Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-06-03

10 Wnlcn they owed allegiance; their
state was to them the government 20
which their hearts should go out. To
them the Constitution of the United
States was merely a compact by which
was created an agency TO enable the
several States to carry on foreign rela-
tons and other matters of that sort
that 1t was not u Government i'm tho
sense we now understand it, but an as
ISOLATION of States for the purpose of
carrying out certain class of powers
best exercised by 1t and not by the
States. The allegiance of the people,
as they understood and then felt, was
due to the state and TO the State only,
and when the question came TO those
people of siding with the United States
or siding with their State, it was a
question not of rebellion against the
United States with them, but of rebel
lion agninst their own State.
In ticking sides with their own State
they did not think they were rebelling
against lawful authority. On the con-
trary, their idea was that any other
course would be course of rebellion
against the power to which. and to
which only, they owed their allegiance.
1hat being the case, that being the
feeling which animated a large part
OF the people both North ard South,
ana much the larger part South, the
term "rebep in the offensive, in the
criminal sense in which il is attributed
TO them has no application, They re-
sisted the power of the Government
of the United States; they resisted its
authority; but they resisted IL for the
purpose of sustaining and unfolding
the government to which they thought
their allegiance was due, and which
they thought it was rebellion to resist.
Therefore, say, Mr.. President, that
the criminal intent which belongs to
the term "rebel," ms used on this floor
and elsewhere, did not adhere to the
people of the South, or most of them.
In the sense of resisting the United
States Government, undoubtedly they
were technically in rebellion but in
the sense of criminal intent of resist
ing the government to which they
owed allegiance they were not in re-
bcllion.
In most European countries, taking
them for illustration, nobody disputes
the authority of the rcigning sover-
eign; no subject of Great Britain dis
putes the fact that Victoria is the right
.ful queen Of that country; that to her
his allegiance il due. If he undertakes
to subvcrt her Government, eXpel her
from the throne, set up another sover-
eign there, he does IL knowing that he
is attacking, seeking to overthrow the
only Government to which he owes
any allegiance. There is no divided
allegiance there, no question of wheth-
er it is this Government or that to
which he owes allegiance. In that
.saQ 4 10 N al lr.la of rob "a
against what he himself admits to be
the constituted and regular Govern
ment of his country.
But here i'm our case it Is q divided
allegiance. Here are two governments,
both OF which the citizen lives under,
and whep question of conflict came
between them every citizcn was bound
10 elect between them he was bound
to ask himself, (Which of these now
must ! support? On which side must
go? no My duty. my Honor requires
me TO side with the United States; or
do my duty and my honor requires me
to side with the State in which ] was
born, in which l live, and to which /
owe allegiance That was the ques-
ton every man had to ask himself;
every man had TO decide for himself;
and those who believing conscientious
ly, believing in their very heart Of
hearts, believing rs much as they could
believe anything on earth that their
allegiance was due to the State of Nir-
ginia or to any other southern State
had but one choice 10 take, and that
was to go with the government which
they believe was theirs; to support the
State to which they owed allegiance.
They exercised that choice conscien-
tiOusly and maintained it with valor
and honor.
Now that the contest is over, now
that the doctrine Of secession is buried,
now that the doctrine of notification
is buried, we of the South have no
idea of undertaking to disturb this
Government. We desire to make this
Union great and glorious; but we wish
| It to be free also. And while we are
perfectly satisfied that the right course
| to pursue is TO remove everything that
makes a distinction between n south
| ern man and northern man, to re-
move everything that makes distinc-
| ton between q so-called rebel and q
so-called loyal man, we do not think
| tina. the Union can ever be made per-
feet, ever be made "A proper Union,
ever he Union of sentiment, ever be
Union of feeling, until that is done
To have Union of States it is moi
merely necessary to restore the States
to the Union, but in order to have
Union OF States you must have {
| Union of equal States, n statute-bool
free from laws of discrimination, upon
which nothing Is TO be found tina
makes one man inferior to another.
we have had on this floor and every
| ..,l.., "A al Af
the very men who denounce caste ar,
establishing an order of pariahs, mel
who shall be as much outcasts, agains
whom every man is entitled TO pom
| the finger of scOrn, men who are to b.
denied every political right, just a
much ms pariahs of India. While the,
seek to remove one class of men from
what they call the degradation of caste
they seek 90 impose the same thin
upon another class.
am content that caste, so far ~ TN
colored man is concerned, shall be al
terly and entirely abolished. l an
: content that he shall have every polit
cal right: / agree that he shall vote
that he shall hold office, that he sha
be as free as the white man; but | M
not content, If | can help it, that ia
white man should be less free than Oh
/ oolofed man. | am not content thi
while you destroy caste as TO one, 20
, shall make il as TO another. And whe
that is done, the Government tia
! does it ia not the Government whic
4 is going to execute and carry out
= good faith the republican form of go'
/ eminent TO which we belong.
{ Mr.. President, this particular bi
r under consideration is entitled -.
{ bill 10 enforce the fifteenth amen'
h ment.u The fifteenth amendmeI
= itself authorizes Congress to enforce
: by appropriate legislation, and /, Il
a one, have no election whatever 10 ha
r ing an appropriate bin passed for d
I purpose. But this bill Is neither a
: propriate for that nor for any 9th
purpose; and il has In 1t one featu
Il that ought 10 faint, and does faint M
n legislative measure in which II IL co
e tanned that is a feature which hol
d out 10 a i0hoie people the profits TO
.. realized from turning informers.
l. | ,.rf1l ranraIuaa nitua hates all OVpr III