Year: 1866

FELLOW CITIZENS: You have just
listened to one Of the nblest men in the
Senate OF the United States iGen. Will
som, II man who has never Ialtered tor
IA moment in his devotion to liberty
and the Union. and to the great cause
of civilization, and to whom the credit
is due of having had IL said that he hns
been the author of more practical meu-
sures in the Congress of the United
States than any other man i'll it, since
he has been "a member OF it. He comes
TO us from New England, that much
abused section of our country and the
great crime of which New England is
guilty is that she has ever been true to
the cause of liberty and humanity. He
comes to us in II trying and peculiar
time in the history of our country. It
is often said that every election is IA
crisis; but, my friends, it requires no
more than ordinary intelligence now to
understand that we are called upon to
decide issues that are vital TO the exist
ence of this nation. We are called upon
to decide whether the fruits of this war,
"A war which has cost us three or four
thousand millions of dollars, and more
than One-quarter of n million of preci-
Gus lives, shall all be lost; and whether
it were better that we had suffered the
rebelliOUs States to go in peace, and
permitted the Peaceable dissolution of
the Union.


can only, my friends. attempt to
state TO you this afternoon some of the
great questions which we are called
upon to decide at the ballot box. One
is the question OF the immediate and
unconditional restoration of rebels to
power. Do we comprehend fully and
completely the magnitude of this issue,
whether the men that made this rebel
! lion. that shed the best blood of the
country, that cost us untold millions of
nT,ig u


nent, without condition, without guar
nntee, he restored to the Congress of Ihe
United States and TO the administration
of power in this Government, to make
I laws for Union men and women, tor
/ Union soldiers that preserved this Gov
ernmcnt? This is the immediate issue
thnt we are called upon to decide.


These men, backed by the Democratic
! party at the North, SO CulSed-nOt called
the Democratic party now, but ASSUME
ing to call itself the National Union
! party-are now demanding that they
shall be Immediately and uncondition-
| ally admitted to Congress, and TO the
| enjoyment aud exercise of every office
under the Government of the United
! States.


If you have lost husband, if you


have lost "A father, If you have lost n


brother, or son, bear 1t in mind that
these men have caused you that loss.
-
and sorrow to hundreds of hearth
stones in Madison county, and who nre
covered all over with our blOOd-thuse


men are now demanding, through the
COpperhead party Of the North, to he
restored to power, Just as If nothing hnd


taken place. This is demanded of us,


and we are assailed here in the State of
Indiana, and everywhere else, just rs il


the Southern members Of Congress had


been expelled, had been kicked out
without cause by Henry Wilson and
other members OF the United States
Senate. Because we have not suffered


them to come back at this early period,
before any of these questions are set


tied, we are denounced as viOlaters OF
the Constitution.


A Convention met at Philadelphia,


composed Of Northern traitors and


Southern rebels; and they demanded
representation as nn unconditional


right. They don't refer to the war; they


don't oven call to mind the CirCuIn-


stance that there has been n rebellion


but they treat the absence of these memI-


bers from Congress as If 1T was n great


wrong on our part. Is there truth or


Justice in that, my friends2


/ ask You how these men came out oi


Congress. Was IL because Senator


Wilson and others turned them out I


Was IL because they we're rudeIy or un.
cOnstItutIonally expelled, or WIS IL be-


cause, in violation Of their OHths and


taking perjury to their souls, that they


voluntarily went out In 1861, went oul
; to make war upon you aud mo, went


out to break up this Government. went
out for tho purpose of building up an
other GOVeTnmeut2 -t


After having done all this they now