The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1867-02-20
NO.. 81.

was, who IN this House will arise and
say that his avengirg belongs, by any
law of the Constitution or of men or of
God, to his outraged country7 -.
will yield to any gentleman on the
other side who will rise in his place and
say that this Government should
resent any insult or injury to such men.
After pause There is no response; no
voice in all the loyal section of the coun-
try will be heard to assert it | there.
fore assume that their avengng belongs
not to my country. Now. why not?
Mason once did have the right, to do,
mand your protection. and he is uncon>
victed to-day. Why has he not the
right to make the'demand now? Why
did your Government refuse to consider
Thresher, unconvicted OF any offense
against your laws, as not entitled to tho
rights of an American citizen? Why
did that man, (Mr. Webster,) who
then administered your Department of
State, and who is is to stand forever in
your country's history unmatched and
solitary as the master of your constitu>
tional and your public law, refuse to aca
cord the protection Of this Government
to one who engaged in the Lopez expe-
dition but who was nnconvcted of any
crime9 Sir, IN the light of history, Of
law, and ofreason, there can be but one
answer: that along with the Reputation
of The obligations of citizenship the right
to claim its privileges perishes in so far
as the Government may choose to for.
teit them, And it is upon this prin.
clple that we may rightly enact this
section into law.
Now, shall say nothing more about
this sixth section than l have already
said. My own objection to it is that il
fails to assert the light to life which my
Government has; 1t is poor and lmpov,
erished in the extent to which it goes.
say here, in the name OF the loyal people
of this country, South and North, that if
we fail to put lis stamp OF ,hetestation
upon the treason ofthese men, by pro.
hibiing them from any rule and authors
ity in that country, in so far as that pro.
hiblhon shall be found by the United
States to be requisite to retain the gov
ermnents of the States and of the ration
in truly loyal hands, we will stab to the
heart that Government which we on all
sides of the Hall love 80 well. .o"
One illustrlous in another, age said
what has passed into the proverbs of
foreign tongue. Dulce ct decorum est
pro patria morj. A distinguished Sena,
tor translated that TO read, 1T issweet
and d'cent to die for ores country But,
Sir, let me once Tor all say now-perhaps
the last time that shall ever speak upon
the subject in the American House of
Representatives-that if my Govern
ment shall, in any policies otreconstruc.
ton that may be adopted, abandon 10
their fate the men of the South who
stood by their country when their coun-
try so much needed friends there; the
men who proved their love of country
when to prove it meant to die and who
proved it by receiving upon their own
and their wives and chldren's defense.
less heads the storm of a huge aud
merclI2ss treason, and shall, now in the
day OF the nations triumph, consigp
them and their little ones, and the po wer
OF their States, to the dominion of those
who made the rebellion, and whose al
most tendelest mercies and best loyalty,
the nation, appalled, with horror, has
just read in the fire and blood of Mem.
phis and New Orleans massaores. then
indeed the day have come when for our
country it will has ceased to be even
decent to die, and when our country will
itself be dead. .,r. ,..
MIR. Speaker, return to the House
my thanks Tor the singular attention and
kindness with which l have been listen-
ed to, and here quit the theme,