for the flu
tqre which any government can require;
and when peace reigns he held the peO-
pie cannot be governed without repre-
sentation. 94 jfT 7i
The present Is more peaceful than the
past, and yet Congress ignores its record
of the last four years as if it were blot
ted out.
Besides what he had mentioned, he
said the principle that the Union was
unbroken was declared in all the party
platforms.
The time to which Mr.. Voorhees, was
restricted by The rules having expired
ON motion of Mr.. Smith the House
unanimously granted an extension.
Mr.. Voorhees,, in continuation of his
speech, endorsed the views of the Presi-
dent on the tariff question. Taxes must
be imposed equally. All history shows
that class legislation has destroyed the
public liberty. The President having
sprung from the loins of the people, they
will hail him as their friend, for he has
not lost his love and care for the dignity
of labor. On the leading measures of
restoration an interesting chapter has
been written. He submitted it to ano-
ther test on which it had been assailed
by those who claim to be the only
friends of the Administration. They
were engaged In making il appear that
the President has done nothing. The
gentleman from Pennsylvania Mr.. Ste.
vens) pronounced it impracticab Bile and
untenable, while an arrogant Senator
(Mr. Sumner) pronounced the whole
firing u fraud. Members, too, had
crowded into the presence of the Pres
ident, saying his plan does not promise
to give success, and therefore must be
as a failure. Then the ma
jority ask him to set it one side, and not
open his lips while they smash 10 pieces
his plan, and knock to the earth his al
most completed structure. 1t Is their
mission to destroy, not to build up, and
to strew the broken fragments. Under
the peaceful policy Of the President we
can celebrate victories not less renowned
than war. State afterstate Is constantly
assisted by the President TO return to
take their places aud they are well
coined > too, by the President. Let Con-
yress initiate his example, and inaugu-
ate the new year as season of univer-
val joy. May the two sections meet as
friends, and the future of the American
Union will be hailed with the love and
praise of all its citizens. .
The above are some of the points !
which were elaborated by the honor
Ible gentleman, who, after taking
lis seat, was warmly congratulated by |
lis friends.
Mr.. Bingham, of Ohio, expressed |
lis surprise at the speech of the gentle
nan from Indiana. When the rebel |
ion was rife, the President had no sup
,ort from the gentleman and his friends.
He had not forgotten that the gentleman
vas accustomed in his place to join in
he cry, you cannot sustain the Gov
rnment by arms" When the war was
ocking both hemispheres, and when
he land was filled with lamentation and
cath, the gentleman was, with his par
Y, among the censpirators at Chicago,
rho, in convention, declared that war
Dr. the Union was failure. He would
ave remained silent but for the fact
hat the gentleman would indOctrinate
be House and the country with the
ame fell spirit which inaugurated the
abellion. The gentleman's argument
ould not be mistaken-it was carefully
repaired and considered. The gentle.
lan's position was the same as assumed
rst and last by every man who entered
ito the conspiracy, and if maintained
lust lead to the destruction of the Con-
1t was simply, once a state
ways state, with all the rights of