New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-10-24

laws and in choosing electors Of President But,
of Their slaves they demanded to have power on all OF
hem they were now all free persons and thus TO have
increased power account OF the Rebellion and its
suits The third section provided that these persons
who, having held themselves under the Government,
state and had taken an oath to maintain the COnstitu.
ton and had added the crime Of perjury TO that Of rea-
should not be allowed 10 swear again until Congress-
by twO-thirds vote, relieved them Of this disability
And the fourth section provided that the National debt
should be nyOate that the Rebel debt should be repu
dated, and that should be paid OF your
for compensation for the emancipation OF slaves
What was there unust-what there wrong in these
provisions They kind; they were forbearng;
they magnanimous; they were less than we had
right TO demand; bur in our anxiety, in our desire TO
close up this question, we proposed to them How was
il received 1t secuted at kicked out Of every egs
ature in every State in the South which had been
sruced under the unwise policy Of Andrew johnson. In
all the Legislatures OF the South you could not find six
men that voted for this Constitutional Amendment in
States one, in other States at ALL They tram
pied upon it; they spat upon It they repudated it, and
said they would have nothing TO DO with It. DO you know
why vast Because they determined to have more power
after the Rebellion than they had before Before they de-
manded that they should have threefths OF
Their slaves, ana allow them to vote now they wanted
power over their emanCipated slaves iCries Of Never
neverl Then, when this was repudiated we came
together again at the second session OF the same Con
gess to devise other plan Of Reconstruction in place
of the profer that had been spurned. Now, when We
came to this point we had four ways before us We could
I'm the first place, have provided by law that voting
should be confined solely TO the loyal whites whites
of the South, but this would have excluded
nine-tenths Of the white population that had
been swept into the maestroms OF treason
This the basis which Mr. Lincoln proposed 10
reconstruct the South when ne said that he in favor
people were loyal But the Democrats had denounced
this because il would be placing the power in the hands
Then again we could have reconstructed upon me nas
OF all the loyal freemen in these States and the 0ya
alone What would be the result OF that plant Ihai
would have made the States great deal blacker than
they are lLaughter For though they have been soid
uuder the flag ike the swine in the sty OF beasts in the
neId thelI lahes torn from theih never AGAIN ~ nee
at this the Judgment bar Of the Almighty, yet when
they behed the flag Of the Union in danger,
Now il you have here u Democratic soldier, man who
has been South with sherman to the sea- he Will tell you
that when he black face he friend and there
IS not man fleeing from the horrors OF Andersonvle
the grOans OF which echoed around the civilized world
and filled horror who, II he saw white man ON the road,
did not hide in the swamp, but il he saw black man,
boldly went him, and found that he would share with
the risk Of being hung for it by his master point
out him the right road 10 the camp where the Stars
way we could have adopted ThatI before you to
renovate and defend We put the basis Of our Recon
and then and 1 am going to state this pretty
sharply TO You, too we gave the ballot also
The persons excluded for the present from tho SUI
Of men who struggled in tie Rebel army, not the mil
lions Of men who had given their adhesion to IT, but only
and then added to treason the crime OF perjury. shall
prove tins 10 you from the Constitution Of the United
States have 1t hereno of the copies that dis
swinging around the circle lIaughterI would not
with Rebel spectacles. quoe 10 you from the second
article OF the Constitution Of the United States:
bills 1t Is true, Virginia for instance they had In de
fance Of that law which is the supreme law OF the land
allowed some Of their officers TO hold Office without
swearing to support the Constitution We excluded only
those persons named IN the Constitution OF the United
States being required take the oath TO support IT,
and that if they did register they would vote 6e
just exactly as they please lAppause The door was
opened TO them by Congress. We said that those men
Who had only been traitors and who had not been per
jurers might share in this work OF Reconstruction you
ht II You III to register, do Upon them rests
the responsibility, not upon MS VIII tell you The result
In 1862 there was succession Of Democratic victories,
and You will remember that they inspired with hope
these Rebels IN the south They prolonged the conflict
but the terms they obtained in 1895 not good as
upon those Democratic victories OF 1862, which
were their hope all through from the time
these apparent Democratic victories Of they
are encouraged again, and think they viii vote down
Arkansas and Texas, and when they do H. shall, as
Providence perhaps intended at the Presidential election
try "wil you have Rebel governments IN these States
OF viii you have governments resting upon the great
lAppause One thing We have determined upon, one
Thing shall stand nhexby for and that is that these
lie that they made such hot haste 10 leave six years ago
They 10 return led by the faithful Union men who
lAppausel There were some men there faithful men,
fearless men, when the storm swept over that land ana
when the land Of traitors AZ Richmond, calling them
selves the Confederate Congress, passed laws declaring
that any who would not swear allegiance 20 the nag
garded As traitor, and punished with Imprisonment aud
confscation. When prisons yawned from them, and
the neck until they dead they said, welcome
stand by the and Stripes 10 the last drop Of blood
and the last beat Of our hearts, God bless those faithful
treason with OF the Internal fires upon their gar
ments. They were true among the false; they were
patriots among traitors they were loyal men among the
dsloya III ever surrender themf should In any
infatuation that would be iDsany-as representa-
in the American Congress- deliver them power
Of the who would wreak the vengeance them they
failed 10 wreak tins country may my tongue
the roof OF my mouth aud my hand fall neryecss at my
SIDE. lApplausel III you are willing 10 yield them up
because they would not sell their bhrght and surrender
written on your dooIsils, and throughout all time the
finger Of scorn Of the whole world should be
pointed at you But 1 know you will not do IT.
But know you will not do IT. We sometimes told by
Of the country pleading as they did for the Rebel
during the war that must have larger and more
reced in the West and are told that we ought TO
follow that example Wen learned that parable at my
But II the prodigal had striyen 10 mur
der his father and brother and on leaving
tected hm- after all this he had returned 70 the door
sill aad insoenty said, give back my rights restore
tion absolutely and once, do not believe that there
would have been much veal eaten IN the honsehod thtt
night Long continued applause and laughterJ THINK
that calf would have lived 10 this very day lAppanst
Bat the prodgal son came back hunDed ne CANE Da.d
toward him He went out and met MN ana embraced
lin, he placed the ring upon his nnger ana me iatq
Did a single Rebel army ever surrender Voluntary ;
Did single Rebel state ever come DatR YOU
halls aud acknowledge his error aud his crime
Not one They kept on fighting, month after
month and year after year, putting more arms
m fhe field and filing the land with boodshed carnage
and desoation until they redeemed tho pledge that they
made al the outset that they would fight OH TO the very
last ditch And so they did. They fought until they had
no more men and no more money and more resources
and then the gallant soldiers under Sheridan, Grant and
Thomas lcheefsl-I ought 10 have named Cen Grant
at fcbeers ana aughter because OF all the men 10
whom we owe credit for the salvation OF our lana tDee Us
none that is his equal his superior ond eheeTs lie
no,bned fine iufexibe pertnacity Of Wellington with
the brilliant Of Napoleon and IT can be sad OF h