Year: 1866

I
! tirst place that the States of this


Union could not secede from the Union,


That we fought to prevent the States
! from seeding, and that if the States


are not out Of the Union, then these


men have their rights in the Union as


the representatives Of those States.
There are two answers 20 be made to
that; first. that no representative in
! Congress who represents 81 State here,
represents district, and no district as
such, l believe, attempted to rebel, but
that would be a technical answer, and
not one to be favored. ana as | may be
told by any astute Senator On the floor,
one that would hardly apply; but the
broader and wider, more statesman
like and just answer would seem to he
that the question TO be here decided is


not whether the State is in or out of
the Union, but whether communities
who were States, who repudiated all
their obligations as citizens of the
United States, and who took upon
| themselves new obligations to body


which they erected, called the Confed-
| crate States, and who fought for four


years to get rid Of tie power and au.
thority Of the United States. and who,
at sometime or other, did get rid Of
that power and authority for 4 longer
or shorter time during those four wears;
sought to make alliances with foreign


countries, and to iismembcr the Union


IN every form possible, and do every


conceivable damage &c the rest Of the


country whether these States have


right in the Union as part of the Gov


ernment Of the Union. 1t is not


whether the people have a right to the


protection of the Union, and not wheth.


er q Territory is within the Union, be-
cause | am not one Of those who re-


pudlatc entirel = the idea which is now


sent to us from the South, and which


| was very sorry TO hear echoed, on


the 22d Of February, from the steps of
the White House, that we who do not
think these men ought to come back
at once arc disuniOnists We don't


by any means agree upon any possible
proposition that We are disuniOnists.


For one, | claim that not one foot Of
territory Of the United States was
ever out Of the Union. ! claim again
that no citizen Of the United States on
its soil has ever got out Of the Union


| claim further that no citizen Of the


United States has ever rid himself of
q s:ggle obligation to the United States


"A great applause J I CLAIM ful ther
that no citizen has ever got rid OF one
particle OF governing power Of the


United States as exercised over him
either to restrain him III wrong or
aid him in right, CT to make him do
his duty both as citizen Of his State
and as a citizen of the United States


[Long continued applausc.l But I am
told | am disunionist because don't
choose to recognize that an Organiza.
tion OF State government which, by
the people that made it, was made
hostile to the United States, and which
fought the United States for four years
as part Of tho United States, when
| insist that that was not living or
vital part Of the Government Of the


United States. I do not want to be
called a disunionist, for | only insist
that disloyal men, with their bavonets
ut my throat, are not portion Of tkoae
who are voting with me and acting
with ne in the Government Of the


United States; they are now a por-
ton Of the United States without any
intervening act. | do not SOC why
they are not, when for instance, they


were carrying on the battle Of Maaas-
sas. do not sec why, if this theory is
correct, their representatives had not
as much right TO sit in Congress and
vote whether Mcclellan should or
should net go forward. Ask your
Wnrepresentat:vos from Pennsyivania


was the case changed when they laid


down their arms. Did that bring them


back! | know of no better illustration


of this point than by taking TIE case
OF a partnership where numbers Of part
ners go togther in a transaction with
partnership capital, and after 4 time
two or three Of them choose to leave
the partnership against tho consent Of
the others; can they take the partner
ship property with them against the
compact by which the partnership was
formed !? Can they destroy the part
nc1sh!2? They can, as far as they are
concerned; but can they themselves
go out of the paztneeship ior all pur-
aposes of destroying their own right ?
They can. Can they come back into
the partnership? No, not until the
rest Of the partners get ready. [Long
coes;nHed apn!Suse.l Tho speaker


then said that he would not have taken


notice of the slandor against the loyal
men of the country, ci.&rging thom


with being disunionists, bat for tho re


spectacle euarte.' from which it camo.
1t cxme froRa the speech Of tie 22d
of February. He was here to ask the
people Of Pennsylvania whether they
thourht that one of their hOpored rem