The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-23
Ign, has a similar idea in his head yet.


which the gentlemaH~has addressed to
me, because believe he does not wish
an answer. If he does should be glad
to give it.
- The Speaker. Does the gentleman
from Illinois Mr.. Logan] yield to the
gentleman from New York Mr.. Rob-
inson] for reply?
Mr.. Logan. do not think that L
have said anything that he can answer
Laughter.
Mr.. Robinson. If the gentleman
wishes me to answer am ready to 40 SO.
The Speaker. The gentleman Declines as
the Chair understands, to be interrupted
Mr. Logan. Now Mr.. Speaker, let us eAT
anime a little further into TINS question.
perhaps NAV not have stated all Inc leaeone
that actuated these gentlemen IN 3enounSS
tbis side of the House, and thereby oenouh-
c;nu every loyal man in the country, every
man who has shown his loyalty by his efforts
to restore this Government on proper basis.
g7b,, recent rebellion while it was i'll progress
was led bv men who belonged to the same
marty to which the gentleman from BROOK
ivn now belongs, and the same party to
which belonged until became so thor
oughly ashamed of it that I left it, and is 1t
not a little remarkable that the same disioy-
al stencil which drove me out seems TO nave
attracted my friend from Brooklyn into II
Iaughter)
The reason why these gentlemen desire to-
day to bring into disrepute the action Oh
members of this House. is because their ac-
ton is calculated to prevent portion OF the
people of the southern country, VINO are IN
full sympathy with them, from voting ana
holding office Who are they? Outspoken
rebels. who rose in arms against the Govern
ment: the men who conspired to destroy
this glorious Republic. Because these men
are DISTINGUISHED and prevented from exer-
cising the rights of American citizens, gen.
tlemen on the other side object to our pro-
posed plan of reconstruction. Sir, they
would have the Southern States reconstruct
cd according to the plan OF Andrew John-
son, the gentleman who is so immaculate
that if we should attempt to impeach hlm 1t
will. according to the gentlemen from Brook
lyp. amount to national calamity What
was the plan of Andrew johnson Why,
sir. that plan proposed to declare that those
States that had engaged in rebellion had
never lost any of their rights in the Govern
ment that neither they nor their citizens
had forfeited any of their privileges under
the Constitution of the United States. In
other words, that treason was not CRIME;
that rebels were patriots. Hproposed to in
yite the rebels to hold elections and send to
this Hall per Sc secessionlsts and traitors
In short to construct new party IN recon-
structing the Government in which the Sc
cession rebels of the South might unite with
the Copperhead rebels of the North, capture
the citadel of power here, make treason hon
orable and loyalty odious. There is nothing
that to regain its lost power the Democratic
party would not willingly do. 1t 1t could
not acquire tomorrow more power by crush
ing under its iron heel the South than 1t
could by succoring it, it would hurl at its
Southern brethren thick and fast
courses of hate and Kisses of scorn."
Their history well establish the fact that
"Their friendship is a lurking snare,
Their honor but an idle breath,
Their smile the smile that traitors wear,
Their love is hate, their life is death"
Their sympathy with Andrew Johnson's
plan of reconstruction and their hostility to
the Republican plan Of reconstruction is net
attributable to the merits or dement's OF Ell
ther plan as policy for the country, but
solely as a party policy.
Now, sir, l maintain that the only true
plan upon which the Southern States ought
to have been reconstructed is by virtue OF
an organization of military governments,
AAAANN
the bill now pending before this House OBJ
noxious, albeit l shall vote for it, is, that it
fails to state sufficiently explicitly that the
governments of these States were entirely
overthrown and destroyed by the treason
and rebellion of the people, and that no le-
gal civil governments have existed there
since. l would recognize no Governors or
other officers pretending to act there now
in an official capacity, but would remove
them instanter. would insist that when
the fiery pillows of war rolled over the South
that they bore away into the broad ocean OF
chaos their laws and constitutions as the
floods of their own mighty father of waters
sweep the drift-wood they gather into the
Mexican Gulf, and that according to the
laws of war they were subject only to mill
tary rule at the hands of their conquerors,
and so ought to remain until traitors shall
learn how to blush for their crimes, and
modestly decline Office instead of attempt
ing, as they now do daily, to thrust them
selves forward to grasp the reins of Gov
eminent that they hate in their hearts. 1
would put the rebels on probation, and
make their return to power depend upon
the merits of their penitence.
But let us return to the gentlemen's grave
charges of outrage and wrong supposed to
have been committed by this Congress. To
be charitable, we will have to give the gen.
tleman and his party credit for a memory as
full of treachery as their Southern brethren
were of treason. They seem to have forgotten
everything they ought to remember, and re-
member some things they certainly ought not
only to forget themselves but want every
body else to forget. They seem to have to for
gotten the scenes and events that mark the
historical epoch through which we have so
recently passed, and they seem to have total
ly forgotten that these pet southern brethren
theirs, when they did occupy seats on this
floor gave us practical illustrations of dig
nifty in debate that made of this Hall a 'bear
garden" and much more attractive to lovers
of gladitorial sports and patrons of the 6 fan
cy" than they could have been to the wise,
prudent, sedate, and good citizen. When
bowie-knives bristled from their breasts, re-
voivers filled all their pockets, and clubs
were substituted among them for canes
when they spoke to a northern legislator in
these Halls with scowl on their brows,
threats on their lips, and fingers on triggers
1t is true we have blotted out for them eter
nally and forever the charming institution
under the peculiar influences of which they
lnbibed these dogmatical and insolent airs;
but it, when it was in full blast, thev could
not remember that the stv1e of ,napneru tbot