The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1867-02-28
Senator Doolittle-Response to the Demand
for his Resignation.

1Or LIS h6SlS HaIIouI
Senator Doolittle made a speech In the
United States Senate on the 18th inst, the
military reconstruction bill being under con-
sideration, in which he alluded to the reso-
luton of the Wisconsin Legislature asking
him to resign as follows:
wish to plead for what / think the life
of the Republic, and for that spirit which
Dives it life. stand here also to answer
for myself, because on a former occasion
foresaw what believed would follow as a
necessary and logical consequence of GER
tain judicial heresies originated in the State
of Massachusetts,, and Of which the Senator
from Massachusetts on my right (Mr Sum-
Der) is the great champion and advocate. =
l have been for more than eighteen months
denounced in my State by many of my for
mer political associates and friends for fore
seeing these logical results which have now
come; which are now pending before this
Senate in the bills which haYe come from
the House of representatives; for denoun-
cling them in advance; for asserting to the
people of Wisconsin over and over again
that Welding to those fatal heresies would
of necessity dissolve the Union and estab-
lsh a concentrated military despotism. L
have sir, expect, been most severely de-
nounced throughout the State Of Wisconsin,
and elsewhere; that denunciation has been
carried to such an extent as to eliminate
at last in the resolutions of the Legislature
of Wisconsin instructing me to resign my
seat in this body. say, therefore, MIR.
President, as l stand here to-day, | stand to
plead for the life of the Republic; to plead
for the spirit in which it lives; and without
which it is dead. And, sir, | am here to
answer for myself, because | have been
pleading for it with all the power God has
given me for the last two years in my own
State, in the Senate and elsewhere; and if,
sir, | shall in this discussion give utter ance
to deep and earnest conviction In strong
and earnest language, Senators will under
stand it is with no disrepect to them. 1t is
because my soul is filled with sentiments
which language can hardly utter. Never
before in my life, though | have stood in
many scene, and haye often risen here,
but never have l felt the weight of that re-
sponsibility resting upon me which is upon
me now. Never before in my life was there
time when my heart would go up, and
ask Almighty God to give me power to give
utterance to the truth, as it goes up now.
No such measures were ever before present
ed to an American Congress. What are
they? Call them by what name you will
they are in substance declaration OF war
against ten States of this Union. They are
nothing more-they are nothing less. We
know, sir, that the rebellion has been sup
pressed. We know that every armed sol
der from the Potomac to the Rio Grande
has surrendered his arms and pledged anew
his allegiance to the Constitution, the I'm
ion and the flag. We know that there is
not one armed soldier against the Republic
throughout the whole of our vast domain.
We know, sir, that in these ten States civil
governments in form have been re-estab-
lished by the voice of their people, and that
with all the machinery of their civil gov
eminent they are in full operation. We
know, Sir, that peace has been declared by
the authorities of this Government, pursuant
to the acts of Congress comforting that au-
thority. In all the States of this Union
peace has come. But, Sir, what do these
bills proposs2 They propose to open di-
rect war on every form of civil government
within these States. They propose to SUI
persede and annul them ALTO take from
all the people of these States all voice in the
power which is to govern them. The bayo-
net, and the bayonet alone, in the hands OF
the soldiers, to be the law Of the States. -
All resistance is to be overcome; the States
are to be taken possession of, and all civil
institutions are to be supplanted by the
bayonet. That is war. MIR, Doolittle then
entered upon a criticism of the details of
the bill, and afterward referred at consider
able length, to the resolution instructing
him to resign-denying the right of the
Legislature of the State Of Wisconsin to is
sue such instructions-and reviewing the
votes and speeches in the Senate, and the
acts of his public life which had caused
these resolutions to be passed by what he
termed the radicals of the Wisconsin Legis-
lature. He then contended that he had not
abandoned the principles of the Baltimore
platform of 1864 but that be was still in
favor of it, and of the policy of Reconstruc-
ton commenced by Mr.. Lincoln. Concern
ing the Louisiana bill, he said its title should
be amended so as to read not to restore civ
il government but to organize hell in the
State of Louisiana. applause in the gal
leries, mingled with hisses) Mr. Doolittle
concluded his speech at 1886.