The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-03-08
AN ELOQUENT OPENING.

quent language, but no more strong and
eloquent than truthful. Mr.. Doolittle
arose and said:
| rise to plead for whatI think the
life of the Republic, and for that spirit
which gives it life. | stand here also
to answer for myself, because on a for
mer occasion | foresaw what | believ-
ed would follow as necessary and log
ical consequence of the adoption of GER
tain fundamental heresies originated
in the State of Massachusetts, and of
which the Senator of Massachusetts,, on
my right (Mr. Sumner), is the great
advocate and champion. / have been
for more than eighteen months denoun-
ced in my State by many of my form
er political associates and friends for
foreseeing these results which have
now come; which are now pending be-
fore this Senate in the bills which have
come from the House of Representa-
tives; for denOuncing them in advance,
for asserting to the people of Wisconsin
over and over again that yielding to
these fatal heresies would of necessity
dissolve the Union, and establish con-
centrated military despotism.
| have, sir, | expect, been more Sc
verely denounced throughout the State
of Wisconsin than elsewhere. That
denunciation has been carried to such
an extent as to culmniate at last in res
olutions of the Radical Legislature of
Wisconsin, instructing me toresign my
seat in this body. | say, therefore, Mr..
President, as | stand here to-day, |
stand to plead for the life of the Repub-
lie, to plead for the spirit in which it
lives, and without which it is dead;
and, sir, lam 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 State, and
in this Senate and elsewhere. And if,
sir, shall in this discussion give utter
ance to deep and earnest convictions in
strong and earnest language, Senators
will understand it is with no nodisrespect
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 have often risen here, but never
have felt the weight of that response
bility resting upon me which is upon
me now.
Never before in my life was there a
time when my heart would go up and
ask Almighty God to givethe power to
give utterance to the truth as it goes up
now; no such measures were ever be-
fore presented in an American Cong
ress. What are they? Call them by
what name you will, they are in sub
stance declaration of war against ten
States of this Union. They are nothing
they are nothing less. We know,
sir, that the rebellion has been suppress
ed, we know that every armed soldier
from the Potomac to the Rio Grade has
surrendered hisarms, and pledged anew
his allegiance to the Constitution, the
Union, and the flag we know there is
not one armed soldier against this Re
public throughout the whole of our vast
domain. We know, sir, that in those
ten States civil governments in form
have been re-established by the voiceo
their people, and that with all the ma
chinery of their civil government they
are in full operation. We know, sir,
that peace has been declared by the au-
thorities of this republic, pursuant to
acts of Congress comforting that author
ity. In all the States of this Union
peace has come. But, sir, what do these
bills propose? They propose open, -dl-
rect war on every form of civil govern
ment within those States. They pro-
pose to supersede and annul them all
to take from all the people of those
States all voice in the power which is
to govern them. The bayonet, and the
bayonet alone, in the hands of the SOL
dier, is to be law to those States; all
resistance is to be overcome, the States
are to be taken possession of, and all
civil institutions are to be subsidized
to the bayonet. That iswar.
Mr.. Doolittle then entered upon a
criticism of the details of the bill, and
afterwards referred at considerable
length to the resolution instructing him
to resign, denying the right ofthe Leg
islature of Wisconsin to issue such in
structions, and reviewing the votes
and speeches in the Senate, and the
acts ofhis public lifewhich caused those
resolutions to be passed, by what he
termed the Radicals of the Wisconsin
Legislature. He then contended that
he had not abandoned the principles of
the Baltimore platform of 1864, that he
was still in favor of it, and of hepolicy
of reconstruction, commenced by Mr..
Lincoln.
Reviewing the Louisiana bill. he said
it's title should be amended so as to
read, "Not to restore civil government,
but to organize hell in theState of Lou
isiana."
A PAIR of shoes twenty-five and a
half inches in length and seven inches