Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-02-24
Watertown 8epubIitapl,
For Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
LUTHER S. DIXON.
SEN. HOWE's. SPEECH

Howe upon the payment of Southern
Claims to which we alluded last week.
It is strange that there could have ever
been any misapprehension as to his real
position upon the subject. He has evil
IDENTIFY felt the pain and annoyance which
any one of proud and sensitive nature in
his position must feel to find himself for
the first time the victim of misrepresenta-
ton and undeserved censure. Ina private
letter he says: = aT Eas
"Of course I am not for paying any
rebels, but am for distinguishing carefuIIy
and always between the two classes.
| asserted the liability of the Govern
ment to pay for property only when TAX
en- for our use, from loyal persons, and
within our permanent occupation" r.,
We regret that want of pace prevents
US from giving even a synopsis of the
speech, as it is exhaustive of the whole
subject. Howe answered the objections Of
the opponents of the bill most conclusive
ly, and conducted the debate upon his
side with an ability surpassed by no other
man upon the floor of the Senate. sa
The simple question at issue was shall
the Government, having taken for its own
use the property of loyal persons in terri
tory which, having been in the possession
OF the rebels, was at the time Of taking
the property in our permanent possession,
pay for the same. Howe showed that by
every consideration of precedent, law,
justice and honor we were boun to rem,
der compensation in such cases. The rea
sonableness of this conclusion it seems to us
is unquestionabe. The object of the war
was to "re-possess" the territory and pro-
perty of be nation from the insurgents
who had seized them From the battle
of Fort Donelson to the final surrender,
the boundary line of the Rebellion was
steadily forced back. AS soon as our
territory was "repossessed," the sup
remacy of the government was eestab-
lished and, under the protection of its
flag, loyal persons could again claim their
rights Of person and property. This
right of protection was as perfect within
five miles of the line, as within five hun
dred, and the government was as much
bound to pay for the property of loyal
persons taken for It's use in re occupied
Alabama as in Minnesota. It was the
misfortune, not the fault of these persons
that an armed Instruction had surrounded
them and cut them off from the protec-
| ton of their government. Having been
robbed by their enemies the oppeaents
ofthe bill would now add bitterness'to tile
misfortunes by allowing them to be plum
dered by their friends 1t is monstrous
and infamous doctrine, and would make
our army band Of lawless freebooters
and land pirates, and, worst of all, pillag-
ers of their own loyal friends 1t is oh.
jected that the payment of these claims
would impoverish the Treasury Sen.
Howe shows the aimsiness of tie asser-
ton and says that the total amount of
these claims would not exceed 100000
The war debt has made the nation, poor it is
true, but is because we are poor that we
can mot afford to refuse payment To refuse
is to be guilty Of rank reputation. By
paying we shall be far richer in our pre-
served honor, than the few dollars other
wise saved to the Treasury could possibly
make US.
We believe that there will no longer
be any division of opinion in regard to
Sen. Howe's course when it is fully un-
derstood; and by the way, though we DO
not of course co1si der linn infallible,
we think the Republican party eff Wis
4 eonsln should be slow to censure Sen
Howe IN advance, or to judge him with
out thoroughly consi dering the case in
all Its bearings, for he can point to a
chapter IN our history which vii! never
fail to cover US with confusion aud that
was IN 1856 when he denounced our States
rights doctrines, expecting it would cost
him the Sepatorship, and we punished
him by refusing him the Office and gave
| it to the facile Doolittle, whose plant
knees and waxy principles would permit
him to turn all sorts of somersets and
be all things to all men for much less
prize than that obtained Four years of
war and twelve of Doolittle, have shown
us what fearful mistake we then made
both in men and doctrines We there
fore think it well to be slow in judging
man who, once at least, proved himself
10 be right, when we were entirely wrong.
The Post Office question at James
vile was left last week to an election of
the Republicans who obtained their mail
/ there. The result was that Miss ANGIE