The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-09-05
THE ISSUES OF THE HOUR.
SPEECH OF SEN.fTCR DooLITrLE.

LIZ 1OOULO OE lllE uOUlG.
SPEECH OF SENfTCR DoOLITTLE.
Dead Issues and Live Issues-A Masterly
Review Of the Political Situation.
Senator Dooiittle, in accepting the Demo-
cratic nomination for Governor of Wisconsin,
spoke as follows:
Gsntleaen-I am deeply moved by the con.
fdence reposed In me by the convention, and
no less by the manner In which 1t has been
done. Saying that does not tell one-half feel
at this moment. / am profoundly grateful;
and. yet. could have wished your choice had
fallen upon another. I: was not sought 1t
was not expected. Near friends assent with
reluctance, aud my own lncllnations do not
yield without struggle. But there are times
when a mans personal wishes and in
terests must yield to the public judgment.
know full well how much of time and
labor it will cost. But II the use OF my
name can do anything to save constitutional
liberty and republican institutions, In SUBJ
stance as well as In naEe, from the dangers
which threaten them, be it so. yield my
SET to the judgment of the convention, and
accept the nomination. Applause Gentle
men: 1t may be proper for me, in brief words,
to review
THE TRUE SITuATIoN.
In doing so, must speak from my own stand
point. / can speak from no other. The last
few years have witnessed great events in the
been summoned to meet great issnes, duties
and responsibilities before the war, during
the war, and since its close. Some Of these
issues have been discussed in the forum, and
decided at the polls; others on the field of bat
tie. Many OF the Il are now closed, and can
2 never be reopened. They have passed into
history. For few 'moments let me recall
some of those now buried In the past, and In
order to state more clearly the issues and du-
ties OF the present.
First among the issues of the past, men
tion the repeal of the Missouri compromise
which divided to some extent the Democratic
and originated the Republican party. Next
came Kansas with its bloodshed, slave code
and Leconpton constitution, followed by the
war on Douglas, the secession from the Charles
ton convention, the break In the Democratic
party, and thereby the election OF Lincoln.
Then came conventions and formal resolutions
In favor Of secession and independence In the
Southern States. These great issues, upon
which men divided who's act together now,
each Of itself sufficient to divide and to create
political parties, were followed by the still
greater Issue OF war-war declared and waged
for secession and independence by the South
war declared and waged for the integrity of
the Union, under the constitution, by the
North. During its progress, however, not
only the armies, but the ideas Of the North
and South came In conflict freedom and slave
ry met face to face In battle. To establish
an independent confederacy upon slavery, as
itScorner-stone, was the idea and purpose OF
those who led the South into secession and
war; and history now records among the most
memorable events the proclamation Of eman-
cipation and the thirteenth amendment abol-
ishing slavery forever. At length, after four
long years OF blood and sacrifice, by the bless
ing OF Heaven and by the strength and endur-
ance of our patriotic armies, came the final
surrender of the South, and the complete tri-
umph OF the Union army. The war was ended.
Oh! how our hearts went up to Almighty God,
when peace, blessed peace, had come-when
blood had ceased to flow, and no more sons
were to go down to battle and to death. Hard
ly, however, had this first exultatlon come and
gone. when
THE NEW ISSUE OF RECONSTRUCTION
came-to the conqueror more trying one
knan war Itself. / repeat, more trying; for 1t
was to determine whether party all power |
full, with the sword of victory In its hands,
when dealing with the vanquished, could rule
its own spirit-could itself obey the very con-
stitution 1t had sacrificed three hundred thous-
and lives and five thousand millions Of dollars
to mantain-whether in the day Of Its strength
it could keep the pledges 1t made in Its humil
iation, and often repeated from the first bat
tie OF Bull Run to the end OF the war. You
remember President Lincoln proposed as the
basis the reconstruction Of the States and the
people of the South TO their rights under the
constitution. He was opposed 10 reconstruc-
-tion based upon disfranchlsement OF the
whites and subjecting them to the universal
suffrage Of the blacks. To those who suggest
ed it, his reply was like that of Gustavns AdOl-
phus, the King Of Sweden, who, after saving
the religious liberty of Germany, when his
nf5nora him rQtaliatQ his O.
mics, replied: ~ came to break the chains
OF slavery for one people, and not to forge
new ones for another" With malice toward
none, and charity for all, pursuant TO the
constitution. and the provisions OF an act OF
Congress, he proclaimed the conditions OF ana
nesty and peace. That proclamation was ap-
proved by the whole country, including very
large majority of his own party. Had he lived,
have no doubt 1t would haso been realized, |
and we should have had reconstruction under |
the constitution, and not military reconstruc- |
ton outside of 1t. Officially, as President, he |
the last Of his life, he pleaded for it. His whole
soul was In It. He was never stronger in his |
own party than at that moment. But just then |
he was stricken down by an assassin. The re-
sponsibility fell upon Mr.. johnson, who had |
less power to control that party. From that |
passions OF the North were iniamed; Its Rad !
ical leaders, infIriated, strengthened and en- |
boijened, reckless of oaths, pledges and con-
stitutional obligations themselves, they de- |
nounced In both houses of Congress Demo- |
Gratis and all others who stood for the consti- |
tuition as little better than rebels. With fatal |
blindness or deliberate Irpose, under the |
lead OF Thaddeus Stevens, they forced upon |
the country plan OF reconstruction
OUTSIDE THE CONSTITUTION,
involving reconstruction of the constitu-
ton itself by the sword and to accomplish |
that, they abolished all civil law and civil gov
eminent even, In eleven States, and subject
ed ten million people to martial law, and their
lives, liberty and property to trial by courts
martial. 1t was clear violation Of the constl-
tuition, gross usurpation Of power. Mr.. Stew
ems, their great leader, knew 1t and avowed
It, When the McArdle case from Mississippi,
which involved that question, was pending In
the Supreme Court, and after 1t had been ar
gued, law was rushed through Congress in
bot haste, to take away their jurisdiction, be-
cause they believed the court would decide
the act OF reconstruction unconstitutional; and
with unspeakeble sorrow we saw that court
suspend its decision lor Congress to pass that
act fatal surrender! Mr.. Stevens waged
an implacable war upon President johnson,
who strove in vain to save the policy of his
predecessor. The struggle was long, earnest
and intense. But that policy was overborne;
and reconstruction, under the constitution,
gave way to military reconstruction outside of
it, and even to reconstruction OF the consti-
tuition itself, eliminating In the XIVth and