Year: 1867

ReCon6truCt1on.


SPEECH OF HON. JOHN a. LOGAN.


OF ILLINOIS,


In the House of Representatives,,


On the supplementary reconstruction bill, and in re-


ply to Mr. ROBINSON, of New York.


Wa TCoNCLUDEDl -


2 could give my friend from Brooklyn
illustrations of individual suffering at
Andersonville that would make his hair
stand on his head, the blood freeze in
his veins, and curses spring involuntari-
~ to his lips. / remember one poor boy
from my immediate vicinity especially.
His name is Dougherty He went into
Andersonville prison without a scar on
his young body or a cloud on his fair
brow, bnt under the humanitarianism Of
southern chiyalry he came out without a
foot to walk on. They were literally
frozen off in prison. -7


There are thousand of such instances
that might be paraded if had the time
or inclinationto do it to justify the stern
uncompromising disinclination I feel to
call by the gentle term of brother these
rebels of the South. When I find to
their conduct conclusive proof of con
triton, and find them openly opposed to
becoming the instruments and tools Of
was raging, accepted the protection of
the stars and stripes, and now have the
graceless effrontery to brag that they
were false to it, / may, and probably will
then be glad to welcome them back into
the Union. But when l do that / wish
to be able to go home and face the wild
ows and orphans that swarm the broad
prairies Of the West, whose weeds of
mourning meets us there on the high
ways and the by-ways, and answer any
reasonable question they may have to
ask. I recognize the responsibility Of a
Representative here to his constituency,
and feel that woman or a child that
cannot vote may have as sacred right
to ask me a question as Il man that can,





self to meet all such comers. In the
silent vieils Of the noiseless night many
time and oft have / fancied l could
hear, coming On the soft whispering
breezes Of the South, from the lowly pill
lows Of loyal soldiers sleeping sweetly
where they fell gallantly, the affection
ate message: 'sBe of good cheer; stand
fast and firm at duty's sacred post. It
was standing there we lost the crown Of
life to win crown of glory, and we ap-
peal to you now, from onr bright home
here in Heaven, to save our offspring
from the dire necessity 81 having to per
ish as we perished to save from destruc
ton the affairs and temples of liberty
And how are we to do this, fattering
rebels, tolerating treason, and petting
political profligates do not recognize
the right of the rebel States to insist
that no issue not made with them during
the war can he legitimately considered
now. If they had established a nation
ality and had been recognized and treat
ed with by the nations of the earth, then
such a proposition might per possibility
have had some claims to considerations,
but otherwise certainly none


The position wish to assume so dis
tinctly that it will and cannot be misun-
derstood is simply this: that treason is
n crime, that traitors are criminals, that
the law is supreme, that when it is vio-
lated eXpiation must follow and ] hold
that mercy to the wicked is cruelty TO
the just Here is presented an issue,
admit, with the President. He does not
proceed upon the proposition that trea-
son is crime, that rebels are criminals,
and that legal penalties are enforcible.
He is so eagerly anxious to forgive that
he seems to forget that no forgiveness
has ever been proposed yet save as Sc
quel to penitence. Having failed utter
ly to establish anything resent bling ma
tionality, the southern States can prop
erly claim the protection of no laws
international upon that subject. My
can never be commanded to
ignore the claims that / feel the gallant
dead who fell fighting under our flag
have upon my devotion to their fame
while l live. Let the poets tribute to
the soldiers memory be eternally Illus
trated in the practical gratitude of the
American people when he said:


son fames eternal camping ground


Their silent tents are spread


While glory guards with solemn sound
The biyouac OF the dead
And how others feel [ cannot tell; but
am free . confess that | feel that it is
the memory OF those who fought and
fell under our flag; who charged rebel
batteries, carried rebel heights, van
quished rebel legions, and finally crush
ed the rebellion, that has a claim upon