Year: 1867

insist that when the fiery pillows of war
rolled over the South that they bore away
into the broad ocean of chaos their laws
and constitutions as the floods of their own
mighty father Of waters swept the drift
wood they gather into the Mexican Gulf,
and that according to the laws of war they
were subject only to military rule at the
hands of their conquerOrs, and so ought 10
remain until traitors shall learn how to
blush for their crimes, and mostly decline
office instead of attempting, as they now
do daily. 90 thrust themselves forward to
grasp. the reins 9fa Government that they
hate in their hearts. | would put the
rebels on probation, and make their return
to power depend upon the merits of their
penitence.


But let US return to the gentleman 5
grave charges of outrage and wrong sup
posed to have been committed by this Con-
grcss. To he charitable, we will have 10
Give the gentleman and his party credit for
memory as fun of trcachery as their
Southern brethren were of treason. They
seem to have forgotten everything they
ought to remember, and remember some
things they certainly ought not only to for


get themselves, but want everybody else to
forget. They seem to have forgotten the
scenes and events that mark the historical
epoch through which we have SO recently
passed, and they seem to have totally for
gotten that these pet Southern brethren OF
theirs, when they did occupy seats on this
| floor gave us practical Illustrations OF dig
nifty in debate that made OF this hall a
.'beaf garden" and much moro attractive
| to lovers of gladiatorial sports and patrons
of the fancy than they could have been
to the wise, prudent. sedate and good citi-
zen. When bowieknivcs bristled from
their breasts, reyolvers filed all their pOck
cts, and clubs weIe substituted among
them for canes when they spoke 10 q
Northern legislator in these halls with
scowl on their brows, threats on their lips.
and fingers on triggers. 1t is true, we have
! b,otted out Tor them etemally and foreY-
or the charming institution under the pc
cular influences of v-llirh they imbibcd
/ these d0gma,ical and insolent airs; but if,
when it was in full blast, they could not
remember that the style of manners that
mieht do 10 drive a gang Of slaves would
not answer 10 persuade n congressional
peer. ii is not at all probable that time
CROUCH has yet elapsed for the fact to ap
pear in their manners that they fully and
properly realize the fact in all OF IFS moral
and political sublimity, that they are not
somebody's master yet, and may again sub
iect us to their old style of argument, so
sccuiiarly southern. They seem TO have
forgotten the price the peace we enjoy TO
day has cost the nation, the crimson cur
rency in which it was paid; the broken
hearts with which il filled bruised and trou-
bled bosOms at home; the mangled bodies
with which il filed hospitals everywhere,
and the liieless forms of manly beauty with
/ which it filed hundreds of thousands of
namelcss graves on the far off battle plains
( Of tie South. They seem 10 have forgot
ten the bitter, scalding tears that flowed
( like floods of lava down the faces of the
/ loyal mothers. wives and sisters of this
/ land when the names inellably dear TO them
were found announced in the long list of
killed that were published rs 4 sequel to the
first flash of TIC lightning that reported q
battle had been fought; and dare say they
have forgotten there ever was such pris-
on as Andersonvllle. and the long, long cat
alosue OF horrors that brave men had TO
suHer there for heifg true to themselves,
their Constitution, their lag, their homes,
( families anA country Well for such gen
tlemen Il would be if they could occasion
ally meet, as they wander over this broad
! country, few OF the many wan specters
of suiicrinr and woo who were captured
by the sanity Southern brethren Of North
ern Democrats on fields Of strife, thrust in
to prisons uuiit for dogs, and starved until
a hale constitution was a wreck, and then
left to suffer the worst penalties of priya


tion incident TO weather and climate 4
fcould give my friend from Brooklyn illus


iralions of individual suffering at Ander-
sonville that woald make the hair stand on
his head the blood freeze in his veins, and
curses spring inyoluntaryto his lips. re
member one poor boy from my immediate
vicinity especially. His name is Dough


erty. lie went into Andersonvil.e without
a scar on bis young body ora cloud on his
fair brow: but under the humanitarianism
: Of Southern chyalry he came out without
foot to walk on. They were literally
frozen of in prison.


There are thousands Of such instances
that might be paraded it had the time or
inclination to do it, To- justify the stern, un-
compromising disinclinatiOn feel to call
by the gentle term of brother these rebels
Of the South. When find in their CON
duct conclusive proof of contrition, and
find them openly opposed TO becoming the
instruments and tools of Northern Demo
Gratis, who while the war was raging, &C


cepted the protection of the stars and
stripes, and now have the graceless eiiront-
cry to brag that they were false TO it, |
NAV, and probably will, then be glad to
welcome them back into the Union. But
when do that | wish to be able to so
home and face the widows and orphans
that swarm the broad prairies Ofthe West,
whose weeds OF mourning meet us there on
the highways and the by-wsys, and answer
any reasonable question they may have to
ask. / recognize the responsibility of n
/ Representative here to his constituency,
and feel that woman or child that
cannot vote may have as sacred right to
ask me question as q man that can, and
| am simply anxious to prepare myself to
meet all such comers. In the silent vigils
of tho noiseless night many a time and Oft
have lancied could hear, coming on the
soft whispering brecZes Of the South, from
the loyal soldiers sleeping sweetly where
they fell gallantly, the allectionate message:
'.Be of good cheer; stand fast and firm at
duty's sacred post. 1t was standing there


we lost the crown OF life to win a crown OF
glory, and we appeal to you now, from our
bright home here in Heaven, to save our
Offspring from the dire necessity of having
to perish as we have perished to save from
destruction the affairs ana temples OF llOer-
ty." And how are We TO do this, iiattering
rebels, tolerating treaon, and petting po-
litical profigates? do not recognize the
right of the rebel States to insist that no
issue not made with them during the war
can be legitimately considered now. If
they had established nationality and had


been recognized and treated with by the


nations of the earth, then such a PROPOSE


tion might per possibility have had some


claims to consideration, but otherwise GER


tainly none.


The position I wish TO assume so dis


tinctly that il will and cannot be misunder-


stood is this: that treason is crime; that


traitors are criminals; that the law is SUI


preme: that when it is violated expiation


must follow, ard | hold that mercy TO the
wicked is cruelty to the just Here is pre-


sented an issue, L admit, With the Prcsi-