The National tribune., 1909-11-11
An Old Fashioned Democrat.

"The first gentleman to whom yield
ed was the Hon. Archibald McAlister.
of Pennsylvania, an old-fashioned DEM
ocrat of the Jackson school. He was
not a speaker, and the brief statement.
as he called it, which he sent to the
clerks desk to be read for him as he
stood on the floor, with every eye in
that great hall fixed on his tall form,
is so characteristic, and withal expresses
so tersely the reasons which impelled
him and thousands of other loyal and
conservative men to demand the Imme-
diate abolition of slavery, that [ quote
what he said entire.
II will read it to you and repeat what
he said. as nearly as / can, with the
as he read IT to me in my committee
room that morning. a few minutes be-
fore the House convened.
He said that it was due to his con-
stituents that they should know why he
changed his vote. and that he could
not make a speech. that he was so ner-
vous that he did not dare trust himself
even to read what ne had written, and
asked me If l would yield him the
floor long enough to allow him to send
to the Clerks desk and have read what
he desired to say to his constituents. 1
never was more anxious to yield the
floor to any man than I was to him,
and answered: Certainly; will be glad
to yield You all the time you ask He
then read me this short, and now h s.
torical,. speech, and 1 said to him then.
as l say to you now. that it was, under
all the circumstances, the best and
most eloquent speech delivered in the
House of Representatives in favor OF
the Thirteenth Amendment. This Is
the speech, and the way he read 1t to
me:
When the subject was before this
House on a former occasion I voted
against the measure. / have been In
| favor of eXhausting all means of con-
ciliation to restore the Union as our
I fathers made it. I am for the whole
Union, and utterly opposed to seces-
sion or dissolution in any shape. The
result OF all the peace missions, and
Especially that of Mr.. Blair, has satis-
fled me that nothing short of the rec
ognition of their independence will sat
isfy the Southern Confederacy. 1t must
therefore be destroyed, and in voting
for the present measure / cast my vote
against the cornerstone of the South
ern Confederacy, and declare eternal
war against the enemies of my coun-
try
"As soon as he had finished reading
| it. l grasped his hand with enthusiasm
and heartily congratulated him, and
Sdlu. MT. hcAilSter, IflaL IS Dettef
and more telling speech by far than
any which has been made for the
amendment, and I believe it will be
quoted hereafter more than any speech
made in Congress in its favor
when the Clerk of the House fin
ished reading this brief speech of this
plain. blunt man, it called forth general
applause on the floor and in the gal
leries. and when 7 afterwards read il
to Mr.. Lincoln, Chase and others they
were then as pronounced in its indorse-
ment as ] am now.
"To the end that there should be no
pretext for 'flibustering' Gas I knew
the amendment might be defeated in
that way). 7 determined from the start
to so conduct the debate that every
gentleman opposed to the amendment
who cared to be heard should have
ample time and opportunity
After the previous question had been
seconded and all debate ordered closed.
there could be but two roll calls Gf
there were no filibustering) before the
final vote.
''The first roll call was on a motion
made by the opposition to lay nv mo-
ton to reconsider on the table. Such a