Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-01-16

! SHudIIJ' All HISlOEJ SuONS IudC CLASS leRlS-
lation has destroyed the public liberty. The
President havin sprung from the loins of the
people, they will hail him as their friend, for
he has not lost his loye and care for labor
! On the leading measures of restoration an
| Interesting chapter has been written. He
submitted it to another test, on which it had
been assailed by those who claim to be the
only friends of the administration. They
| ware engaged in making it appear that the
President has done nothing. The gentle
man from Pennsy lvania (NIr. SteYens3 pro-.
nounced-it lmpracticable and untcnabie,
while an arrogant Senator (Sumner) pro-
nounced the whole thing fraud, Members,
! too, had crowded into the presence ofs.thel
! President, saying his plan does not promfSe
to give success, and therefore must be recoS-
nized as failure. Then the majority asks
him to set it one side and not open his lips
while they smash to pieces his plan and knock
! to the earth his almost completed structure.
! 1t is their mission to destroy and not to build
up, and to strew the broken fragments under
the peaceful policy ofthe President We car
celebrate victories not less renowned than
war. State after State is constantly assisted
! by the President to return to take their
! places, and they are welcomedi too, by the
| President. Let Congress initiate lis etari.
! pie and inauguratc tic new yea as q season
Of universal joy. May the two sections meet
as friends, ard the future of the American
Union will be hailed with the love and praise
OF rll its citizens.
| Bere elaborated by the, honorable gentleman,
who, after taking his seat was warmly con-
gratulated by lis friends,
MIR. Norhees was replied to by Mr.. Bing-
ham of Ohio, who INDUCED in the usual high
sounding phrases of the radicals about treason
aud traitors: and the indivisibility of the Ke-
public, asserting the right, by virtue of the
constitution, to exercise all power to suppress
international insurrcctlOn and foreign inya-
sion.
Mr.. VOrhces (Mr. Bingham yielding the
floor) sail he expected to he scolded for what
he had declared. The American Union be-
ing one OF States once formed, hc did not
know Of any power i'll the State or Federal
Government to destroy the States if that
signifcd once a State always State, the gen>
tleman was right. If hard epithcts applied
to hip', they also applied to the President, for
ttc President declared the true theory was,
that all pretended acts of secession were, from
the beginning, null and void, that the States
attempting to sccede, had their vitality im>
paired but pot extinyuished, and their func-
tions were suspended but not DESTROYED. But
gentlcrten said that I'll the States which pass
ed ordinances of secession were dead. who
killed these States Who dealt the blow
Did Jcfers.n Davis kill them or the eleven
Confederate States Where is the DESTROY
ing agent? lie held there was no clement
OF destruction III them, us in the beginning.
so now they are living States in the Ameri-
can Union. lie repeated, he had asserted
the position of the President and every as
sault upon him Was an assault upon the Pres
idcnt.
MIR. bingham resumed. The gentleman
from Indiana had notified the House and the
country that the President held that. once
| Il State always State. But the President
had asserted no such thing; nor did the
President assume that the Rebel States hay
ing surrendered to the victorious Iegions of
the Union, are entitled to representation with
out let or hindrance Would the gentleman
undertake to say, by the mcrest platit,iSle,
that IT five thousand men r South Carolina
chance to be represented in conv, ntion. for
the purpose of coming back into the Union,
the residue ofthe unrcprescnted Rebels have
a right to be represented as n State
MIR. Voorhees, replied that the easiest and
most absurd argument was to suppose an abb
surd thing General Grant did not find such
state of affairs, and he was willing to take
his word. When five thousand ;iien were
represented in convention it would be time
to consider that questioa,
q In concluding bis remarks, Mr., .BingIa4tnn
offered the following as n substitute for the
resolution of Mr.. Voorhees,:
Rcsoired, That the House have an abiding
confidence in the President that in the fin.
ture as in the past he will cooperate with
Congress i'll restoring to equal position and
right with the other Staths in the Union, all
the States lGtniy in insurrection.
Mr.. Stevens asked that the resolution be
referred to the Committee on Reconstruction,
Mr.. Bingham asSented to this
Mr.. NoOrhces-I should like to see the
question met.
Mr.: Bngham-I demand the preylots
question.
Mr.. Voorhees-That's flying in the face of
the enemy If the ueston should be deci-
ded ip the affirmative, you'd it carry my
resolution
The Speaker rep?i5d that it would. %.
The demand for the previous question was
seconded, and under its operation the resolu-
tioh was referred to the Committe on Recon
struction-yeas 10Y, nays 81.