Year: 1866

AOidOio 0Foht Vi tne Qay. AII6E Ten6afs


ing the events previous to the collapse oi


the Confederacy, he plunged into hi:


subject thus:


What were the States then in intend


ment of public law? What were the


States In fntendment of National right


and of every decision of every court and


every jurist? They were but camps oi


paroled prisoners under the guard of ouI
soldiers, to see that nobody molested them
so long as they behaved well. Now, then,


l ask you right here, can there be any


doubt in the language of your resolutions,


that the Congress of the United States,


representing the Government of the con-


quering army Of the United States, have


full rights to make all necessary rules
and regulations for the government of ten
camps of paroled prisoners of war? l do


not discuss the questions as to what you
call them. deal with the question cold


ly and firmly, what they were. You may
call them territories, conquered provinces,
anything but our goVernors-I won't
stand that. Applause. But have


heard the sophism, which is the end and
aim, the Alpha and Omega of all argu-
ments against US, to this effect, "Well, we
don't understand you there, you say that
State has no right to secede, and you


whipped them and prevented them; then
you say they are not in the Union; how do
you reconcile that?" Let US for mo-


ment deal with that argument. What do


we say precisely? We say that no act of


q State, or the Government of the United
States even, can alter the relations of a


single citizen of this government to itself


without his consent. We say that no


State can take a single foot of American


soil from under the authority of the


American Government or the protection


of the American flag. We say the obi


cations of every man remain the same to


the United States. The distinction we


make is this: they lost their rights by the


crimes they committed, while they did


not get rid of their obligations They


had rights as part of this Government


as States in the Union, they had obliga


tions as citizens of the United States


Let me give you an example familiar tC


our courts. A man commits murder. Al


that moment he has the high rights of 8


citizen, the right to the ballot, the right


to be elected to Office, to the marriage


relation, the right to the government oi


of his children, the right to walk free,


man around the streets, but by the act Of


murder, by that crime he forfeits his


right to his liberty, to his wife, to hIi


children, and even to life itself. Mark


mel He gets rid of none of his obligations


TO society by his own crime. Applause.


So with these States. While they could


not make one hair white or black so faI


as their disseVerance from the Union was


concerned, yet they, by their treason and


their crimes, could forfeit al their rights


IN the Union. Not less traitors because


they were citizens; not less citizens be


cause they were traitors. (Applause.


Now then, what is State7 For it is said


that State can never die. Suppose for


a moment, that all the people in a State
die, what becomes of State then?-
(Laughter.) Suppose all the people move
out of State, II now speak Of the polItl-
cal organization as part of this Govel n
ment.1 What becomes of the State then?
Suppose one step farther, that all the
people of State substantially, with few
glorious exceptions, whom we need not
now stop to consider-suppose they all
repudiate their obligation to this Govern
ment and all bind themselves together
and swear allegiance to another Govern
ment, and all unite in arms to drive out
the authority of this Government-What
then becomes of the State? Why the
State is destroyed is because the State is
but the organ of civil government. do
not know, my friends, that it will make
the argument any stronger to quote an
authority to you, especially such an au-
thority; but Andrew johnson, in his
proclamation appointed provisional Gov
ernors, because all civil governments was
DESTROYED in the revolted States. ''With
all civil governments destroyed" using
his very language, where was the State?
Therefore the idea that State can never
die, that State mrst always exist and
that a State by its people can fight the
Union for four years and then come back
of its own volition and undertake to gov
ern the Union, is a sophism and delu-
sion unworthy of an intelligent people
I GApplause. Now then, it is said, farther,
that a State cannot die and cannot lose
its rights, because it has no right to Sc
cede. Let US look at that little furth-
ar. / find a man here on the sidewalk
weltering in his blood, his throat cut,
and the bloody razor in his hand, show
ing a case of suicide. Why l say, the
man is dead No. say you, he cannot
be dead he had no right to cut his
throat it is question Of right, not OF
fact To that l answer, this IS question
Of fact, and not question of right. And
[ repeat, once more, what l understand
to be the true principles of the great Re-
publican party on this question, that in
this great contest not one right of the
over these States or over
their citizens was lost, but every right of
every traitor on its soil is forfeited and
gone forever. Applause. If we have
settled then, to our satisfaction, upon
the principles of memorable logic and
truth, what is the condition of these
people. we have settled definitely what
,hail be the rights of Congress or the
tights of the rest of the nation. Their
tights are all powerful Their. duty Is
another question. Now, in all govern
mental relations, in all governmental &C
ions against communities, it has always
been found necessary for the Government
70 treat communities as if they had erred
,r been misled, to be in the mass forgiv-
IN. But all governments have treated
IS examples those that misled, their COM
nunities and that is our duty. 1t would
eem to me in the present crisis, to ex-
end to the South, to the Southern men,
Who, as communities have been misled, |
,ur cordial welcome back when they will
,ome back in the spirit of truth, of justice,
If right, of kindness and of loyalty in
which we offer to receive them. But for |
he men that misled them, the great rep
'esentative men, let them be 80 dealt
With that no man hereafter shall ever
cave his seat in the Congress of the
United States, or desert the glorious flag
or the purpose of taking command in
he armies of our enemies. Applause.
As 1 have said governments must deal
With communities as if they had erred.
As soon as the communities have shown
desire to be received back as an humble,


mark the word, as an humble thankful-
less for the clemency meted out to them,
because it is for men who have erred to be
tumble when they acknowledge their mis-
axe. As for the rest 1 would answer
lere the question put by the President,
would you hang eight millionsi,, No, |
10, Mr.. President; God forbid but you