Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-05-29

, lished by the sword, | still preferred the Gov.
ernment ofthe United States 10 any other
recognized government. [Cheers.j Il IS
The natural iaquiry then was, whal is my
interest, and what is my duty Ibelicved il
was my interest, and nay choice, to ~rsEnain IN
this government. If | remained here, 4 must
seek the amnesty of the government FOR the
past, aud | must seek its protection for the
future. If il Yielded me that 1 was in honor
bound to return TO my allegiance, and make a
good citizen if / could. lCries of '6ood /.
good r. and eheersl Hence l have advocated
every measure from that time until this for
reconstruction. When the President of the
United States proposed his plan | advised our
people to accept il, because Ne. had fallen, anu
we had no other power to negotiate with bat
him, He did not call Congress together
When Congress, which had The legitimate
control of this question [cheers and prolonged
applause proposed the Constitutional Amend
ment to me Southern States, 1 advised SUCH
friends as sought my opinion upon the sues
ton that ii was better to ACCEPT 1t. But the
feeling was so overwhelming against It that
no 70 ce could stand it.
Ihen there was the Constitutional Amend
mcnt. lhere. was, but one issue in it, and that
was tho suffrage question, and that Congress
left with the States to settle for themselves
Ii we voted the black race, we must count
them in our representation; if we refuse to
vote them we could not count them. That was
right. TCheers and great applause, cries OF
.'kight, Right With reference to the Fed
eral debt, there was no question there. There
was but one important question connected
with it, and that was this provision that dis.
qualified me. and others with me, from hold
ing office. That was no living issue. 1, and
others like me-, will soon pass from tae stage,
and if we did not, there are other and better
men to take our places, therefore in my judg-
ment we acted very injudiclously. What next
followed? The suppleme1Dl bill aud the sup>
Elemental acts. | advised on the passage of
that bill that we accept it. AT that time it
woald have been easy for me. True, without
vanity, ! may say, l had some popularity in
my State, and had four times been elected the
Executive of my State. might nave retained
and courted popularity, but duty dictated to
mo a different course, and l did it, and | have
received the hearty denunciations of my peo-
pie, or a large proportion Of them, for having
done so.
l have been denounced as an enemy to my
race, and a traitor TO the cause that has
wrought so much. / do not think so. Ithink
my course more honorable than of the man
who AS a rebel and sought the same amnes-
ty that the State receives, and the same pro-
lection from the government which 1 receive,
and then stays in his bosom prepared to sting
it when opportunity offers. "Good, goods
and applause When | fought, l fought you
openly and bodily. When | surrendered, |
in good faith. And when | took
the oath, | took 1t with a purpose relig.ously
TO observe it. BY my theory and | had been
taught that il was the true one my primary
allegiance was to the State. When mad for
merly taken an oath to defend the Constitu-
ton of the United States, | understood it to
bind me only when my State renamed in the
Union; but if she Withdrew (which | believed
she bad the right to do, for just cause, accord
ing to the necessity OF the case, that she must
be the Judge. ] did DOT feel that | had viola
ted thai oath when l went with my State, and
since that time. And the one which the Pres
ident OF the United States gave me was very
different. lie required me to take a very diff
tarent oath. | was sworn TO support not only
the Constitution Of the United States, bul the
Union OF the States. [Applause] Wheni did
that | abandoned the doctrines OF seeessIon
for | cannot support the union of the States
and encourage secession from the Union
TCheers1 The Virginia and Kentucky reso,
lutions that include that doctrine, as lunder-
stood them, have always been tie very plat
form upon winch the Democracy had stood
when the platform was knocked from
under my party, | had nothing left to take
hold on. As | understood Tie doctrines of the
Democracy, they Were sovereignty and the
of secession. The sword has established
A different doctrine, and hence it is that | am
no longer bound by party allegiance to the
party.
The HamiItoniaa and Websterian construc-
of the Constitution has been established
by the sword. / have acquiesced in that, and
as l find tie Republican party standing on
the platform to-day that has been abandoned
by the Democratic party, that naturally leads
into the Republican party. lCheers. Il
know this is very unpopular doctrine IN the
South, but | believe it is the true doctrine
let me Tell yon, Mr.. President anu gentle
men. that there ate many white men Ia the
are large numbers of original
Democrats in the Soutk-there are large NUM-
bers OF original seoessionists in the South who
to-day stand as firmly by the Republican
party, and will support the great Captain of
the age-Gen. Grant. [Great applause Our
Democratic friends that have opposed negro
and denounced il as an outrag &c upon
manhood and upon society, and yet in the late
there the negro who would vote the
ticket was really a very respecta>
Die fellow Laughter, and a white nan VINO
voted the Republican ticket was a scallawag
md q traitor. [Cheers and laughter] They
us there 'you establish negro supremacy
II the South Not SO, Not so. While we grant
o the colored people all their rights, civil
and political, We do not expect them to be our
Much as you have seen in the pa
pers on that subject, it is not SO. In the State
Of Geor gia for instance, when those who are
within the CONSTITUTIONAL Amend
ment, and who will be voters, although they
have no right to hold Offices under our cons
stituti on, come to the ballot-box, there are
twenty thousand majority of white men there.
We have the advantage OF education. We
ave the advantage in experience, and we
claim that we have the superiority OF race
Tell me not thea that the black people OF
Geirgia can rule Georgia when they are
tweniy thousand in the minority, and we
have all these advantages. This is said with
view Of prejudicing the Republican party
and South. 1t is no. 90 in other States,
oven where the blacks are in the majority
Ii our white race act properly in this matter,
here will be no difficulty of that sort. | am
lware | am taking up too much time. lCries
Of Go on
The P~resident-Is the Chairman of the
here.
The committee not being ready to report,
Gov. Brown resumed as follows:
/ will thank you at any moment TO inter-
rupt me when the committee comes in. The
here appeared.
just in conclusion, let me say while we
rave IL hard fight to make in Georgia, IT you
will give us the fruits of the victory we have
won in a desperate fight, we expect TO
larry Georgia for Gen Grant. Great applauSe]
Allow me one word before | take my seat.
have said if we do, you must give us the
- NJ 800 alA.ta L1ar /