Year: 1866

|


government of the Union, and who


evoked despotism to aid him in doing


it. Is that the way you make treason


odious among mankind? Is that the


policy about which we have heard so


much? Nobody has been able to tell


US heretofore exactly what that policy


was, but we all say that it was kind


of policy that suits every rebel, every


copperhead, and every enemy of the


Government Of the United States,


both foreign and domestic. Well, sir,


as the policy has become developed,


we all now see precisely what it is.


and why it was so grateful to the ears


and hearts of every enemy of his


country. 1t was no less than this =


that those States should suffer moth


ing, or forfeit nothing, by rebellion


but that they should be admitted, un-


washed and red with the blood of their


countrymen, into full communion with


the honest, loyal men Of this Govern


ment, and into the councils of the ma


ton. What has brought about this


change, sir? 1t all points to this


fact--that it will not do to corrupt


men in this way. Why, sir, this poll


cy of bringing these States into the


Union with all their rebellion and


treason in their hearts, is no better


than treason itself | lay down the
the rule here, sir, and defy contradic-


ton, that if there is any man, be he


high or low, who is an advocate for


bringing traitors into the counsels of
the nation, that man is traitor in his


heart. He is an enemy of the Govern


ment and of the nation, and nothing


can make it appear differently. He


who invOkes the aid of unrepentant


rebels to come into the counsels of the


nation to participate in its delibera-
tlon Is no better than a rebel, and is


a rebel at heart. How does the poll


cy that is now devolved upon us differ


from the policy that would be an


nounced from the same place by Jeffer-


son Davis were he tomorrow placed


in the same position. Would he ask


any more-would he ask any less


than that his co-conspirators should be


restored to the same position they had


when they left these halls ? Why, we


all know the history of the Govern


ment of the time when these men first


rebelled. How was it? When they


went of they had the Government all


in their own hands; and to the infamy


of the Democratic party be it said,


that with all their treason and their


crimes here in the Senate chamber,


there was but one man from their side


ready to protest against their treason.


With this exception, sir, you will not


find single Democratic vote against


the will and action enforced by South


ern rebels, and just before they went


out of Congress they had it all their


own way, and you and |, Mr.. Presi-


dent, felt relieved when we saw them


voluntarily leave these halls. The


greatest blunder treason ever COM


mitted-more fatal than the blunders


of the battle fields-was the blunder


of Withdrawing from power in Con-
gress when they had it all in their


own hands. Now, sir, suppose they


had kept on here, just as they are in


vited to come here now, and suppose


they had kept in and had predomina-


ted in Congress so as to prevent any


provision being made for arresting the


progress of treason, you could not


have raised a dollar to carry on the


war; you could not have enlisted a


soldier had they not committed the


blunder of Withdrawing, for the Demo-


cratic party would have stood by them


and voted down every measure as they


undertook to vote them down after


their masters had gone out There


fore | shall move at very early peri


cd to take this resolution up and |


shall press the action of Congress to
a vote upon it. 1t is no new thing


1t is the result of the experience of the


great est statesmen who have occupied
the Presidential chair. | have no
doubt that of all the amendments pro-


posed this is the most conservative,
though do not like to give it that bare


name. 1t is the best one to react a
great evil. Some gentlemen are as
tonished at the number of amendments


offered from time to time, and do not
wonder at it at all. The government
has been floundering through crisis
such as never government encounter
ed before. 1t is tried in all its points.


If there be any weakness in it, it is
revealed by the very difficulties that
we have to overcome. Just like a
great ship overtaken by hurricane,
it may show you the weak points.
show you where the carpenter ought
to commence his work. So with the
great government. This amendment
that | now propose is to remedy the
greatest deficiency left by the fathers
who made the government. 1t is no
disparagement that we find this work
|, not adapted to our time. 1t would
5 be more than miracle if it were 9th.
: erwise than it is. 1t is absurd to sup.
: pose that that Constitution which was
: made for people and nation scat
!, tered over small part of the country,
5 should be in all its parts of the perfect
: when the nation had grown up to con
t tain thirty millions of people, separa
t ted over an entire continent. Just as
!. well expect that cloth cut for an infant
y would be the correct pattern for him
e when he had arrived at manhood
Il There are defects in it, and all mer
S have seen them. 1t is very seldom In
e the history of country that an oppor
It tunity like this arises. | hope this
It body will join me and the Presiden
s with the rest of them. If there be {
r : L :