Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-12
VOL. XX---NO. "a.

| dent Lincoln, that they were out of theil
practical relations with the Union, and desl
with the question practically. They have
become traitorous and outlaws. and should
not be allowed to control their own State
governments or come into power in the
Union unless they gave security for the
| future; that security demanded we should
hand the government of those States over
to the loyal men residing there, so that their
protection should be secured. We should
establish in the fundamental law, so that il
would be beyond eapriees of southern legis-
lation, the principle of the equality of all
races and classes, and vest them with all
franchises and powers necessary to defend
and protect that equality. He would pun
ish certain leaders of the rebellion for tFea-
son, 50 that terrible crime should be odious
IN all time to come. He would, before al
lowing these men to come back to help
make laws for widows whose husbands they
had slain, and for the orphan whose father
they had murdered, require all this, and
when the Southern States show a sense
OF returning patriotism, then he would
take them by the hand and lift
them up 10 higher national life, and
united we would conduct the nation to its
imperial destiny as the greatest and best Of
all governments of the earth. ~
Mr.. ROGERS, of N J., gave notice of his
intention to introduce q bill to repeal all
acts OF Congress exempting government
securities from Federal and State taxation,
and to provide for taxing them by the Fed
eral Government, and authorizing States to
tax them same as they tax other property.
He also gave notice of his intention 10 intro
duee bill giving bounties to the soldiers
OF 1861 and 1862, equal TO the highest gov
ernment bounty given at any time during
the war, and also to equalize bOunties.
Mr.. DELANO, of Ohio, examined the pres
ent political relations of the States lately in
rebellion, and said on its solution depends
the present happiness of the nation. They
ought he said, 20 consider the question with
proper appreciation of their honest differ
enees, whether among members Of Congress
or between then and other departments Of
government. His purpose had been in all
his examination to be forbearing toward
tnose from whom he asked like exercise
of charity he sincerely believed that if
they were all animated by this spirit the
threatening clouds would pass away and
they would find themselves adjusting these
measures IN harmony and with the appro-
baton OF all, and this would be sustained
and preserved by that party which he be-
lieved, thank God, was raised up to do a
great work in this land of liberty. There
was class of persons who insist that the
late rebelliOus States are States, in every
sense Of the word, in the Union, and are en-
titled to the right to demand representation
ON this floor. He did not know whether
they were willing to admit representatives
whose hands were yet red with the blood of
our slaughtered eOuntrymen. He did not
belong TO that class. He believed these
States are States with the right of local and
domestic legislation, yet he did not believe
they now were in a condition to demand the
admission of their members. Another class
maintained that these States are dead and
conquered provinces, and subject to be ruled
by the law of Congress as any other terri
tory. He had no more faith in this theory
than he had in the otner, for he denied that
these States have been destroyed and are
dead, and that Congress may thus govern
them. He did not believe and would not
follow this theory of the gentleman from
PennsyIvania, Mr.. Stevens. This announce
ment startled him when it was first made,
for he saw the logical consequence, that if
carried out it would lead 10 the destruction
of the Union. He was sorry that the gen
tleman, Mr.. Stevens, was not alene in the
assertion ri that opinion.
Mr.. DtlanO pointed out what he CON
sldered the fearful consequences of that
theory, arguing that the Concession Of he
llgerent rights and the ruling in the prizes
cases did not convert them into foreign en-
emies. He some months ago heard the kew
note of the gentleman from Pennsylvania,
Mr.. Stevens, that the property Of ten mil
lions OF people should be subject to confsca-
ton, and disposed of in part for the pay
ment OF the public debt, for the location Of
the emaneiPated race and to increase the
pensions of those who suffered in the late
war He was shocked with the enuneiation
OF that scheme of universal plunder, and
felt as If America would loose her reputa-
tlOn before the nations Of the earth if we
should adopt it, and that it was based on
the theory of dead States and conquered
provinces. The man who put forth this
theory had intellect sufficiently clear to run
out the proposition in all its logical eonse-
quenees. The Duke of Alba executed the
DEGREES of a bigoted monster while in the
Netherlands, but this gigantic scheme of
plunder would make the Duke of Alba blush
and admit that he was not a robber or muir
derer fit to be respected.
Mr.. STEVENS said that he was absent
from the Hall when the gentleman made
allusion 10 him, and he wished now to OBJ
serve that he never held the doctrine that
the Southern States were dead, but had ar
gued that it made NO difference whether
they were in or out of the Union. As to
the question of reconstruction he held that
these States were organized under another
government besides our own, but the gen
tleman mistook his position as to eonfsca-
ton. He did not advocate general sweep,
but took the ground that the lands of
large number Of the rebels ought to be con-
fscated in order to meet the expenses in
CURED in putting down the rebellion and
to increase the pensions of soldiers.
Mr.. WILLIAMS, of Pennsylvania, next
spoke.
The House at 5 o'clock adjourned.