Nebraska advertiser., 1869-05-20

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the White House, as an evideuce to-
them, that the power that crushed
them into submission still lives.
Instead of offices and sOps from the
Treasury, their cases would be better
met by "a little more grape captain
/ Bragg Mr.. Lincoln exhausted the
coaxfng process, and we humble the
government whenever we adopt it.
AS matter Of party policy, / say
that every ex-rebel who comes 70 as
from the influence Of Office seeking,
and not of hearty choice from princi-
pie, only Weakens our ranks; because
all such are always looking for con-
servative pretext, and In their with
drawals viii divide at the South, and
demoralise in the North.
And when / am told by Senators
nom the South, that Longstreet is to
be courted for his influence over 0th-
ers, feel that the fancied case viii be
worse than the original disease.
But there Is one very significant
fact that should cause the prompt re-
lection Ofthis candidate, and Il Is this /:
If his name was not here, no respecta-
bic number of Senators would advise
to its presentation. The fact that the
President sends it here has challenged
my careful and prOtracted examine
ton of its claims, but the more I ex-
anime the more / revolt at the
thought of confirmation, until would
vote its rejection, if for that vote
knew should go into political BAN
ishment, and carry with me into exile,
all my aspiring friends.
With Texas, Mississippi, Virginia
and Georgia still disOrganized, and in
many places in all of them, the laws
q dead letter, or openly resisted, this
is no time to ''cast a tub to the whale,
unless indeed it contains bomb shell.
Let life be made safe, aud freedom. Of
speech and of the press be secured,
and every constitutional amendment
respected before rewards Of merit are
offered to late traitors, in preference to
tried devotion, manned, impoverished
friends.
But, Mr.. President, what do you In
tend to say by q confirmation, to the
military graduates at West Point, in
all future time? Do you intend to re-
verse the worlds verdict, which has
always banished from confidence and
places of honor, the soldier who deser-
ted his cOlOrs through cOwardise, or
premeditatedly surrendered them to
the enemy Do you Intend to tell
those young gentlemen as they go out
70 posts of duty, behold in the case of
Gen. Longstreet the penalty for trea-
son, forgiveness and promotion to
civil Office, before the fires are quench-
ed, or the streams of blood have ceased
to flow" Then would war upon the
government only be a mode of surren-
dering a military trust, and of assum-
ing the obligations Of civil society.
But on the assumption that this
man has repented Of his treason, even
then, / would not restore him to his
former military rank. I would use
precaution and ordinary prudence,
And I certainly would rather return
him to the army and place him under
all the restraints of the articles Of war,
than to give him the opportunity of
peculation and fraud, where 50 many
men who had not previously learned
to deceive and betray, have yielded to
temptation and fallen.
But, Mr.. President, the example
once set, and these eXiled patriots will
think themselves badly treated, unless
they received the rewards Of their
cheaprepentance by speedy promotion
over their loyal neighbors.
Sir, it will be regarded as no small
salary, that will reward one of them
for the loss of four years in the war,
and four in idle submission and the
next question will be, can the salary
be drawn back to the date of the
firing on Sumpter.
For such exhibitions the time has
not arrived. This confirmation would
shock the loyal sentiment Of the
country.
IfAndrew Johnson, after pardOning
all the thieves and dcounterfeiters, and
accomplices of the assassins of Mr..
Lincoln, and restoring the remains Of
all the murderers to their rebel friends,
had gone one step further and recon-
mended Longstreet for office, the mes
sage would have been Indignantly
secuted.
There is much respect due the loyal
sentiment of the country, and it must
be consulted and gratified as far as
possible. The loyal men of the South
who gave property, sons and ell they
possessed as the price of their loyalty,
who were driven to the mountains for
cOncealment, a41d have since been dis
franchised by the rebels of Georgia, in
the forcible expulsion of their Repre-
sentatives from the Legislature-With
the people of other communities who
are even now mourning their recent
dead, where daily assassinatiOns occur
as the penalty for faithfulness-with
the manned and invalid soldiers Of
with all that sturdy loyalty every
where, that filed the Treasury with
money and the army with soldiers,
would be shocked at this most unpre-
cedented, illtimed and dangerous ex-
perience. That public sentiment must
be respected. Without it money and
soldiers, ships aud Notifications were
of little avail. But the loyal sentiment
was the tower Of strength to which
liberty, driven by treason, fed and
was saved. a @ - ai
IF. therefore, I belived this nominal
ton fit to be made, and thought the
objections of the plain, honest people
only a patriotic fancy, even then
would respect it, and decline q confir-
nation It'll there should be as unani-
NOUS q loyal demand for it as there
was for his capture by Gen. Grant.
There is one humileating aspect
connected with this subject; mean
the presence Of this rebel General, in
this city, in the capacity of an eqnal,
in competing for Office with cur brave
and true soldiers, Of whom 50 many
are doomed to disappointment. He
was never their equal in honor; he
was never their equal in success, and
now he could not be their equal, ifGen.
Grant would stand by them as close
as they stood by him on the field Of
battle.
Mr.. President, Senator Harlan in
the Chair,) I know enough Of your
stern sense Of honor, fitness and pro-
priety, to say that if you had commit
ted the terrible mistake, to say moth
ing of the deliberate crime that this
man did, you would never have al
lowed your name to come here for
Office, to be passed upon by the men
yOu ATTEMPTED to slaY. You. can not