Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-06-03
A POWERFUL ASSAULT.
Extract from Speech of Hon. T.
a. r. Nelson, delivered at
Greenville, May IL. 1867.

But it is not merely on the subject OF
slavery that the Republican or Radical
party has violated the Constitution and
falsified its most solemn pledges. In
July, 1861, the following resolution,
offered by Mr. Crittenden, was passed by
an almost unanimous vote in both houses
of Congress, viz: wv s&596A It
:" That, an this national emergency,
Congress, banishing all feeling of pas
sion or Resentment, loiU recOllect only
its duty TO the Whole country that this
icar is not pdged, upon our part, IN any
spirit of oppression, nor for any pur-
poses Of conquest or su9jugdtfon, nor
purposes Of overthroUing or interfering
With the rights or established institu .
tions of those States, but TO defend and
maintain the supremacy ofthe Constitu-
tioD and TO preserUe the Union, With all
the dignity, equality and rights of the
sereral States unimpaired that, as soon
as these objects are accomplished, the
soar ought 10 cease
There it stands, and will stand forever,
on the journals of Congresses solemn
declaration, in the presence of Almighty
God, and of all the nations of the earth,
as to what were the great objects and
purposes of the war. There it stood,
down to the very close of the conflict, a
pledge to Union men, pledge to rebels,
manifest to all the world that the con-
stitution and the Union were the sole
objects of the war. There it stood and
will stand forever, pledge that slavery
would not be abolished. There it stood
and will stand forever, as pledge to the
rebels that, if they would surrender at
any time before the resolution should be
repealed, they would not be treated as a
conquered or subjugsted people. There
it stood and will stand forever, not merely
as an invitation to the rebel States
to abandon the rebellion, but as q
guarantee to them, by the only war =
making power known to tho constltu-
ton, that if they would ground their
arms they should be treated as an uD-
conquered people, and their dignity,
equality and rights remain unimpaired.
And how have these solemn promises
been maintained2 ? Instead of not . in
terferiug with the rights or established
institutions of the States (by which the
institution of slavery was intended), we
have seen President, without a syllable
or letter in the Constitution to justify or
authorize the enormous assumption OF
power, declare that slavery was abolished,
and pledge the whole army and navy OF
the United States TO make the declara'
ton good. And Congress, without re
scinding or repeating its own resolution,
forgot, in the hour Of victory, the ma
tional honor and its own plighted faith,
and recommended that the established
institutions, which ii was sworn to sup
port, should be destroyed by pretended
constitutional amendment Instead of
preserving the dignity Of the States un-
impaired, they have been degraded by
placing them under the control of ne,
groes and reversing the positions of
slave and master. Instead of continuing
the Equality and rights of the States,
ten of them have been kept out of the
Union, as being unequal to the others, as
not having the same rights; and a mill
tary government has been established
over them, without any authority known
to the Constitution, and they may at
any moment be subjected to q despotlsm
worse than that of the autocrat OF all the
Russias. Has Congress kept the oath
which it took (in the resolutions | have
read). before God ard the world, and
Just after the defeat OF our forces in the
FIRST battle of Manassas, that it would
not oppress the Southern people 2 look
to the confscation act Of 1852, which
deprives rebels of their property, without
jury trial, as provided in the Consttu-
ton. ! Look to their abominAble test
oath, which has been declared un-
constitutional by the Supreme
Court of the United States, Look to
their er post tdcto laws, depriving rebels
OF the right Of suffrage aud the privilege
to hold Office. unless they will comply
with impossible conditions; and then
say whether or not the iron heel OF op-
preston is not trampliug out the last
drop Of life blood from the bruised and
mangled body Of the PROSTATE South
Has the Union been preserved with all
dignity, equality, and rights Of the sew
eral States unimpaired p Look to the
requirement that the Southern States
shan establish the absolute equality OF
the white and black races, and confer
npon negroes the right Of suffrage while
the cAnting hypocrites Of the North are
unwilling 70 confer such rights them
selves2 Has the supremacy Of the con
stiiution been maintained 2 Look again,
ask roo, 70 the legislation Of Congress
snd the entire history Of the var From
what clauses in the Constitution did
they derive the power to enact eonhsea.