The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-05-23
Speech Of Thad1eus stevens,
on THE
ADMISSION OF SOUTHERN STATES


the debate. He said
Mr. Speaker: | do not expect to be heard
over this House, but what | say will be said
in such manner that those who choose to
be quiet will hear it. Our friends on the
other side have to-day pursued the same tao
ties which they have pursued partially,
though not to the same extent, in what they
have been pleased to call arguments, for the
last eight or ten years-that is, not arguing the
question, b.it arguing at man For ten
years no man on that side of the House has
rison on an important question, but that a
person entering the gallery would think that
was on trial for some offence.
Four-ftths of the time Of the gentleman
from New York Mr.. Brooks is always con
sumed in attacks, you choose to call it so,
on the gentleman from Pennsylvania--not
on his measures, or on the one he may be
advocating. | call upon every highminded
man here to say whether that course of argu-
mcnt SO long and SO persstently pun med is
an honorable or dshonorable course of ar,
.ument. Gentlemen need not tlatter them
selves by supposing that | take to myself
their remarks as llatterinG junction. to my
SOUL or that suppose them to be intended
for the purpose Of eXalting me. say to my
brethren, all of us being equal that it is in
tended asa disgrace to them. 1t is intend.
ed under pretence OF exalting one, to dc
grade all OF the oInefS.
Does the gentleman from New York Mr..
Brooks believe for such is his argument
that by appealing TO the envy or ambition Of
gentlemen around me he can excite them to
action, because happen to be on partc
ular course? Does he suppose that this eX.
ccSslve and unnecessary and uujustiicd
praise of one individual is so to excite the
ambition or rather the envy ofthe rest ofthe
members as to induce them to forget the
arts -the low arts Of low cunning, Of low ar
gument--not of low gentlemen, but of gen
tlemen who use low language?
For the first time in the course of ten years
have alluded to this unfair, this offensive
line of argument on behalf of gentlemen on
the other side Of the House. Excuse me-
therefore, if, when have said this, shall
pass it over and pretermit three-tourths of
the same kind of what the gentleman from
New York thought was argument have
no doubt he thonght il wasin his TRADE
against one individual and i'll depreciation
Of one hundred and forty others. Now,
then, single word as to the bill We have
for some months past been listening to the
cIamor Of outside gentlemen, transformed
for the worse from Democrats into the craw
ling things called copperheads :" We
have heard from them for months and months
PAST, long complaints because the Republ
can party refused 10 allow the rebel States
to participate in these halls OF Congress-.
We have been told that all our acts were
ilegtihiatc, and would be SO declared so
much so that the radical gentleman at the
head of the Governnent-for he was as rad.
zeal was the last time talked to him, Just
before the twenty Of February u
have not seen him since, and | take no re
ports about what he has been doing since)-
obcying this clamor, and yielding to the
u;, .at,bl;ebnI a.
Governments in those outlying States.
Congress. some time after, not liking ex,
actly the kind of men he appointed to rule
there, took upon tito assert its prerogative, to
pass laws called the reconstruction laws, to
make use of certain military men in carry
ing those laws into execution, and day
we have heard the most bitter denunciations
,eainst Congress for establishing military
deSpotlSm.
How consistent all this is | leave to other
gentlemen to judge. 1t does not require
much argument. But there is great com.
plant that negroes are to be let in to govern
this country, and that in framing these con
situations there were in some places riots.
and in other places sutfing of the ballot
boxes. | regret that those votes had not
been taken before the testimony was taken
and published in the case Of Dodge against
Brooks, for it showed precisely the same
kind of conduct in that district which the
gentleman has described as taking place in
these
Mr. Brooks. In that case they turned inc
out of Congress, and in this case they admit
all these States. That is the difference.
Mr.. Stevens. They turned the gentleman
out because, suppose do not know,
hope not-he either did or did not head
those mobs We let those States in because
the legal voters did not head the mobs, and
who were headed by men who were afraid
of negro rule. But the gentleman protests
against these constitutions because black
men were allowed to vote. ! advise the
gentleman to become dramatist, and to
make second play of " Rip Van Winkle,"
now so well played by that admirable actor
Mr.. jefferson. Has the gentleman been
asleep for the last three years? Does he
not know that when he went to sleep this
country was covered with slaves and despo.
tism? Let him now wake up and call to
him his dog Schneider laughter, and let
him look about, and he will find no despo.
tisnl, he will find no slavery, he will find no
bondage within the broad limits of this fair
land, which God made free, and which man
made slave, and which now again God has
made free through the agency of the infer
nal regions in war and in boodshed, and
which trust the Almighty ruler will never
again permit to be made slave.
In other words, trust that he will never
permit the Democratic party to gain the ascend
ancy fur Just $" S,llr rs it does that same spirit
Of lespniSm whicl! disgracrd this nation for
centuries will again riot, for il il rank in THEN
breasts against every nIar whom they call their
inferior, and " iIo wonlI yet hr interior to them
if they could WELD the lash oycr his back ---
| trust, therefore, tbe gentleman will find that
we do mean ih'd every man in this Republic
whether he be black or r, or rich or pool,