Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-03-07
2olitieal.
SPEECH OF
HON. ULYSSES MERCUR,
OF PENNSYLVANIA, IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
FEBRUARY 16. 1867.

Inc mousse, us III Commlttee OF the whole
on the State of the Union, proceeded to
the consideration of the Presidents annu-
al message.
Mr. MERCUR said:
Mr.. SPEAKER; Motion is said to be
natural condition of all matter
Progress appears to be law of the
worlds nature. Much of its past civ
il progress has been through bloody
revolutions. 1t seems to require a
violent upheaving of society to ena-
BILE it to break loose from the errors
or expressions which encircle it. Our
generation and our own people have
lately given a striking Illustration
During the four years Of bloody strug-
gle through which we have just pas
sed more was done toward securing
the true principles of democracy than
had been done In the half century
which preceded it. A revolution of
sentiment ends not with the laying
| down Of hostile arms 1t was pre-
existing sentiment, hostile to our Gov
ernment and it's institutions, which
put arms into the rebels hands. That
evoked a counter opposition. The
loyal masses were not content to op-
pose an equal force only, SO that
each belligerent should occapy his
| former ground at the end of the war;
each sought to advance The mighty
strength of true democracy has been
stirred to its very foundation. We
are passing through great revolu-
ton we have not yet reached the
end. True, the millions of Union sol
diers are no longer in arms, but have
returned to their peaceful avocations;
yet still the conflict goes on. The
antagonism of minds believing in diff
| ferent forms of government still ex-
lists. The old leaven which caused
the masses of the South to rise up in
rebellion has not been eradicated.-
Each days journal gives evidence
of oatrages as barbarous as those
which preceded the open conflict in
arms. AS war against our institu-
tions existed before the firing upon
Fort Sumter, so it has existed since
the surrender of the rebel armies.
Nor is it confined within the limits
of that portion of our country which
was in open rebellion. The men of
the North who sympathized and fra
ternized with the rebels while the.
were in arms now seek to excuse
them and embrace them as brothers
guilty of no crime These men dur
ing the war saw nothing ON the part
of our Government but executive
usurpations and constitutional vi
olations." They wanted the war SO
conducted on our part as not to de-
stroy the rebel armies nor wound
their fine sensibilities. In truth they
did so far influence the action of our
Government that the war for some
year and half was so conducted as
to do the rebels the least possible in
jury. This was manifested, in part,
by refusal to use the brawny arm
of the colored man, and by the sedu-
lous care with which the property of
the rebel citizen was protected AS
during the conflict of arms every ef-
fective effort toward putting down
the rebellion was denounced as a vi
olation of the Constitution, 30 now
every effort toward securing the just
fruits of our victories is in like man
ner denounced by the same class of
men, With them the Constitution is
to be most literally construed when
invoked to screen rebels but when
loyalty and liberty seek protection
then it is to receive strict construc-
ton. They would have the rebels
restored to all their former relations
under the Constitution as if they had
been guilty Of no crime nor forfeited
any rights.
On the contrary, | hold that they
have been guilty of the highest crimes
and forfeited many of their rights un-
der the Constitution not only their
rights as individuals, but their rights
as organized communities. In the
Incl pient stages of the rebellion as
we'll as during it's bloody progress
they did not act as individuals only,
but as States. In fact, they called
into exercise and used all the legisla.
tive, executive, and judicial powers
Of their several States. Acting as
States they, so far as they could,
withdrew from the Union as States
they changed their laws and consti-
tutions as States they confederated
together and formed a new constitu-
ton, new national union; as States
they elected members of Congress
and Senators to that new confederate
government acting through that
government thus formed they levied
taxes, made loans, conscripted men,
raised large armies, and for four years
waged bloody war against the Con-
stitution and Government of the Unit
ed States.
But, say their hair-splitting apollo
gists, they did all this contrary to
law our Constitution and laws for
bade it. Their acts had no binding
force, hence we must treat all those
acts ana deedS as ii tney nad never
been committed.
Grant that they were all contrary
to law grant that our Constitution
and laws expressly forbade them, and
that they were of no binding force as
against us yet it by no means fol-
lows that we must treat the wrong
doers as if they had committed no
crimes. A man has no right to steal
your horse the laws forbid it; yet,
in fact, Notwithstanding his absence
of right, the prohibition of law and
the penalties provided against it, he
may steal it. BY so doing he &C