Year: 1866

oe' 0"""SeAoic anu easily leu,
first one way, then another. 1t Is my
opinion that if the nation could utter its
voice deliberately and clearly, on tho
questions between the President and
Congress, he would obey that voice,
whatever it was And therefore, it
seems to me very desirable. that this
voice should be uttered, fully, uncquivo-
cally, by the press, by the elections. and
if it were possible by State conventions,
called for that purpose Let the Prcsi.
dent be told that the nation requires OF
HIM to protect the freedmen, and see
that they have al equal chance with the
white man, full protection for all civil
rights, and that God and man demand
of him that he see to it, that he bear
not the sword in vain, but that he de-
tends with that national sword the weak
and ignorant against the strong oppres-
sor.


But second question is at issue bes
tween the President and Congress--pre.
liminary to that of the freedmen and pros
lection for them. when, and how
shall the Union be reconstructed = The
President says AT once;' Congress
says: wait and see' The President
issues his proclamation, declaring the
war at an end, and the rebel states all
ready to come at once into the Union.
lie denonnces Congress tor not receiving
their representatives and Senators. Now
we have the testimony OF Gen Karl
Schurz, and Of a multitude of others,
that no Union man can be elected even
in the mos: loyal parts of the rebel States,
when any one who has fought for the re.
belion is his opponent. The President
wishes that these men, dripping with
the blood of orr brothers and sons, shall
come to Washington to pass laws to
govern the loyal men North and South.
Congress says /: No! Wait till we see.
Let us consider little. Let us have
some guarantees of their real loyalty be-,
fore we receive them back. Here is tho
real true issue between the President
and Congress. This is what should be
kept before the people, and which the
! people should be called on to decide -
For, after all, in this country, the people
decide everything No man, however
powerful or great, no party, however
triumphant, can resist the verdict of the
Gational mind.


The President and Congress stand to-
day before the bar of the nation, pleading
this question. The President says ::
'Untll the Southern States are admitted
to their full rights, martial law at an
end, all their governments re.establish.
ed, their Senators and Representatives
in Congress,-the Union Is not restored.
We wish to restore the Union. That
was what We proclaimed to be the OBJ.
ject OF the war Now that they are
ready to return let us receive them


Congress replies I'VE are as anxious
as you TO restore the Union, but we wish
for a real Union, one which will last.
These States rebelled against the Union,
and fought it four years. Their spirit is
still unsubdued. They hate the North,
hate freedom, hate Union,--and if they
are admitted now to the floor Of Con,
gress, will do all they can to divide and
destroy the nation. We do not wish all
the blood and treasure spent by loyal
men in the war to be wasted. We do
not wish to have to do over again all
that work. Wait, then, keep thlng1 as
they are. Keep military government
in the South for some time longer Pros
tect the freedmen, until they have adap-
ted themselves to the new condition of
things. Govern the South firmly but
kindly, till it also has accustomed itself
to the new order.


Now, we believe, that if the loyal
people could be heard on this question,
they would declare Congress to be right
and tho President wrong. On this point
there would be no difference of opinion.
New England, the Middle States and tho
West would be all agreed.


During the first part Of tho war VIC
were governed by the Border States, by
their influence on Mr.. Lincoln. Now
they govern us again, through the chars
acter Of Mr.. Johnson. This Border
State Influence has always been disastr-
GUS. Right, We can understand---and
wrong We can understand but this
border ground, which is neither right
nor wrong, neither hot nor cold which
claims to occupy the golden mean be-
cause 1t hates equally falsehood' and
truth which processes neutrality be.
tween virtue and sin this Is that spirit
of the church Of Laodicea, which the
Lord cannot bear. because thou art