Year: 1866

w e are uQW IN the NaEAQ0 LnIrG OF


deal. We are not yet through. We de


MED that States could 60 cut of the Union


We denied the doctrine Of secession, an


we have demonstrated that we are right


/ We demonstrated it by the strong arm
Yes, the soldiers and the sailors, Go,


bless them, have demonstrated by thei


patriotism and strong arms that State


have no right TO leave the Union. Ap
Iplause.1 What followed The oonfed


crate armies were OveFpOWered and dis
/ banded, and there was willingness on
the part of the people of those States tC
come back In obedience to the laws anC
acknowledge the supremacy of the Con
IRtitution of our fathers. For what have
we passed through this third ordeal Ii
| was TO prove the principle that no State
/ had the power to break up the Govern
ment. II was to put down the rebellion.
/ The rebellion has been put down, and
/ for what was it ? TO destroy the Stat9sf
Verify, never. For what have all these
lives been sacrificed, and all this treas
/ ure expended 2 Was It for the purpose
Of destroying States No it was for
the purpose of preserving the Union Of
| the States That is what we have been
conteudiD9 for. and to establish the fact
that the nation can lift its own head above
and beyond internal war, treason and
traitors at home.


When the rebellion in Massaehusetts
was put down, did that put Massachu-
setts out Of the Union and destroy the
State d? When the rebellion IN Rennsgl-
vania was put down, did that destroy the
State or put it out Of the Union So
when the great rebellion was put down,
the Constitution and laws Of the country
restored the States engaged in it. The
rebellion being crushed, the law restored
and the Constitution Acknowledged in
them, they stand in the Union constella-
tion part of the glorious and brilliant
galaxy of States Loud cheers.


In passing through thig ordeal what
has been done in them under the direc-
tion of my lamented predecessor Z We
commenced the work of Teparatlon. We
succeeded, before I came here, in restor-
ing the relations which had existed be-
tween Tennessee and the rest OF the
Union, with one exception, and that was
the relation of representation


I came to Washington, ,sand under ex.
traordinary circumstances succeeded to
the Presidential chair. The Congress Of
the United States had adjourned without
prescribing any plan. then proceeded,
as had done with my own State, in the
reconstruction of the Government, and to
restore the other States. And how did
we begin We found that the people
had no Courts, and we said to the sludg
eg. District Attorneys, and MarshRlls, 90
down hold your Courts, for the people
need the tribunals Of justice to be opened.


Was there anything wrong IN that {
The Courts we're opened. w nat else
We looked out and saw the people down
there had no mails. They had been IN
terrupted and cut off by the operation Of
tbe rebellion We said to the POstmas-
ter General Let the people have faclll-
4ies for mail communication, and let them
again begin to understand, what we all
feel and think, that we are one people.
We looked out again and saw that there
was blockade that the custOm-houses
were all closed We said Open the
doors of the custom houses and remove
the blockade; let the pursuits OF peace
90 on. and it was done. We thus traY-
eled on step by step, opening custom
houses. amounting collectors, establish
ing mail facilities and restoring all the
relations that bad been interrupted by
the rebellion.


Was there anything undertaken to be
done here that was not authorized by the
Constitution, that was not justified by
the great necessity of the case, that
has not been clearly cOnsOnant with the
Constitution, with the generous spirit of
our Government ? LCheers. w hat re-
NAMED to be done One other thing re-
NAMED to show the civilized world that
We had passed successfully through the
third ordeal of our nations existence,
and prove that our Government, was
perpetual a great principle was to be
restored, which was established IN our
revolution.


When our fathers were contending
against the power of Great Britain. what
was one of the principal causes Of their
complaint 1t was that they were de-
MED representation They complained of
taxation without representation Cheers.
One of the great principles laid down by
our fathers, and which fired their hearts,
was that there should be no taxation
without representation.


How, then, does the matter stand
Who has been usurplng power Z Who
has been defeating the operation of the
Constitution, and what now remains to
be done to complete the restoration of
these States. to all their former relations
under the Federal Government and 70
finish the great ordeal through which we
have been passing? It is to admit rep
resentation (cheers,) and when we say
admit representation, what do we mean 2
We mean representation In the consttu-
tional and law abiding sense which was
initiated at the beginning of the Govern
ment The Constitution declares IN eX-
press terms that each House, the Senate
and House Of Representatives, each act
ing for itself shall be the judge ofthe re-
turns, election and qualification OF Its
own members. 1t is for each HOuse to
settle that question under the. Constltu-
tion and under solemn sanction OF an
oath And can we believe that either
House would admit any member into ITS
body. to participate in the LEGISLATION OF
the country who was not quallhedr They
have the mower. not the two Houses, but
each house for itself.


The Constitution further declares that
no State shall be deprived Of its equal
suffrage in the Senate ofthe United States
without its consent. Where do We standr
| All that is needed 10 finish the great
work of restoration is for the two houses,
respectively to decide the question.
Oh. but some one might say, traitor
might come in. The answer to that "a,
that each House must be judge, and II q
traitor presents himself / can not help
| the House to know that be is traitor,
/ and If he is traitor can they not kick
/ him out of the door and send him back E,
| saying to the people " no sent him: M, : on
must send US a loyal man. LCheeEsI
Is there any difficulty about that Z mo
/ no, and cheers.


Ifa traitor presents himself TO either
] House can not that house say to him,
{" Nc. you cannot be admitted into this


body gobaok, we viii not deny your


people a representation but they must


send loyal representative. LCheers,l


And when the States do send loyal
representatives, can you have any better
fidelity to the Constitution and laws
/ There is no one learned in the Conshtu-
tion and laws who will say that if trail
tor happens to get into Congress shat
body cannot expel him after he gets in:
! That makes assurance doubly sure, and