Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-01-26

| quoted from is entitled Republication
| in America. wish to know whether
the gentleman was the author of that
resolution.
| Hill really don't recollect. RE-
newed laughter on Republican side.
Blaine (persistently)-The gentleman
has not said that he was not the author
of it.
Hill do not, but I think I was not
the author of it.
Blaine-I thought that as the gentle.
mans effort was to show the humane
character of the Confederate Congress,
this might aid him in remembering
facts,
Hill-With all due Difference to the
gentleman, he did not think any such
thing. Laughter. He thought he
would divert them from the purpose of
my argument.
Blaine (apologetically)-Oh, no, the
gentleman can have all the time he
wants.
HIl-What measures the Confederate
government might have thought proper
to take at that time to protect the wo-
men and children of the Confederacy
from insurrection, don't recollect. but
I shall not be diverted by the gentle
man from the course of my argument to
go into the history of slavery, or of in
surrection, or of John Browns raid.
know this, that whether | or any other
gentleman on the committee was the
author Of the resolution, and which
think more than probable, our purpose
was not to do injustice to any man, wo-
man or child, North or South, but to
adopt what we deemed stringent meas
ures to protect our wives and children
from servile instruction and slaughter.
| Murmurs OF applause on the Demo
cratic side.
| He then went on to review the history
OF the efforts for exchange of prisoners,
claiming that the confederate govern
ment had offered to release the sick and
wounded union prisoners in it's hands
without equivalent, if our government
would send vessels to Savannah to re-
csive them, and that our government
refused to accept the offer. He pro-
ceeded to show Davis human
ity, quoting from Richmond
paper wherein he was abused for his
humane policy. He concluded as follows:
My message to the gentleman from
Maine is this: There are no confederates
| in this House; there are no confederate
ambitions, desires or purposes in this
House. But the South is here, and
here she intends to remain. Enthu-
| siastic demonstrations on Democrat side
and in the galleries.
Let fanaticism do it's work. Let it
pass its multiplying act, trample on the
Constitution, abrogate the pledges of
our fathers, incite raids on our people,
multiply infdelities until they shall De
like the stars of Heaven or the sands of
the sea, without number, but know
this: For all your iniquities the South
will never again seek remedy in the
madness of another secession. re
newed applause. We are here; our
brothers are our companions, and we are
at home, thank God. Enthusi-
astic applause. We came to crafty
no vengeance, to retaliate no wrongs, TO
resent no past insults, to reopen no
strife. We come with patriotic pur-
pose, to do whatever in our political
power shall be, to restore an honest,
economical and constitutional admins
tration Of the Government. We came,
charging on the Union no wrong to us.
The Union never wronged the South.
The Union has been an unmixed bless
ing to every section, to every State, to
every man Of every color, in America.
We charge all our wrongs to that
higher law, fanaticism, which never
kept pledge or law. We sought to
leave the association of those who
would not keep with fidelity to their
covenant. We sought to go by our
selves. But 80 far from having lost our
fidelity to the Constitution, we Rugged
it to our bosom and carried it with rs.
Brave Union men of the Nort.,. toll
lowers of Webster and Fillmore If ass
and Douglas, you who fought for union
for the sake of union, you who ceased
to fight when the battle was ended and
the sword was sheathed, with you we
have no quarrel. We felt your heavy
arm in the midst of the struggle, but
above the roar of cannon we heard your
voice of kindness, calling brothers, come
back; we are here to cooperate with
you, to do whatever we can in spite of
all our sorrows, to rebuild the
Union, to restore peace, to
be blessing to the country,
and to make American union
what our fathers intended it should be,
the glory of America and the blessing
of humanity. But you, gentlemen, who
prosecuted us by your infidelities until
you drove us out of the Union, you
who then claimed to be the only friends
of the Union, which you had before de-
nounced as a league with death and
covenant with hell, you who follow up
the war, when tt soldiers who fought
it have made peace and gone to their
homes, to you we have no concessions
to make.
Martyrs owe no apology to tyrants,
and while we are ready to make every
sacrifice for the Union, secession, how
ever, defeated and oppressed, will con-
fess no sin to fanaticism however big
oted and exacting; and while we
make to you no concession, we
say this, we come even to you;
in no spirit of revenge. We
have but one ambition, and that
is to add our political power to the
|