Year: 1866

The following speech was delivered Dy
the great Pennsylvania statesman during
the last hours of the session of Congress
Just closed. As many of the members,
knowing the great age and rapidly in
creasing physical feebleness of the patri-
OF, thought it probable they were listen
ing for the last time TO his utterances,
his words excited among them the deep
est sympathy and interest. The old man
himself, as though he, too, appreciated
the fact that he might never more raise
his voice in that hall, to warn and advise
his countrymen, spoke with more than
usual earnestness and solemnity.


The report below is from the Congress
ional Globe:


Mr.. STEVENS. If it will prevent the
doing anything worse, and the House
will indulge me, 1 will make few re-
marks on House bill No. 623, to enable
the States lately in rebellion to regain
their privileges in the Union, and which
was under consideration when we were
last in Committee of the Whole.


The bill offered by Mr.. Stevens, was
for the reorganization of the Southern
States, providing terms for their admis-
sion, and making impartial suffrage a
part of the conditions required.


Notwithstanding surrounding discour-
agements, the exhortation, "Be not weary
in well doing" encourages me to make
one more-perhaps an expiring-effort
to do something which shall be useful to
my fellow men; something to elevate
and enlighten the poor, oppressed and
the ignorant, in this crisis of human af-
fairs. do not feel that this august body,
this grand council of nation of freemen
has done anything worthy of its glorious
opportunity, worthy of its duty to i'm
mortal beings whose destinies for good or
evil, for happiness or woe, it holds in its
hands; when reflect with how few acts
of Justice, with how few wise enactments,
most of US seem content to close our Ia
bols and disperse to the periphery Of the
nation in search of cool shades, purling
trout streams, and to see our bulls and
beeVes. beg it to be understood I do
not claim right to speak this reproach-
fully or complainIngly; especially when
l consider my own life, too much of
which has been spent in idleness or friVo-
lous amusement, and find myself almost
ready to yield before every man is secured
avoid feeling humble, | cannot escape
buo DdAko VI OlTy Is
this to be the poor result of the labors of
an assembly clothed with the sovereign
ty of the only republic that ever existed
and which, from its position, its trials
and the inspired teachings of the fathers,
ought to be wiser and juster than the
Amphicyonic Council, or any other as
sembly, ancient or modern Congress
has certainly done some good legislation
to aid the white man, if he choose, to
protect the poor of all races or colors.
But nothing has been done to enable any
but the white man to protect himself
How precarious and worthless is that pro-
lection which depends wholly on the will
OF others, and leaves ones self defense
less In a peaceful, well governed re-
public, the only protection consists in the
right to participate in the government
to aid in the formation of organic and
other laws to have a voice in the cleo
ton of officers, and to influence the leg
islation of the country. They must have
the ballot, or they will continue, virtu-
ally, to be slaves; they will be servants
and tools of the rich. But give them po-
litical power and they will find friends
will recognize their manhood, because
they will receive in return boon which
none but men could bestow. With less
than this, it were pity that their bonds
were broken. A bondman may have
some intellectual elevation. A freeman,
deprived of every human right, is the
most degraded of human beings.


This bill proposes to give the right of
suffrage, in forming their State govern
ments, to every man alike, without regard
to race or color. When they form their
constitution it leaves them free. This, it
must be remembered, applies only to the
rebel States. No one denies the right of
Congress to fix the status and terms of