The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-26


Laughter.)- Well soldiers, sailors and
citizens, every man, every woman.
TLaughter.l My personal acquaintance
with the diAtiuguis he'd soldier who is
before you was in the House of Repre-
sentatives. He was Democrat; l, IA
Republican; but as Democrat, he was
Union man. [Applause.l He placed
his country above party, "A voice.
''Thut's so."l and through the struggle
in Congress which preceded the war,
Gen. Sickles was at all times on the
side of the Union In the Winter oil
1860 and '6l, when the galleries OF Con-
gress were thronged with rebels and
traitors, when treason was spoken on
the floor of that hall day after
day, well remember the re-
buke General Sickles administered
to these men when they threat
ened to commence the war. He told
them that if they began in Charleston,
IL would end with Charleston in ruins.
Gen. Sickles went out of Congress and
Immediately commenced making
speeches, and using his influence in
every manner possible to excite a more
patriotic feeling among his coustitu-
entS. When the war commenced, Gen.
Sickles bv his own individual efforts
raised brigade of five regiments. IA
voice-"Bully for him. a brigade OF
thorOughgoing soldiers, VINO fought
D
CiLy of Washington, to the army of the
Potomac. Few gained before him such
a high career as II soldier. Wherever
the battle ragged the fiercest, Sickles was
! in the thick est oil the fight, nt the head
of Il brigade, next Mt the head OF n d.
vision, and then at the head OF = corps.
| At the battle of Gettysburg he began
| the fight and received the first shock OF
the enemy, and thereby lost one Of his
| limbs, This was in July; three months
afterward he returned to the city oil
| Washington with mutllated stump
not vet healed, and offered his services
again, and asked to be put at the head
of his CORPS. AT that moment the city
of Washington was neIeauSueFeu' >
and IL fight was expected almost be
fore the very walls of the capitol.
After that Gen. SiCkles, not yet able
TO endure the fatigues and hardshIpS Ui
field campaigns, WAS sent by President
Lincoln, who regarded him with con
fdence and trust, to the armies OF the
Southwest to Gov. JOhnson-lther
were here cries of oh oh VI-to Gov.
Johnson and others, with directions
from the President, Returning from
fhis mission, his duties faithfully per-
formed, he was afterwaTd sent on II
mission TO South America by Mr.. Lin
coin, performing his trust TO the ehtlTe
satisfaction of the Government. He
was in the Fall oil 1865 sent to Charles
ton, 5. c., to command military de-
nariment. With theshort intermission
of n call to Washington, he has been i'll
command of the Department of North
and South Carolina ever since. He
went there when the elements were in
t,ommotiou, when all was chaos and
disorder, when neither Northern life
nor property, nor Union men, nor freed
men we're safe. He put in practice
what was secured by the Civil Rights
Bill, Slavery was abolished by the
Constitutional amendment It had taken
such deep hold that it had to be forcibly
taken out, like an old cancer it had to
be tuken out by the roots. Every
sprout had 10 be eradiCHted, and every
wound cauteriZed. But under the ad-
miuisIraLiOn of Gen. Stckles he made
as Gov. Orr sayS-eVen the burdens Oh
the military government rs HSht upon
the people of South Carolina as II was
possible under the clrCulnstunSeS'
He has secured To all their rights,
and attended to aud advanced their
material prosperity, and by his orders
tested the resources of the State, Sc.
cured to laboring men falr wages ana
to the producers Of the soil what they
had not received for years. namely,
protection for their labor. lCries OF
how about order No. l0.l Yes, order
No. 10 secured every poor man his 60
or $40 which would have otherwise
been used in costs and lawyers lees,
and the little products lett IN store ior
the support OF his family until Au-
tumn. BY his administration the laws
of Congress passed for the purpose OF
reconsiructinR the Southern States,
have been faithfully and honorably
administered. He has completed reg
istration and LETT nothing for his snc-
cessor to do in that district but 10 see
that a fair and just election is held by
the people. [Applause.l Gen, Sickles,
the soldier and statesman, we greet you
here, weare glad to meet you. take
the epleasure-greater than lever before
felt-in presenting you to this large
body OF soldiers, sailors and citizens OF
Washington.
AT the conclusion of Gen. Farms
worth's remarks Gen. Sickles was
greeted with rousing three times
three. When the crowd became quiet
he spoke as follows:
COMRADES: l am glad to meet you
again and thank you for this PROOF OF
YOUR regard. Voices: You have it.
Go on."l Among the interesting mat
ters which now engage attention, there
are several topics which may, without
disadvantage to any public interest, be
chosen for remark Tonight. The Mill
tary Governments, temporarily estao-
Iished by Congress in the rebel States,
have been Rssailed as unconstitutional
and useless. Without meaning to en-
ter now upon such a field Ofdiscusslon,
il is due TO the country and to history,
apart from all personal considerations
that the Government should be vindi.
Gated from accusations SO unfOunded
and so Injurious. The authority OF
Congress to provide for the security OF
persons and property in conquered ter
ritory until legal civil governments
should be established, is distinctly re-
cognized by the Supreme Court of the
United States in a familiar case report
ed in the twentieth volume of Howard,
in the New Mexico case. The Su-
preme Court decided that the military
occupation ofthe territory ofRn enemy
superseded all civil government exist
ing there, and Furthermore that the or
ders, ordinances and regulations made
by the Military Commander remained
in force until superseded by Congress,
or by local civil government created
by the authority of Congress. It may,
therefore, be maintained that in the
reconstruction acts Congress has exer-
Cised no power not sanctioned by the
highest legal tribunal in the land, and
30 far from military authority having
been exercised oppreSsively or cruelty
in the rebel States, the testimony vol
UNFAIRLY borne by representative men
of those States proves that these recon
struction acts have been executed with
moderation and forbearance. Zap
plause.l It's true that military com.
manders have been law-givers; ii is
true that their codes were more humane
than the laws they suspended. Impris-
onment for debt has been abolished;
the death penalty heretofore imposed
for larceny, has been confined to cases
OF homicide and offences of equal grayi-
ty; the semi-barbarous yet legaltzed
custom of whipping men End women
TOR misdemeanors has been prohibited:
rApplause.l That usage OF teudaI