Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-07-25

2
rcsentutirCs.
Mr.. Bingham said:
Mr.. Speaker, had hoped that when tn,
committee appointed by this House to re
port for its consideration whatever they
might deem neediul to the execution of tb,
law of reconstruction. had made a repor
that adhered to the legislation of the Thirty
ninth and Fortieth Congress, il would have
met with no serious objection from gentle
men on any side of the house. / had
hoped that spirit of patriotism in the con
sideration of this great question would
have risen above the spirit Of party, that
gentlemen would have forgotten i'm this
supreme moment of the Republic that they
were Republicans or Democrats, and would
have remembered that they were Ameri.
cans only Misunderstanding but one
constitution, one country, and one destiny
= | stand here to strip potfthe disguises
of mere partisans who object to giving to
The people of those ten disorganized States
lately torn and distracted by armed rebell-
ion the power TO speak for themselves.
with the consent of atriumphant, compact
ed anG organized nation. Is the nations
will to be disregarded? Sir instead of
meeting the question in the spirit of patri
Otism, gentlemen come here and present
themselves in the unenviable character of
the mere eater-up of syllables. or snapper
up Of uncOnsidcred trifies. That is the
quality of the speech to which we have
| listened this morning from the learned and
scholarly gentleman from New York, Mr.
Brooks
The honorable gentleman has spoken clio
Quently of the ancient time; he has dwelt
/ tl,a acf nj FORE tI.o
ing present: he has spoken in classic phrase
OF Salamis and Plat9a. of Marathon and
ThermOpyl;p. the glorious recolections of
which he has garnered up and reproduced
for our instruction, but he has forgotten,
sadly forgotten. the heimperishable memories
dear to the thinking head and beating
heart of the loyal millions of this land.
which rise from the fields of Shiloh and
Stone river, from Chicamaucu and Kene-
saw. from Antietam and Gettysburg. Aye,
the gentleman can speak of the perished
republics of pagan antiquity of thcil trials
and triumphs, but is forgetful of grandcr,
nohler and more enduring triumphs of
republican American. the living and we
trust enduring hope of the world.
Having offered this glowing tribute TO
the perishcd republics of Greece of three
thousand years ago, the learned gentleman
grows eloquent over the Magma Charta
which the barons of England six hundred
years ago wrung from the trembling hands
uf an embccile king; but he has no remem-
hrancc of that nobler Magma Charta which
ashington, whom the gentleman profcs-
SOS 10 revere. wrung from the hands Of an
other king. the American Constitution. the
supreme law ofthe land. the revercd char
ter of the liberties Ofthc great people whom
we this day represent.
I submit, sir, with all Difference TO the
gentleman. that he has spoken in narrow,
partisan spirit unworthy of his great attain
merits and of the people who accrcdit him
as their Representative.
Why, sir. the gentleman with his ac-
knowledged learning. with the experience
which Inc has derived from travel and from
observation among men. strange as il may
appear. did not notice the marked differ
encc of the Magma Charta of England to-
which he referred. and the Magma Chara
of the United States of America. as writ
ten in your constitution in words SO plain
that the wayfaring man cannot err there
in The gentleman read from the Magma
Charia of England. that mo freeman shall
I've taken or dissiezed." &C.. ''but by the
judgement of his peers and the law of the
lsnd;' fOrgetful of the fact that the words
'nO freeman" were words limitation. and
limited this great charter at the time il was
adopted to onebalf the population of Eng
land. and fOrgetful also that these words of
limitation were swept away by the Consti-
tuition of The United States. i'm which il is
declared that mo person shall tie deprived
of life. liberty. or property. without due
process of law BY that great law of ours
il is not to be inquired whether a man is
free by the laws OF England; it is only TO
lie inquired is he a man, and therefore free
by the law of that creative energy which
brca,hed into his nosirils the breath of life.
and he became livin. soul, endowed with
the rights of life and liberty. Ii is not to
be inquired. sir. when any man invokes the
majesty of American law in defense of his
rights. whether European. an African. or
an Asiatic sun looked down upon him
when il pleased God Ia pour the first beam
of light upon his understanding Before
that great law the only question to be ask
ed ot Tie creature claiming its protection.
is this; Is he man? Every man is en-
titled to the protection of American law.
because its divine spirit ofequality declares
that all men arc created equal. Under the
Magma Charta of six hundred years ago of
which the gentleman speaks, the inquiry
was not whether the person was a man,
but whether he was freeman by the laws
of England
The gentleman having proceeded in this
manner to dispose Of this bill, it is not sur
prising that his argument, before he got
through with it, should prove, as it did,
feiO dc sc. not worthy, would say with
all respect to the gentleman. either of him.
self or of any member of this House.
What does the gentleman say? Why, that
you are disfrancising white men. Disfran-
chising them how long? During the tenn
porary period which may be occupied in
recOnstructing and rebuilding civil institu-
tions in the places which the men so dis
franchised have desolated and blasted by
rheir internal treason. And allow me to
inquire what number Of those traitors, sir.
arc disfranchised? Not more than twenty
five thousand, all told, out of a million and
a quarter of freemen in the ten nsurgent
States. BY what instrumentality has it
happened that even this temporary dis
franch;sement was made? answer, sir, by
the action Of the gentleman himself and
the party cooperating with him. The
gentleman and his party having insisted
that this disfranchisement should be put
into the bill. / voted for it, and 1 stand by
it to-day. In saying this cast no reproach
upon any gentleman who originated this
provision of disfrachisement as measure,
not of vengeance, but Of caution and Sc
curity.
Having said this much in answer to the
gentlman's argument, let me inquire when
those States shall be restored as provided
by this law, what restriction will then re-
main on the exercise of the electic fran
chise: None whatever. The gentleman,
sir, discoursed eloquently against denying
to this mere handful Of men, who have COW
cred themselves with treason and perjury
ms with a garment, voice in the prelimin-
ary work of reconstructing those States.
Yet, strange to say, in the very next breath
he denounced as Infamous this proposed
Legislation or the part of the nation to give
to the whole people a voice hereafter in the
control of their own local affairs. That is
what makes this legislation dear to the
American people. that hereafter the great