Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-05-03

y
| tell YOU, solid men of The city of New
York, that the action Of .ibe Thirty.ninth
Congress, which has bee 40 often called
Radical Congress, wassonservativo Of
all the great interests Which were involved
In the struggle II we h4l yielded, tho
rebellion would have boon a success In.
stead Of failure. II wa, therefore, nee.
essary 70 reorganizo society In the South
ern States. Moderate nndIeasoning men
complained at one time iliaf Congress was
seekjng to prevent rooonsuuetion instead
of promoting II. But ailef the experience
Of the last two years, l. bel justified In
saying that II we had been Ia too great n
hurry VIC should haye'lQd to commence
the strife over again. only yesterday
received a letter FRONT Gov. Brown, of
Georgia. stating that tkeu'oyement toward
reconstruction In the Soashern States is
going on happily, and ~o<aSn they will
acquiesce In tho measdr6a proposed by
Congress. If such is really the case, and
| do not doubt II IL, there will soon bo
full aud complete settlement Of all the
difficulties between the North and tho
South. Within q few years from this time
the Southern States will be, / believe, the
most radical States in this Union. We
have some illustrations Of this In the his.
tory Of Missouri and Tennessee. On the
other hand, | believe the most conserva-
tive States in the future will bo New York
aud Chic, who still cling to their prejudi.
ces, even after the reason for them has
ceased. do not, then, gentlemen, an.
ticipato any further trouble between the
North and South. The present Congress-
| have no doubt, will be as prudent and
conservative as the last. When | use the
word conservative. / mean, Of course, to
conserve that which is good and to destroy
that which is bad. II is idle for any man
to say that we should be governed by the
wisdom that prevailed hundred years
ago. Alexander Hamilton aud George
Washington were men of mark, aud far in
advance Of their time, but the wisdom Of
masses Of men is greater than the judg-
mcnt or.wisdom Of any single man, and
the enlightened spirit Of our age and gen
Grafton is wiser than Washington or
Hamilton. | believe that the movements
inaugurated by the Thirty ninth Con-
gress will stand as landmarks to guide and
direct this country and will be as celebra.
ted as the movements of tho Continental
Congress. The Thirty.ninth Congress will,
| believe, receive, as il deserves to receive,
abe same eulogiums that arc properly be-
slowed upon the measures Of the Cont
mental Congress. L hope at the end Of
this Congress We may have in this coun-
try from tlhrty-fve TO forty millions Of
people, the frcest and most enlightened in
the world, inhabiling territory extend.
ing from the Gulf of Mexico TO the Rus.
sian--no, il is 70 losxer the Russian, but
the American ocean. All this vast people
will be a homogeneous nation, with kim
dred institutions, with no sectional diff =.
cultios or discords Sometimes it is said
that differences upon questions of tariff
and finance and taxation may arise be-
tween the East and West. These differ
cnces will, however, disappear, because
every man Of judgment must feel that the
time has now arrived when the statesmen
Of America must meet NIL financial ques
tions in generous and liberal spirit, and
resolve to levy taxation 10 raise revenue,
and for no other purpose. IL must be
perfectly understood that we impose bur-
dens upon the people only to preserve the
national faith. We have issued green
backs, and we must make those greehbacks
equal to gold aud silver, and the day for
the resumption Of specie payments will
not be delayed one day beyond the time
when the people are able to return TO the
oldest standard Of value known in the
world-gold and silver. know that
among the business men Of New York
there is great deal of tremor aud anxiety
about what may be done in Congress in
reference to tlis matter But when you
remember, my friends, that tho members
of Congress are only the representatives
OF constituencies from all parts Of the
country, and that they represent the peo-
/ pie and the peoples interests, this anxiety
must be greatly allaycd. The great body
OF the people are reprcse" ted by men OF
their own choice, who are guided and gov
erned by the same interests that control
them. There is never any danger, there
fore, in this republic, Of the representa-
tives Of the country doing anything that
is intrinsieally wrong. There never was
any danger of it. There may be differ
ences Of opinion among members Of Con.
gress about matters of policy; but Con.
gress will certainly never do anything to
impair the public credit or imperi our
national existence. s--+eat applause.