Year: 1868

instrumentality, every agency, and every
means by which traitors mad sought to
levy war upon the Government; and
these revolutionary State governments
were the principle agency for that war.
Now, then, what was the consequence?
They had had a government in the Union
from the organization of the Union
down TO 1860. They had destroyed that.
They had set up in its place rsvolu-
tionary, illegal, unconstitutional govern
mant, which had been in existence until
Grant swept that away.


Then they will be without any State
government whatever. The old govern
ment they had destroyed, and the new
government we had destroyed. They
were without any government. Zap,
plause. Now what was their condi-
ton? The soil of Georgia was still a
part of the dominion of the United
States; the people Of Georgia were still
citizens of the United States. They
had thrown off no part of the duty
which they owed to the Union =
The Union had lost or forfeited no
part of its power over them. They
were. still. further, 50 many square miles,
and SO many American citizens, without
local government. Now, manifestly,
the first step after the war ended was
for somebody to establish local govern
ment there. This brings US to the ques-
tion-who shall do that? The Demo-
Gratis say: t'The people of the State
shall do it, The Democrats say the
people of Georgia had got their hand
in, in making governments-they had
experimental upon the subject derisive
laughter]; they had peculiar and spe-
cial knowledge. Laughter. They
had demolished the old Union State
Governments, and they had created
revolutionary government; they had
seen that go to the wall; they had built
a Southern Confederacy, and over that
they flung outfits Haunting rag in rivalry
with the star spangled banner Of Amer
lea; and they should form this State
government for Georgia.


Now there are two theories, one or the
other of which must be true. The
Southern theory of the situation is that
the edict of secession passed by Georgia
took her out Of the Union and out of
the limits of our Federal dominions-
Upon this theory, when we conquered
that State her soil and her people were
as subject to the absolute will of the
conqueror as would be the soil and peo-
pie Of conquered Mexico or any other
foreign Pow,r subdued by our army.
If this was their condition, then it was
not for them to say whether they would
have State government or not; it was
not for them to say whether they would
ever belong to the Union or not as an
independent State. 1t was for us to say.
1t was for the conqueror to dictate
terms to the conquered-not for the con
quered to dictate terms to the conqueror.
["You are right Then, upon that
theory, Georgia had no more right to
establish State government, to come
back into the Union. than the people of
Mexico had right to demand admission
into the Union when Scott planted his
standard on the halls Of the Montezu-
mas.


Again, tue other theory is-the North
ern theory is-the constitutional theory
is-that the ordinance Of secession was
a nullity; that it was no protection to the
rebels of the South; and, although
we choose, as we had right to do, to
exercise as against them belligerent
rights-the rights and power of a SOW
ereign over his rebel citizens-yet they
acquired by the ordinance of secession
no privilege and no protection.


? What is the result of that doctrine?
The result of that doctrine is that when
the war ended they were so many sub
dued and conquered traitors, taken in
the crime, taken with the blood upon
their garments. [Sensation.l They
have forfeited life. liberty, property, civil
government, and every thing that be-
longs to man. Great applause; cries
of '.That's so!'' You have got it!"l


Upon this theory, very clearly, the
people of Georgia had no right to form
government and say it had right to
come back into the Union. Now, 1 don't
care which theory the Democrats take
for the purposes of argument, because
either one cuts their throat from ear to
ear. Great applause and laughter.


There is, then, an end to this pretext
that Georgia could settle this question.
Rebels may say when war shall begin,
where it shall begin, how it shall begin,
how it shall be managed, but the Gov
ernment must say how it shall end
cheers and what shall be the condition