The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-24

the right Of Suffrage from the right to practice the
professions. from the right teach to PRACTISE Law
anu lIon tue right 70 preach the Gospel of Jesus
Christ and Him cruciaed without first having taKeI
the test oath prescribed by the Legislature.
;. NY fellow citizens you are here to-day doing me
the great honor OF listening TO my Observations TO
DAY this 70 no offence in the State or Illinois: but SUP
pose that In the next Legislature the radicals should
retain their power In this State and should pas an
act mat every man who Is here present to-day listen
ever be debarred tine privilege OF voting In the State
And that when he caae up TO present his vote every
man in this aud adjoining counties should first take
on oath that ne never had been present and dd not
listen, and did not hear an observation that made
NGw may appear cart that you are doing very foolish
not criminal and there Is no law against it, In the
same way in which this might be made criminal any
the time II was done, and each and all OF you might
be punished by legislative or Congressional enact.
in his properly nor In his life And hence il was that
the trainers OF the constitution placed In that great
instrument the prohibition against bills OF attainde
prohibiting all the States from passing any bill Of
rttainder and ec post facto laws
Fell0w-citlzens, allow me to illustrate my PROPOSE
ton by an example:-YOu all know that Alexander
H. Stephens or Georgia. Is DISTINGUISHED under this
Reconstruction act peause he was vice president OF
the so-called confederacy. lie was and Is disfran.
chised, and has not now any right of citizen in this
country or in any part Of this country. He has no
belonged to him before the war; has that suffrage
contend that, II Alexander H. Stephens has commit
ted an offence against the government of the United
States he cannot and ought not TO be punished until
he shall have first been tried according to the law
that existed prior to the commission of the OFFENCE
dered against him by q jury Of his countrymen.
Now, suppose that instead Of disfranchis,ng this
frage and citizenship In the State Of Geora and the
United states by legislative enactment, the govern
ment had ordered prosecution against him. Sup
pose he had been arraigned and tried, and suppose
he had come In and pleaded not guilty. The prose-
cution would soon, as matter OF course show that
he held the commission OF Vice President in the So
called confederacy. and there would rest their case
(and might well do IT, stephens on the other hand
would show that when the movement was made to
secede on the part OF the State of Georgia he went
home that he was elected to convention called
to pass upon the measure Of secession, and that In
that convention he raised his voice and used his rea
son to prevent 1t. And he would not say-but l. and
every one who has read his speech can say-that he
made the abest speech In defence of the Union that
ever fell from the lips OF any man, North or South.
(Applause.) And have heard. from one who was
there at the time-and, no doubt Mr.. Stevens could
he had finished his speech gentleman arose from
the body OF the convention and read In reply to his
s9sa ~ e
stantially, and believe, word for word, as fol-
lows
, f the people q the South desire Of
out that our had to declare their independence Of
That was regarded as complete answer to the
noble lofty, aud splendid argument uttered by
Stephens IN defence of the Union That was not all.
convention was surrounded by armed men, who ha d
got their out Of the public arsenas and armories
Of the United State5 that these ConSpiraOrS against
the government were armed with muskets, and had
munitions OF war furnished them OUT OF the Is
and armores Of the United States; and that, when
he was defending the Union and the governments,
that government which he was defending did not
iift finger to protect him, but lon the lother
with which to put him down and Overawe him and
his followers And they succeeded. It was the con-
sprators at the South, armed by the government at
OyeraWed ia IN
men at the South, who outnumbered in every one OF
the southern States the consprators and secession
tSts But while this majority stood without arms with
out discipline, without combination, the government
refused assistance not only in Mr. Buchanan's admin
tstratl0n, but under the administration OF Mr.. Lin
c0n until the fall of Fort SUMTER and stood idly by and
permitted these cOnspraOrs to set up despOtbc arb
trary government at the South armed to the teeth,
who drove into the ranks Of secession every Union
man at the South. Then, my fellow-citizens the
attorney for Mr.. stephens, in this trial which have
supposed MIN to be undergoing, would plead that
the duty which citizen owes to his government
the duty OF allegiance-s reciprocal to the duty
which the government owes to the , clzen,the duty
that they are inseparabe. The citizen who refuses
allegiance has no right TO the protection OF his gov
to the citizen has no rigut to claim the
aegirnSe Of the subject or citizen. And
government, that government, having not only re-
fused TO protect him and the sUnion men OF the
South, but having given his enemies arms to over
come MIN. had no right to claim from him or those
Union men whom they had abandoned any alle-
glance whatsoever. would like to look into the
face OF the court or jury that would convict him Of
treason after such evidence as that. And perhaps
that was the reason why it was so much more con-
venient to try, condemn. convict and attaint and
punish by legislative enactment than by trial be-
fore jury and before . fair Judge. That may have
been the motive why they have sought this thing by
Now, my fellow citizens, have been charged with
being extremely lenient TO the rebels; with seeking
whom the safety Of the republic did not require r.,
should be punished. would be willing to see oil
the country required should be tried and punished.
And therefore. should not stop short with the trial
OF Alexander II. stephens. / would like to try
stanton put upon his trial. Cheers and laughter.
A voice, s'John A. Logan.'D
General Blair-He Is to small an affair. Cheers
:. would like to seei Edwin NJ. Stanton tried, and
would be willing to be the prosecutor. l win tell
you what could prove:-I could prove that Edwin
M. Stanton was the Attorney General under MT Blu
chanan, and that when the two Senator's JefY Davis
to the senate OF the United States taking their
leave OF the Senate in obedience to the instruc-
Of the senate door Edwin N. stanton then I re.
ceiving salary from the government OF the
United States, having sworn 10 protect and defend
stomach filed with bread that he had eaten and
that came from the oitce he filled, went up to Mr..
sai:-.Sr. 10 nome to YOUR peopie and MAINTAIN aIin
the position they have taken. Unite together stand
shoulder to shoulder, and you VIII compel these
mands that you MAKE" That was the language OF
man then In the employ OF the government then re.
ceiving his salary from the government; with the
oath sun his lips TO maintain the constitution and
to support the constitution OF the United States He
gives this advice and encourages and gives aid and
comfort TO one who had declared his determination
to wage war upon the government OF the United
States.
Iwould prove further, another count in tho In
dctment, that after the war had been wagcd for
several years stevens went with his State took the
Iorlorn hope, yielded to the PRESSURE and this man
I'm tbQ Ooy auf NJ Tim
United States, became Secretary OF War, becoming
the most vindicve prosecutor OF those whom he had
urged TO go into the rebellion and that when In the
changing fortunes OF war our men had been made
PRISONERS OF the enemy, and we had captured some
OF their men, and that government, called, at the
man stanton refused trefused to succor the soldiers
who had been TO the front and by the chances Of war
had been made prisoners. He refused IL, although
he knew they were dying lingering deaths In the
prisons at Andersonvllle and elsewhere Not only
did he refuse the exchange. but when the Confede-