The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-06
-aa.oa ~ NJ President I think the

:,
from the President of the United states Is a
yhite1vashing message, seeking TO cover up
or conceal transactions and state OF ether
thin rs Infinitely worse than the transactions
Of Kansas-that the terrible aiiaIr which
was the bc~inning of all our woes, clFl
war IN Itself, and the pTeluGe TO an tl51
great war from which we have inst emerged
/ believe, sir-certainly | think | ought to
the honorable Senator from
Massa chusetts viii at least modify, or quail
fy, if he does not wholly retr"ct, this strong /
"Ma. SUMNER.-Mr. President, l have |
to modify, nothing to qualfy, MOTH |
ing to retract Ia former days, there was |
one Kansas that suffered under Illegal pow
er; there are now eleven Kansases suffering |
only as one: therefore,, as eleven are more
thar one, so is the enOrmity OF the present
time more then the one enOrmity in the day
of Franklin Pierce.
'.MR DIxoN-Mr. President, the Senator
from Massachusetts says that the enOrmities
in the States lately in rebellion are greater,
at this time, than those formerly taking
place in Kans;.z. Now, sir, l beg leave to
remind him that that was not precisely the
question raised, If am question was raised
by TIN Senator from IlscC~ =. There Is
no question here at this moment as to the
misconduct OF any body IN Kansas or IN the
Southern States; but a charge has been
directly made here, by the Senator, that the
President has sent in a whitewashin9 re-
port with regard to these enOTIn1tles. IN reply
to our resolution of enquiry. cannot pass
that il silence. so far as l am concerned.
What is d 'whitewashing' report, OF white
washing message What is the charge
brought? a 'Whitewashing' report is re-
port intended tc cover up and conceal, by
| falsehood and miSstatement, certain fa"tS
| That is 'whitewashing report. "a,
| l wish the charge to be distinctly under
| stood; have no comment to make upon it !;
| bnt men snch charge as that is brought
| in the Senate, l think it calls for some no
| tice, and | take the liberty, with all my re-
spect for the Senator from Massachusetts,, to
deny that there is anything in that report
of a whitewashing character. | believe II
| to be true i'll its statements. Of course, /
can not know the facts personally bu5 i
! n"-'G ---. statements of the Presidept
can not, as a friend Of the President
.,llow SuCh j charge TO 90 unnotlced. claiil
10 particular friendship for TIE President
sustain his position, not because it Is tbs
Presidents position, but because believe II
right; and, believing him to be right,
think it my duty to ente. at least a protest
against charge of that kind,
EMR. DooLTTLE-Mr President, whethe1
the Presidents policy be right or not, the
charge of the Senator from Massachusetts
does not 90 to that question al all. III th'
| Senator from Massachusetts differs from hin
and believes him to be wrong, that is on
thing it is perfectly right that he shoul'
do 50. But he goes further; he charge
upon the President talsehoOd, in substance
by saving that his message is a ''v-hitt
| washing" message; he charges him with
: want of truth with want OF natrlotlsn
What else can be inferred 1t was tina
which paiucd me; / was not panied bccaus
the honorable Senator differed from til
President /; | knew he differed from the Pre-!
t idenj on this question; but was panied an
; Iconfess very much disappointed to Aea
; that Senator, as | should 3. ear an
l. other Senator on the floor Of the Senat
l. question the truth, the integrity or the I
triotism of the President, however much |
might disagree with me in opinion. ha
supposed that every member OF tins boo
anG of Congress had full faith in the goC
Intentions of the President, in his integrit
It his love of the truth; and if he has al
n quality, if he has displayed during tn
struggle any character, it is that uncompr
i missing love of the truth and love of Il
ID country, and love of the Union which h
s made him sacrifice and endure all that he d
20 during the contest III the South, and whlt
has always characterized him as a mai
l. and it was not that the honorable Sarat
$. questioned the pTopriety of the policy /
, recommended by him, but because he MAJ
nSe of that remark that it was d whltewas
ing inessa ge, seeking to COveTup some mi
re my behind, that | was panied, as confess
to was exceedingly; and was none tbs Ie
or pained,- after having called the honorat
- Senator's attention To it, that he should II
. in the Senate aud say that he had nOJhu
Ve to modily, nothing to qualify, nothing
go retract Sir, have said, perhaps, more tn
4 ! | ought to nave said, ana shall not go III
- any discussion of these mattets."
- mi' MIR. SUNNI ER.-Air. President, am sol
It's that | have given pain to honorable trlen
CHI I certainly did not intend it, They sugg,
that a que& ion has been raised as to the p
lev of the President / have raised no sU
y question, and have now expressed no oplni
ne in regard to it. The Senator from WlscOn
he dwells on that point and reminds the Sen;
,rn that the policy of the President was not
question. / know it was not III questI
and therefore | expressed no opinion upon
for when l speak in this body, try to spe
=. directly - the question i'll hand. There Y
then no questlUil directly before the Sen
on the policy of the President. Had th
5he been I should have been ready to meet
ere At the proper time | shall meet 1t fully, pla
nm ", unequivocally, / trust, as becomes mt
- Der of this body. The only question Il
III was on the character of the document q
the had been read and that l characterized ct
in pendiously, as a whlte washing dOcume
i+r and tEen my honorable aient,e lSe one al
the other, and like two photographers
y ceed TO give a definition OF the word 'wh
ion wash" do not accept their definition
the intend no sueh thing as either the Sena
ak from Connecticut or the Senator from '
g consin attempted to impute. l have no
VI Election to make on the patriotism or
TED truth Of the President of the United Sta
ng. Never in public or in private have | N
be- auy such reflection, and DO not begin Il
-. When spoke, l spoke of the document
hU had been read at the desk. l character
ted it as thought l ought to charac+"
it My memory goes back in this chamber
the tner than that of many l see about me
-. remember that other scene when VIII
ns0 washing message did come into this b
the from Franklin Pierce. We all at that t
tely called it whitewashing, and am not aV
I!a that any one even on the other side un
took to play the part that my honor
friends from Wisconsin and from Connect
,o,+ now undertake to perform. The mess
wos so % because we all felt that 1T
o' gun asking document; and under'
20 once to-day, on listening to the docun
link that had been read at the desk, 70 chara'
A. ize it in the very way in which the patrl
". party of 1856 characterized the messag