Year: 1866




throughout the entire South, evince ;
laudablc desire to re lew their allegiance tt
the Government, and to repair the devas
tations of war by a prompt and cheerful
return to peaceful persuits,"


Why should they not? To suppose any
thing else is to suppose that they arc
demcntcd that they have no kind of com
mon sense left, that four years of the mos
terrible war and the most terrible punish,
ments ever inflicted upon people have
been without their lessons It can not be
Mr.. President; it is no. in the nature Of
things that it should be.


can abiding faith" on the part of this
man who suffered from these people, who
suffered from this war and the doctrine OF
secession and the attempt to break the
Union he says: ''An abiding faith is en-
tertained that their actions will conform to
their professions, and that in acknowledge
ing the supremacy Of the Constitution and
the laws OF the United States, their loyalty
will be unreservedly given to The Govern
ment, whose leniency they cannot fail IT,
appret tilte, and whose fostering care will
soon restore them to condition Of pros
pcrity.'


And here, Mr. President, allow me to
ask when in the history OF this world or
of the human family has it happened that
severity. cruelty, persecution. refused to
recognize common rights, has rcconciled a
people and paciiicd a distracted country
ani when has it happened that clemency-
leniency. as the Pres dent expresses it
has failed to produce beneficial results? Ii
is not necessary to 60 very i.,r back for
instances to show this Look at the treat
ment Of England towards Ireland What
has been the result there of her holding
that people in species Of vassaiage? y
Fenicn lnsurrcction upon her hands now
after hundreds Of years of attempting to
dominate over that people. Look at Pos
land; look everywhere. And if it be
necessary to see what clemcncy, what
leniency and justice, and trust and conf>
dence can do to restore people once in
revolution, take the conduct Of Hochc in
La Nendee. There by the genius Of one
man, high enough to be above vulgar pas
sion, statesman enough to look to the fu>





and is there now part and parcel of it,
with every reccollcction OF the revolution
efiaced.


Says the President.


at is true that in somo Of the States the
dcmorallzing effects Of war are to lie seen
in occasional disorders rs"-these effects are
to be seen in the north as we'll as the south
-''but these are local in character, not
frequent i'll occurrence, and are rapidly
disappearing as the authority Of civil law
is extended and sustained. Perplexing
questions naturally to be expected from
the great and sudden change in the rela
tions between the two races; but systems
are gradually developing themselves, under
which the freedmen will receive the pro
lection to which he is justly entitled and
by means Of his labor make himself useful
and Independent member of the communi-
ty in which he has his home. From all
the information in my possession, and
from that which [ have recently derived
from the most reliable authority, | am
induced to cherish the belief that sectional
anmosity is surely and rapidly merging
itself into spirit of nationality, and that
representation. connected with properly
adjusted system of taxation, will result in
= harmonious restoration of the relations Of
the Stttes to the national Union"


There is little more testimony yet, Mr.
President; and it is worth while to consd-
er, while We are here to take counsel and
to know what we want to do in the extra
ordinary situation in which we find our
selves, from whom will we take that coun-
sci. Are we to take it from men, the
purpose Of whose life seems to be to wage
war upon these people and their institu-
they hate personally and by name, and to
whom it is almost impossible to suppose
they ever will be rcconciled; or. in the
nature of things, can be reconciled? Or
are we to take it from the men who have
not made this 4 personal war, who have
treated it as national war, and who, in
their conduct of it, have won the applause
of both sections? The President says that
part of his information has been received |
from General Grant? Who is General
Grant? Who is to be put in the scale with
that Scared soldier. and whose testimony
is to weigh down his? Is he .'whitewash-
ing here too? Has he forgotten the posi-
ton he couples before the American people?
With the highest military character of any
man to day upon the earth, has he conde>
scended To come here to deceive the Senate
OF his country, and to lie about the condi-
ton of affairs in the south, which he has
recently visited?


Let us hear what he says, ana listen
with patient reverence TO the utterance of
a man OF sense, apatrlot, and 4 prudent
man, who desires not to cmbroil, not TO
cmbitter, not to widen the gap that already
exists between the two people who ought
to be fraternally united, but a man who
desires to heal and pacify; man imbucd
with tie spirit of IIochc when he went to
La Vcndec, and where he succeeded when
others had failed. What does he say? 1t
is not the tone or the manner of the letter
writer, but it is in the manner Of q man
and soldier.


81 am satisfied" says hc and when he
is satisfied who dares say he is not satisfied
upon the score of honesty and good inter-
,sts toward this Republic? 81 am satisfied