Year: 1866

| Lincoln himself, at that period, required
these things, and had the States assented
to them. | believe / should then have
Welded to his wishes and given my sup
port to the measure.


But. Mr.. President, in the counsels


that have given and the measures that
4 have advocated in the Senate, | have


ever had one polar star to guide my ac


ton, and to that | adhere whether ] am
in the majority or the minority, and |


never intend TO be tempted from 1t one
single inch. fix my eye upon the great


principle of eternal justice, and it has


borne me triumphantlY through all diff


culiies in my legislative career since |
have bad a seat here. / say triumphant
ly, for, sir, have stood upon this floor.


when had not ten men to support me
against the whole Senate, and when the
principles that 1 advocated were infinite


ly more unpopular here than those
that | announce to day. How were the
whole Senate startled at the idea of uni


versal emancipation fifteen years ago. ten
years ago, yes, sir, five years ago! Talk
not to me about unpopular doctrines, and
endeavor not to intimidate me by the in
timation that | shall be found in a mi
nority among the people l know them
better think know that l tread in
the great path of rectitude and
right and | care not who opposes
me. God Almighty is my guide; He 60
ing before to strengthen my hand has
never failed me yet, and l do not think
! he will fail me on this occasion.


Mr.. President, will not boast, but L,
with many others upon this floor, can
| look back to our precedent course upon
this subject, think, with great satlstac


ton. l think we may say, with st. Paul,
We have fought the good fight" We
are not entirely through it, as he was
We may have little further to go in the
same direction, but our path is much ca
sier than it was then.


Mr.. Clark We keep the faith.


Mr.. Wade. Yes, sir, l keep the faith,
and l have no doubt of a final triumph.
1 never feared it. l never had the least
doubt how this whole question would be
settled. 1t will come right if we are true
to our convictions.


Mr.. Wilson. We will be.


Mr.. Wade. l have no doubt of it.
do not fear my associates on this great
question. l wish, sir, and | wish nothing
more heartily, that l could agree exactly
with the Presidents view of the subject,
and 90 along with him in the smooth
road to a final adjustment of this whole
question; but there are things in the
| path which prevent my seeing the way
clearly. l give the President full credit
/ for all that he has done, and honor him
for the pertinacious manner in which he
has insisted on the great guarantees to
which have already alluded. He has
commenced, as it were, to build this
great arch of freedom Alright: he has laid
the foundations deep upon the rock of
Justice and truth he has demanded that
slavery be abolished. I agree with him
in this, and honor him because he has
stood firmly by this demand. and he
stands by it now. All these acquisitions
that he has demanded of the South are
right, but he has failed to put the key
stone on the arch that he has built, and
if you leave it as it is it will go to ruin.


When this great question Is settled,
want it to be finally and entirely disposed
Of do not wish to be fighting eternally
about slavery and distinction OF rights
and privileges among the American peo-
pie. | say to President johnson, to the
Democratic party, to the people OF the
United States, that | will never yield
this controversary until all the men 10
America shall stand precisely upon the
same platform, equal before the law IN
every respect. When that shall have
been secured, shall give up this great
controversy in which | have been en-
gagged so many years. and no man will be
more rejoiced than myself that L shall be
relieved from it.


listened carefully to the elaborate ar
gument of the Senator from Wisconsin
yesterday, for l knew it was the an
nouncement of the doctrines of the Ad-
ministration most able set forth, most de
l.berately prepared, meditated upon long,
written and probably printed in advance
and submitted for its consideration be-
forehand; but do not know how that
wss.


Mr.. Doolittle. Perhaps, as the Senator
appeals to me~pon that point, l may be
INDUCED in stating, as | most distinctly
do. that so far as the speech | made yes
terday is concerned, have had no con-
sultation with any member of the Ad-
ministration in regard to it; neither with
the President nor any member of the
Capinet. 1 only expressed my own
opinions.


Mr. Wade. l only surmised what l
stated l did not know it to be fact.
thought it might be so from the sur
roundings that 1 saw here; from some
part of the audience that listened to the
speech. 1t seems / was mistaken as to
that, but il makes no difference. The
Senator is undoubtedly the organ of the
Administration upon this subject.


Mr.. Doolittle. Allow me 10 state that
| certainly do not stand in any such rela-
Uion to the Administration any more than
any Senator on this floor. There are GER
tain points in which perhaps l agree with
the opinions of the President more than
the Senator from Ohio, but l claim no
more right to speak for the President
than the Senator himself.


Mr.. Wade. I do not know that the
Senator does so claim, but l know it has
been generally considered that he was
more familiar with the views of the Pres
ident on this subject than the rest of US.
Perhaps this may be a mistake, but 1t
does not make much difference how the
fact is. l listened very attentively yes
terday to his able argument, in which he
put forth, undoubtedly, all the views of
the policy he advocated that occurred
to him, or that he could muster into Its
service, and his speech was more remark
able for what it did not say than for what
it did say. l do not remember that in
the whole course of his speech he spoke
of the fate Of those four million human
beings whose rights are involved in this
controversy = rights which to him are
dearer than his life nay, sir, he would
rather sacrifice his own son upon the al
tar than consent that he should not
stand upon an equal footing with his
neighbors upon the question of suffrage.
If there were no such element in the
controversy, 1 like him, perhaps.
should find no very great difficult
ty in the way, but should allow
things to go on smoothly and quietly.
Il would be very harmless and unim-
portant controversy if it was barely to
settle the question whether the rebel
States, in a metaphysical view, are in the
| Union or not. The Senator cited Mr..
Lincoln's last speech. or dying declara-
ton, as he called it. in which Mr.. Lin
/ % h.. ,,a,,r ,,,o.