Year: 1866

Cowan, the conservative republican senator
from fennsylvana-the Freedmen's Bureau
bill being under consdcra'ion-.poke as 70!
lows in reply to Mr.. Wilson, of Massachu.
sets:


Mr.. President-I shall be obliged to apollo
gize for not being able to attain to that SUBJ
lime height of Dragging which has character.
lied the honorable senator from Mas ., chus It's
but will endesvor to state few plain facts
for his consideration and that Of the senate
OH-Ourse have nothing to say of myself


MY course here has been open, and, trust
without concealment. 1t was never very diff:
ficult for the senator to understand exactly


where was. / believe, howeve-, that may
say that, in advance Of him, was the first
man to say upon this floor that, in going
down south to suppress the rebellion, it was
perfectly proper that we should treat the ne
gro precisely rs any other man-if he was an
enemy, shoot him; if he was friend. use
him; and that was as far as intended to 60


But the senator asserts here, in the face OF
the senate, and in the face of the American
people, that he and his compeers. forsooth, the
anti slavery society, have destroyed slavery
that it is the result Of their twenty five years
of toll and struggle; that it is the result oil
their agitation and their speechifying, and
their extensive knowledge OF the negro and
the negro character and he re elates some Incl
dents. l am not very much in the habit oi
relating incidents, but will state one for the
benefit Of the honorable senator. Somebody
was talking about him and his society the
other day. and stated that they had "negro on
the brain" Some one who was by said, ,"Well,
that may be; but they have not much BRAIN
on the negro" And that, think, Mr.. Presi.
dent, is about the truth of it.


Who destroyed slavery, Mr.. PRESIDENT Had
the anti-slavery society anything to do with it?
Did the anti slavery society or its representa-.
tives upon this floor at the outset of the rebel
lion, declare they were going to destroy slave.
ry? No sir; but. crouching behind their
shields at that time, they resolved unanimous.
slavery, and that they were going to make war
to support the constitution and the laws. How
long ago was that? Two days after the battle
Of Bull Run, and the starch was all out OF the
antislavery society. 1t had not boast; it
had not a threat; but, as | said before, creep.
ing down behind its shield, it said to the coun
try, along with us who were honest in our ut.
terances in that resolution, that it made war
for the constitution and the laws.


ask you, Mr. President, If the secessionists
Of the south, in their great madness, in their
rage, only akin to the northern rage, its anti
podes, had not made war upon the govern
ment, would slavery have been destroyed? p
Would all the battle Of the anti-savery society
and all its tracts and all its preachiI gs. and all
its sermonizings, ever achieved that great re-
suit if it had not been for the folly and mad
ness Of the southern seceSsionists who went
to war? Let the honorable senator stand square
up and look that fact in the face. He had war
at his elbow. Who fought the war7 Does
the anti slavery society say that if the army
Of the United States had not achieved victory,
had not suppressed the rebellion, slavery would
have been abolished? Who, then, was it that
abolished slavery? The gentlemen who talked
or the gentlemen who acted? The senators
who welded tongue and pen, or the hard head
cd ard had handei soldiers who welded the
sabre and the bayonet! Let the country an
swer. would like the honorable senator to
go out and tell our war worn soldiers who won
this victory.


Ana d word NOW rs tn mis- course and mine
ulon this floor. l tell him to day that he and
his set were really-I do not say they intended
1.-THE allies OF the rebellion; they were its
main support and strength; and, when Jetfer
son Davis comes to make his dying confe. sion,
il | could chance to be at his elbow, should
want him, in that last moment, when the truth
comes to be told, to tell who it was who gath
cred the whole south to man around the
standard OF rebellion; who it was that down
there infused tie bitterness into that fight that
characterized it from beginning to end; who it
was that enabled that weak people to make
such a tremendous struggle as the world never
saw the Ike Of it, and | will tell you who he
will say it was. He will tell you that. when
he started, he had not half the people about
him; he will tell you that the sccessionists of
the south, who went into that rebellion, were
not hall the people. Who, then, drove the
other half to him? The sells anti slavery
society that, when we had the cannon roaring
and the sabre sIashing and tbs bayohet thrust
Ing, and the work going on, could not keep its
tongue, and must be making the people OF the
south believe that the war, Instead OF being
tor the constitution and the laws. was to aboI.
ish slavery. What then? II we had friends
ut the outset OF the struggle. We lost them
then.


Now, Mr.. President, ask again, who fought
this battle2 | tell him it was the army OF the
United States thatk the Percy. 1t was the
army of the United States that met this Hot.
spur OF The rebellion, while the antislavery
society was down upon the field of battle,
looking out from under its shield, and claim
ing its constitution and the laws. But now,
sir, now, after the victory is achieved, after
the battle is won, you will never meet a mem.
Der Of this society who has not this dead Hot.
spur upon his back, carrying him out and pre-.
tending that he killed him. Laugh1er.] And
almost every one OF them is say ing. "It your
father will do me any honor. SO; if not, let
him kill the next Percy himself. look to be
either earl or duke, assure you" That is
the language of this party after the battle is
over and the victory won. BY the by, they do
not give us the same assurance that fat John
did, fer said he. IF do grow great. iii grow
for ND IAnv off C,al ,,,,l
live c.eanly, as a noblcman shonld do" But,
Mr.. Preside mt, instead Of when growing great,
growing less, they are swollen to such enor.
nous dimensions. under the pressure of this
thing they suppose they have achieved, that
they are now well nigh TO bursting.


The honorable senator says they are going
on; yes, and let everybody get out of the way.
That may do for people who can be frightened.
But that party has not been given to Tighten
ing anybody heretofore, that am aware Of
1t is exceedingly fertile in abuse; it never un.
dertakes to meet mans argument except by
ridicule and sneers. and by all that kind of ma
chnery which weak man uses against a
stronger one.


The honorable senator may 60 ON his course
and We will go on our course. We think
that instead Of his having had to carry US
through the rebellion, we have had to carry
nm; that II tiere was any lOau we nave had
it to bear. do not undertake to say that the
senator did not intend we'll enough
But he has put himself out of the pale of re.
ceivng the benefit of that apology which
might be made in his favor. by assaling the |
intentions OF others. Who made him Judge |
ard ruler over Israel? Who authorized him |
to say that despised the laboring man? l |
think can prove by good witnesses that |
have done such days of hard work as that sen
ator hardly would have survived. And when
ne talks about me and the gentlemen with (
whom associate here as not being the friends
Of the poor and the friends of the humble, he |
speaks without the book. BY what right does
he arraign me as not desiring the prosperity |
and the greatness OF this country? Is it not |
my country as well as his? Have not as
many interests at stakeas he has, or any other
man? Sir, when speech requires such make.
weights as that to extend it over space Of
fifteen minutes, it had better not be made at |