The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-21
GheQntelliqereer,


CoIfnx on the situation. Ea55s
Hon. Schuyler Colfax addressed the
people at Lebanon, last Tuesday, on
the issues before the country. We
make few ringing extracts from his
noble utterances: ---
Ladies' and Gentlemen ~ can con-
dense of all the speech which shall
make to you this afternoon on the great
and vital issue before the American
people, into one single, impressive SEN
tence. Those Dho lore the old rag
should rule the land. That is the issue
whether this Government of ours Is to
be administered in the interest of 10y
alty, or in the interest of disloyalLy;
whether the States lately in rebellion,
with their armed hordes defyinR the
power, OF established government,
seeking to blot this nation gfroLn the
map of the world, shall be reconstruct
ed upon the eternal granite of indis-
putable loyalty, or on the treacherons
quicksands OF unrepentant treason;
whether these men, who for four years
had their arms around the temple OF
liberty, seeking to overthrow us in
ruin, shall have any part IN the recon
lstruction OF this cOnulry they sought TO
destroy. E1L- 49, ~ .a-.5& ts
INDESiNITY.
In the PALMER days of the Democrat
ic party the watchword ofthe party WAS
indemnity for the past and security for
the future. 1 know right we'll We can
not have indemnity for the past. You
cannot go down to those cannon-tur-
rowed battle fields, or to the prison
oanpps, or tothe sadly unmarked graves
and bring again into life the dead
bodies of your murdered soldiers. You
cannot give back to the father and the
- FHr VNskrrN hnV
/ cannot be comforted because he Is NOT.
/ You cannot give TO the sorrowinE
| widows, husbands who died that the ma
| tiou might live. You cannot return to
the, millions of orphans the taIher
whom they never are tos see again. nsuntil
they meet him at the judgment seat OF
I God. You cannot bring them BACK into
/ life and action now. Nor the mothers
/ tenderness, nor the wiie's affection, nor
\ your children's cry can raise them from
the sleep that knows no waking;
and they were martyrs TO the cause OF
the Union, and you are not WORTHY OF
the precious blood shed for you1t you
do not keep their cause precious to
YOUR hearts. [Cheers. But there
\ is one thing we can have. We cannot
4 have indemnify for the past, but we
can have security for the future. We
can have guarantees in the Constltu-
ton against future rebellion. We can
prevent another bloody scene like this
10 chill the blood, and drain the ,treasr
, ury 'ofthe nation again. We can nave,
and intend to have, security for the iu-
! ture We stake our political existence
Hs "A party to-day on this question that
I LOYALTY shall rule in those States which
lifted their unholy hands aga nst the
Constitution of our country. Let those
who adhered 10 us duCinS this long
struggle, now leave us and go'to the
Democratic party If they will but for
= ba oil
Il Congress, III which you placed your
confidence to the last day OF our exist
ence as a Congress, deiying recreant
President on the one handI and these
treacherous enemies on the other, we
have sworn before God that treason
shall not rule in those States OF the
South. [Cheers.l
RECoEsTRUCTIoS MEASURES. " -f
The speaker then reviewed. Rt some
length the different measures of recon-
struclion, following the advent of john
son to the Presidential chair, and point
ing out in very striking manner all
the missteps OF his administration.
Each succeeding step he had taken had
been only more and more toward the
rebel policy. He said: / honestly
wanted peace and harmony with the
Executive; but when ! saw Unionism
crushed out in the South, and rebellion
again on its feet, dominant and pre-
sumptuous, ! did not dare, under my
oath to sanction il. God helping me,
l cannot put the dagger of power again
into the hands of those assassins by
which they can strike The Government
once more, as they did in the past. Be-
cause we would not do it, the President
denounced us from one end of The
country to the other, calling us traitors,
and saying we were so called Con-
gress, hanging on the verge of the Gov
ernmenl. There is another department
of this Government ,hanginglo the
verge of the Government, and when the
ides of November come II may happen
to fall off. TGreat cheers.l For l can
say of our President, in the language of
Holy writ (see Psalms), MAY his days
be lew, and may another take his of
tice.n EChesrs. J ImeAn, of course, his
official days.
Now, one point wish to draw atten-
tiOn to is this; Lincoln issued procla-
nation before Johnson but he did it
by authority of the law that existed
then; but ttatlaw WAS repealedb by Con-
4 lress in 1867. Johnson neither vetoed
This law, nor did he send it back. 1t
became a law by his not returning it
within ten days. 1t takes FROM him his
power of amnesty. He claims il under
the power of the President to grant re-
prieves or pardons; they are as widely
I different as marriage license and a
statute, and amnesty act Is one of pow
er of the nationI and no PRESIDENT,
though he may think sometimes he is
king, though the Secretary of State
may ask il you take johnson rs Presi-
dento or king-no President, except by
authority of Congress-, hus the power
TO grant general amnesty to persons
who have been engaged in rebellion.
Your President has no right to have
policy, except what may be included
in the laws OF the United States He
has the right to recommend such meas
ures as he sees fit When he has per-
formed that work, 1t devolves upon the
Legislature OF The country, II he deems
the laws enacted unconstltution-
al, he can return them with his
objectionSf but 81 they pass The
becomes law. He is bound to see
! these laws Rre executed. Is there q
, man here that will say-Democratl or
Repu blican--tbats Johnson has taken
care that these laws OF the nation shall
be faithfully executed On the con-
trary, he has thwarted them on every
opportunity. He has revived the dead
body of the rebellion. He has libeled
these laws by issuing his proclamation.
Imagine Washington sitting in the
Presidential chair executing the laws
passed by the First Congress as John
son is deiDgIthose oi. the FOrtieth. Con-
gress, and his name would go down in
iuiamy, and l may say before this au-
dience, I arraigu this man for this last
proclamation, in defiance of The au-
lhority OF law and the sOonstitution, L
arraiEu him for the violation Of his oath,
1 arraign him for failing TO faithfully
execute the laws of Congress, And