Year: 1866

crush armed treason on the battlefield,
and sympathizing treason at home,
putting forth stupendous efforts and
submitting to great sacrifices to save
the country from impending destruc.
ton, by electing loyal President, a
loyal Congress, and loyal Legislatures
that although triumphant, we gained
no advantage over the rebels who were
as persistently fighting to destroy the
Government Adopt this Democratic
rebel theory and they get into Con.
gress as early as we do, and accord
ing to their present hopes and expec-
tations, they made at least an even
race with us for the Presidency. There
fore the great solicitude of the loyal
people of this country for the speedy
crushing ont Of the rebellion in 1864,
causing such unparalleled sacrifices
of men and money, only resulted in
) the immediate investiture Of their ene-
mics with power and this was the
boon and the only object our brave
boys were fighting and dying for on
the bloody fields of the Wilderness.
! But, sir, the most astounding thing
connected with this plan is the asser-
tlOn made by its authors and support
| ers, that in its presentation and advo-
cacy here, they are but carrying out
the views of the President of the Uni
ted States that this is the my poll
cy" of which we have heard and seen
SO much. What audacity and shame
lessness do these men exhibit when
they dare rise in their places here and
! assert that this Democratic rebel
scheme for the unconditional wholesale
surrender OF loyalty to treason is en-
dorsed by the President


MIR. Speaker, this ought not, cannot
be. Are we to be told here that our
President, elected by the great party
who rallied around the flag and saved
the country from impending ruin, and
preserved the Government in its peril,
shall so far forget the great principles
enunciated by himself, defended and
supported in that awful struggle of
1864, and which triumphed in his cleo
tion to the second great office in the
gift Of patriotic and magnanimous
people, to whom he is indebted for his
present high and commanding position
and prospective renown, will now, in
sight of the goal of his and their hopes
and aspirations basely betray the in
tercsts of humanity and good govern
ment by surrendering it and its loyal
defenders into the power of its and
their implacable foes The PROPOSE
tion is too shocking, too alarming and
monstrOus to be even imagined, to say
nothing of the realized fact. If it be-
comes an accomplished fact the doc
trine of total dcpravity will be more
authoritatively settled and illustrated
than by the great swindlc of ketch-
am or the wholesale homicide of a
Probst. Why, sir, many of the ideas
as to the legitimate rights and status
| of the rebels in the restoration of the
Government were derived by me from
the teaching. of Andrew Johnson while
acting as military governor of Tennes-
see, enunciated in his celebrated speech
of July 2, 1864, after his nomination
as the Union candidate for the Vice
Presidency of the United States Hear
those patriotic utterances


| And let me say that now is the time to Sc
cure these fundamental principles, while the
| land is rent with anarchy and upheaves with
! the throes Of mighty revolution. While
| society is in this disordered state, and We are
/ seeking security, let us fix the foundations of
the Government on principles of eternal JUS
| tice which will endure for all time.


But in calling a convention to restore the
State, who shall restore and re-establish it
| Shall the man who gave his influence and his
means To destroy the Government Is he to
participate IN the great work of reorganiza-
| tions Shall he who brought this misery up
on the State be permitted to control its desti-
niess Ii this be SD, then all this precious
blood of our brave soldiers and officers SO free
| ly poured out will have been wantonly spilled.
/ All the glorious victories won'by our noble
armies will go for nought and all the battle
| fields which have been sown with dead heroes
during the rebellion viii have been made in
vain.
| "Why all this carnage and devastation 1t
/ was that treason might be put down and trai-
| tors punished. Therefore say that traitors
should take a back seat in the work of resto:
ration. If there be but five thousand men in
Tennessee loyal to the Constitution, loyal to
| freedom, loyal to Justice, these true and faith
full men should control the work of reorgani.
zation and reformation absolutely. Appause.)
l say that the traitor has ceased TO be citi-
zen, and in joining the rebellion has become
public enemy. He forfeited his right to
vote with loyal men when he renounced his
citizenship and sought to destroy our Govern
| ment.


Treason must be made odious, and trail
tors must be punished and Impoverished.
! Their great plantations must be seized, and
| divided into small farms, and sold to honest,
industrious men The day for protecting the
lands and negroes of the authors of rebellion
is past. 1t is high time il were. have been
most deeply panied at some things which have
| come under my observation. We get men in
command who under the influence of fiattery,
| fawning and caressing, grant protection to the
rich traitor, while the poor Union man stands
out in the cold often unable to get receipt
or a voucher for his losses"


And now, sir, it is claimed by the
| friends and advocates of this Demo
cratic rebel scheme that as President
the then Governor johnson will "go
back on these patriotic utterances by
him iterated and reiterated subsequent
thereto and betray the men who rallied
to his support when he so much need
ed it, into the hands and power of their
deadly enemies, Such consummation
would be more to be dreaded just at
this time than would have been the de-
feat of General Grant and his hosts in
the Wilderness.


The incrcdulous feature of this whole
theory is, that the President willin or
der to placate the rebels and their
. friends, betray almost the entire party
!, that elected him.


Mr.. Speaker, men do not generally
act without motive or consideration
What object can the President have in


thus betraying his friends and joining
: the enemy? What had the enemy to
4 offer for such a sacrifice? They were
, bankrupt in principle and politcical
, character, having nothing to give save