Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-07-02
OMNIBUS BILL, DISCUSSED
BY MR.. BINGHAM.

MISSION OF Six otaves lA'O 'nS
Union:
Mr. Bingham. 1t is a very easy
matter, / think, to answer all that
has been said by my colleague on
the committee (Mr. Farnsworth) J
touching the irregularity of this
proceeding. It is very well settled
in this country that the presenta-
ton Of constitution by the people
Of any organized Territory, or Of
any disorganized State Of the
Union, if you please, is a mere ex-
ercise of the right petition; and
it would be a sad day for the peo-
Iple ofany State or Territory if it
were in the power of their selected
delegates in convention assembled
by Withdrawing in any manner
from the convention to take away
from them their undoubted right,
upon their own motion, if you
please, not contrary to law, but
subordinate to it, to frame a consti
tuition, vote upon it as your law re-
Iquires, and present it to the Con
| gress Of the United States for ap-
proval, 1t is a question that was
settled nearly forty years ago un-
der the administration of President
jackson, settled in the light Of an
opinion delivered to the Congress
of the United States by his distin
guished and learned Attorney Gen
eral, and from that day to this |
have never seen it challenged by
any man of any party deliberately,
in Congress or out of it. 1t is for
the people to pass upon the consti-
tuition of Florida, adopted by the
people under your own law, no mat
ter who draws up the form. 1t is
for the eeol lie to pass upon it
That is the substance of, your
law, that the people may adopt
constitutions of government in the
late insurgent States.
Mr.. Woodward. / ask the gen
tleman to name State of this Con
federacy which has had It's qopstitu-
ton forced upon it by a military
powerY
Mr.. Bingham. In the first place
we have no confederacy. There
was a confederacy sometime ago
whose capital was in Richmond, but
we have got no confederacy and no
confederation now. We have ma
/ tionaity;, we have Republic.
| Mr. Woodward. deny it,
Mr.. Bingham. I know the gen
tleman denies it. So does Jefer
Ison Davis.
Mr.. Woodward. l deny that we
have a nationality.
Mr. Bingham, know the gen
| tleman denies that we have a ma
honality. If we have no nationali-
ty, in Gods name, by what name
are we known among the nations
of the earth?
Mr.. Woodward, The gentleman
does not answer my question.
Mr. Bingham. / do answer the
gentleman's question; but want
to answer one part of it at first,
and / want him to understand that
| | do not admit that we are without
nationality. Neither do admit
that we are but confederacy. 1t
was necessary that there should be
this conflict between the gentleman
and myself, for it rests upon con.
viction.
Now as to the other point sug-
gested by the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, fMr, Woodward, J of
constitution forced upon peo-
pie by the bayonet within the Re
public as the constitution of
State. l say it has never been
done by the Government of the
United States, nor is it attempted
to be done now. The bayonet did
not compel the people to vote. 1t
cannot compel them to vote =
The gentleman ought to remember
the words of the great tribune Of
the people of France when he said,
"Bayonets have no power over the
will of the people" They have no
more power over the will of the
people than they have over the ON
impotence of God himself. You
may crush men by the bayonet, you
may torture men by the wheel, but
you can neither by the force Of the
bayonet nor the torture of the
wheel compel freemen to vote. 1t
! is a libel " on the freemen of
America, unworthy Of the place and
unjust to the people for any man to
talk aboutAmerican freemen, eth
er among the everglades of Flori
da or among the granite hills of
New England, being compelled to
vote by the bayonet,s I tell the
gentleman he Hbels the American
character when he intimates that
portion of the freemen of this
country anywhere, North, South,
East, or West, ever voted by com
pulsion of the bayonet. They vote
voluntarily. They vote as freemen
only dare vote, according to the
convictions of their own minds and
according to the purpose of their
own will. That is my answer to
the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Eldridge. Will the gentle
man allow me to ask him a ques-
ton.
Mr.. Bingham. Yes, but do not
delay me.
Mr.. Eldridge. The gentleman
has told us in very emphatic Ian
guage that bayonets cannot force
men to vote. Well, possibly that
-r .. <-ts, A