Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-02-28

liuiI puI oue thlnS especially nave
we learned, and that is, never again
to trust Southern Democrat while
the heavens stand. The first item of
our policy is, sir, that rebels must
take back seats /; that they must not
be masters of this country that,
having sought to destroy the country
and overwhelm the Government, they
must not, and shall not, come in now
and be the lords of the Government.
That is one idea. Another idea is
this that we intend to be true to
the Declaration of independence, and
make liberty reality that the map
of liberty shall be as wide as the
trayelings of humanity in this coun-
try that where man goes, he shall
go enwrapt in the Declaration of In
dependence, and the stars and stripes
shall float over him and protect him
in the rights that the great God has
thrown around humanity. We do
not stop to inquire whether a man is
red, or black, or white. If we find
him with the mind of a man, if we
find him with the impulses of a man,
with ability to grasp the present and
anticipate the future, we say to that
man, Liberty is your birth-right, and
you shall have it. The principle of
Republican Government is this =
Every man who supports the Govern
ment and pays taxes, and is required
to do military duty, that man has
right to a voice in the Government.
l know not, sir, how you can get
around it, What else is Democratic
Government? p? What else is Repub.
licanism ? If you require him to up
hold and obey the Government, you
shall give him a voice where only his
power is felt, at the ballot-box. where
the man deposits his ballot, that ex-
presses the freeman's will, as light
nings do the will of God. Some of
my Republican friends may not go
quite so far as that. l propose,
though, that every man shall have
voice in the Government, and am
not alone i'll this position. Well did
our lately elected Senator express
himself, in his noble avowal of prin-
ciples, when he declared al Shall
be glad to see the day when the
word " white is stricken from the
Constitution Of Pennsylvania" This
may be in advance of slow, timid
men so was his recommendation. in
1851, to free and arm the slaves but
he was right then, and is right now.
Another principle of our policy is,
that the National debt must be paid;
but not one jot or title of the debt
contracted in trying to destroy the
Government. Put these things to-
gether, and you have the outlines of
our policy, broad as the continent,
comprehensive as the merits and de-
merits, the rights and obligations of
men. Traitors shall give place to
loyal men liberty shall be made a
living, shining retlity our financial
obligations shall be fully met but
rebel bonds, with rebel bayonets,
must and shall lie in the dust. No
policy, indeed ! Can the Senator,
with all his party aids, give the coun-
try a better one
Mr.. Speaker, in 1861, and from that
up to 1865, the great question in this
country was this : The Southern
half of the country, having slid off
into tpason, and quite large pro-
portion Of the Northern half of the
Democratic party being in sympathy
with them, the question was this -
Can the friends of the country save
the country and maintain and carry
it through, with the Southern half
making war upon the Government,
and large proportion of their north |
ern sympathizers doing the same
thing? That was the question. We
went through it, but hundreds of |
thousands of our fellow men were
sacrificed. True, sir, it bathed the |
valleys in blood, and covered the |
hlIl-tops with tombstones, and made |
the hearts Of fathers and mothers
break with sorrow and agony. But |
we went through it, Now, the ques.
tion is changed the rebels, having
been defeated, want to take posses
sion of the Government by political |
legerdemain. Now, the question is,
whether we, the friends of the Gov |
ernment, with the debauched politi- |
cal ideas of men on the other side. |
can take the Government through
successfully. | heard one of them |
say-and it puzzles me to understand
these characters-I shook hands with !
one of them forty-eight hours ago,
and he said that if Virginia wished
to pay her rebel debt, it was not our
business.
That was the question Whether
we could carry the Government
through, with the Northern Demo
Gratis in sympathy with the rebels, |
and abetting and defending them,
and the Government debauched and
for aught | know, the Supreme Court
also. This great question was upon
us, while all the trouble came from
this Democratic party. l use plain
terms, and l tell you plainly, to-day,
from the depths of my heart, that
from 1860 to 1865 the war and trouble
i'll the country was due to you. When
you nominated your candidate for the
Presidency, the South. cheered your
nominee when victory turned on
their side, you whimpered, al told
you SO damn this abolition war;
But when victory turned on our side,
and the boys in blue were triumphant,
how was ii with you then? There
were no shouts-there were a few,
but they were very feeble Your
sympathy with the rebels encouraged
them. | am sorry, but it is SO.