Year: 1866

Mr.. Voorhees, said: l $50


Mr.. SPEAKER: As the morning hour
has expired, i call mp the resolutions
submitted by me before the recess, and
postponed to this day after the morn
ing hour.


The resolutions were read, as fol
lows:


"Resoired, That the message of the
President Of the United States, deliv-
cred at the opening of the present
Congress, is regarded by this body as
an able, judicious. and patriotic State
paper.


"Resoired, That the principles therein
advocated for the restoration of the
Union are the safest and most practi-
cable that can now be applied to oul
disordered domestic affairs.


"Resoired, Tha. no State or number
of States confederated together can in
any manner sunder their connection
with the Federal Union, except by a
total subversion of our present system
of government; and that the President
in enunciating this doctrine in his late
message has but given expression to
the sentiments Of all those who deny
the right OF power of a State to secede.


"Resolred, That the President is en-
titled to the thanks of Congress and
the country for his faithful, wise, and
successful efforts to restore civil gov
ernment, law and order to those states
whose citizens were lately in insurrec-
tion against the Federal authority; and
we hereby pledge ourselves to aid,
assist, and uphold him in his policy
which he has adopted to give harmony,
peace and union to the country"


Mr.. Stevens i raise the point of
order that these resolutions relate to
reconstruction, and therefore must 90
to the joint committee on that subject
without debate.


The Speaker-The point is taken
entirely too late, in the opinion of the
chair. These resolutions were intro
duced before the late recess, were con-
sidered by the House, and then were
postponed without objection to this
day, after the morning hour.


Mr.. Voorhees-Mr. Speaker, / arise
to-day to discuss the annual message
of the President. In doing so, i am
aware that to the majority on this
floor l may appear as a meddler in a
family concern. 1t would seem from
the remarks of members here, and the
of the press in various
quarters, that the right to approve or
the policy of the Executive
is the exclusive monopoly of the two
now belligerent wings of the dominant
party. Indeed, believe it is a new
and very dangerous phase Of disloy-
atty for one of the minority to have
any opinion at all on the subject. l
can not, however, accept this position
of silence and inactivity. Not that l
wish to bring any reinforcements
which are not sought to the aid of
either of the jarring factions on the
side of the Chamber, but as
a citizen loving my country, and as
the representative of large and en-
lightened constituency, it is my duty
and my right here to advocate what
in my sight seems best as remedy
for the evils which surround us. And
if this sense of public duty leads me
to adopt and defend the policy of the
Executive, what ofiense can it be to
his real or pretended friends in this
bodyp How indignant we were in
the days of our childhood over that
dog in the manger, who would neither
enjoy the comforts and blessings of
life himself, nor let any body else do
so! And here in our mature man.
hood we behold the same principle of
action adopted by great party. 1t
refuses to indorse the President of its
own election, and growls and fiercely
shows its teeth if any one else proposes
to perform that neglected duty.


Allow me, sir, another preliminary
observation. have no design on this
occasion to violate the divine injunc-
ton which says, "Thou shalt not
steal" A few days ago when / in
troduced the very brief and very plain
resolutions now under consideration,
it was instantly heralded over the
country, and especially in the Journal
by the gentleman from New
York, [Mr. Raymond, that l had at
tempted to "steal the President"


Sir, these hungry and sordid spirits
pay a poorer compliment to the Pres
ident than even they do to me, and
will hasten to quiet their miserable
1t is no part of my
purpose to attempt to step between
them. and the Aesh-pots of public pat
ronage. l have no eye on the public
crib at which they have fed so long
and grown so fat. i do not covet their
Offices, their rich commissions, their
unfathomable contracts, nor any thing
that is theirs. We Of the minority
have lived through storm and dark
ness and merry prosecutions without
such assistance to our patriotism, and
at this late day we shall not bend our
knees because thrift may follow fawn-
ing. Our action will be independent,
with no desire, like the adroit animal
in the fable, TO take advantage of the
quarrel which now RACES among the
victors to snatch away the feast over
which they are contending. For my
part as in the past 50 in the future /
shall pursue what / conceive to be the
right indifferent alike to the allure
ments of reward or the terrors Of re-
proach.


And now, Mr.. Speaker, what are
the issues which are submitted to the
country by the policy Of the Executive
as declared in his annual message p
Are they new, strange, or sinister,
that they should be received with in
dignation and alarm Is it a docu-
ment bristling with dangerous dogmas
hitherto unheard Of in the administra-
ton of the Government? Does it read
n