Nebraska advertiser., 1870-02-17

I "
fully won. For one I propose to fight
it out on this line if it takes US all
summer and all winter, and each sue
ceeding summer and winter till the
| Union is fully triumphant, and the
rebellion completely conquered.
Mr.. THAYER here yielded to
motion to adjourn
Tuesday January Is, 1870.
heSenate having under consideration the
same subject
Mr.. THAYER. Mr.. President, I
shall not occupy much of the time of
the Senate this morning; in fact |
| had nearly concluded theremarks l in
| tended to make yesterday, when my
friend from Minnesota, TMr. Ram
! sey, desired me to yield the floor
for a motion to adjourn. The hour
| being so late, and recOllecting that
Senator had with great uniformity,
voted againstall motions to adjourn,
Il felt bOundtO Oblige him. Laugh
ter.
On Friday an understanding was
entered into by which it was agreed
that Senate judiciary bill for the ad-
mission of Virginia should be reached
yesterday at four o'clock. All assem-
ted to that arrangement, and suppOs-
ed from the extrrOrdina ry haste with
which the bill was being pressed, aud
the zeal that had been manifested by
its friends, and the anxiety they have
shown for an early vote, that we
should have reached it yesterday. To
our surprise, however, motion was
interpOsed to lay that bill aside, and
substitute the House bill, and the
| spectacle was presented of my friend
from Nevada, representing the Judi
ciary Committee and having this bill
in charge, throwing aside his own off
springf and adopting that of another.
can inform him that this child of
his adoption is launched upon a
stormy sea, and has the prospect of a
rough passage.
Why the bill of the Senate which
has been under discussion for a week,
and for vote on which q time had
been agreed upon, should be thus
summarily thrust aside, can only
| divine. An amendment had been
made to it which, i'm the judgement of
some who are anxious TO have some
| security from Virginia, might accom-
plish the purpose which they had in
view. But, sir, that is trampled under
foot, for fear it might prevail, and the
bill of the House, naked and simple,
is pressed upon the Senate. would
suggest to those who are anxious thus
to bring Virginia back without cOndi-
tiOns and without guarantees to cast
that bill aside and to introduce anOth-
er which shall declare that whereas
the Congress of the United States has
beenguilty Of oppression and of wrong
and of outrage upon Virginia, the
grand old mother of States, and of
Presidents, the noble Old Dominion,
the school wherein were taught for so
many long years the sacred doctrines
Of the sublime resolutions of 1898, and
beneath whose soil sleep the bones of
so many of our heroic dead who per-
ished in saving the Government which
| Virginia was attempting to destroy,
therefore we invite her to favor us
with the light of her restored wisdom
and to send up her Senators and Rep
resentatives, promising that they shall
be admitted at once, and to the chief
est places in both Houses of Cong ress,
and declare to her that we express our
heartfelt regret for the treatment she
has received at our hands In that
way you will reach more directly the
end to which, it seems to me, you are
now tending by the legislation which
is pressed upon Congress.
Sir, less than twenty days ago Con-
gress enacted law remanding GeOr-
gia to her former provisional condition.
Why? Because the members of the
Legislature of Georgia had refused to
take the oath prescribed by the recon-
structiOn laws, and because q portion
of the members of the Legislature
were disqualified from holding office
under the third section of the four
teenth amendment to the Constitution
of the United States; and further be-
cause portion of the members lagally
elected were Ousted and their places
filled by those illegally elected. To-
day you are forcing Virginia into the
UniOI, and you refuse to prescribe the
same conditions to her that you pres
scribed to Georgia. Why is this diff
farence? Does Virginia present her
self with apurer record than Georgia ?
If Georgia had her Andersonville,
Virginia had her Belle Isle ahd Libby.
If the voice of oppressed loyal people
Georgia came up to the Halls of Con-
gress demanding that protection
which you have guaranteed to all
who obey the law, the same voice has
come up from the plains. the valleys,
and the mountains of Virginia, de-
manding the interpOsitiOn of Federal
power to give to her loyal people that
same protection of Government and
of law. With one hand we remanded
Georgia to military power, for viOlat-
ed conditions; with the other YOU re-
store Virginia without conditions
Honorable gentlemen may have an
explanation, but of its wisdom the fu-
ture will determine.
It will be recOllected that in the act
that was passed declaring certain of
the lately insurgent States restored to
the Union, certain conditions were
prescribed. l refer 10 the act of June
%, 1868, wherein it is expressly declar-
ed as follows:
That each of the States Of North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama
and Florida shall he entitled and admitted
to representation in Congress as State In
the Union when the legislature OF said
state shall have duly ratified the amendment
of the Constitution of the United Suites pro-
posed by the Thirty-Ninth Congress end
ing fundamental conditions That the con
stitutiOn of neither OF the said States shall
never be so amended OF changed as to deprive
any citizen or class Of citizens Of the United
States of the right to vote in said state, who
are entitled to vote by the constitution there
of herein recognized, except as punishment
for crime &c.
The Congress of the United States
expressly declared thatthe Legislature
of those States should ratify AID agree
and pledge their sacred honor to that
fundamental condition, that the right
of suffrage should never be abridged
taken away from any portion Of their
citizens who were entitled to a vote
except for crime. Why, / ask the
Senator from Nevada and those who
are acting with him, do you refuse
now, two years later. TO apply the
same condition and require the-same
pledge from Virginia? What has she
done to entitle her to this immunity?
What will be the inference to be
drawn by Virginia on the refusal of
Congress to require this same pledge?
fkaL A. a.