Year: 1866

of a noble and self-sacrificing patriot
is1n-had fastened to the field when
the assailants of the nations life stood
in arms, never pausing to strike bar
gain with their imperiled country, but
thinking only how they could soonest
place themselves as rampant between
her and her enemies. Later in the war
there were men who acted from differ
ent motives. They had taken advan-
tage of the nation necessities to ex-
tort from her the utmost dollar they
could obtain.


He contended that the value the
country set upon these close bargains
should be established as the value of
those who had offered themselves free
ly, and that the bormties of the latter
should be equalized with those paid to
the former. The one class had fought
through the entire war; many of the
others had served only for short pc
Rod. He was willing to apply the par
able of the vineyard to this age, and
allow those who came in at the eleven
eth hour to receive their penny; but it
would be going even beyond the prin-
ciple Of the parable to refuse to pay the
many who had borne the burden and
heat Of the day his penny


He had met with no respectable class
| of people who did not acknowledge the
justice Of this claim. The Convention
had limited it's estimate of the amount
needed to be devoted to the equaliza-
ton of bounties to S150,000, 600, in the
face Of the War Department that some
seven or eight hundred millions would
be required. This was because the
soldiers were able to appreciate the
burdens now resting upon the country
through our immense national debt
debt which, he had no doubt, would
amount to a grand aggregate of four
thousand million dollars when every
item should be audited. The annual
interest of our debt was larger than
that of any other nation And he must
say frankly-it had always been his
habit to speak frankly, Applause =
that, if he had seat upon that floor,
he should hesitate long before giving
his vote for increasing our already
heavy burdens by an appropriation so
!
in question But there was a fund out
of which the bounties could be paid,
not only without impoverishing the
country, but even with positive advar-
! tage to our revenues. He alluded to
! the public lands. Land warrants should
/ be issued to each soldier to a sufficient
amount to make his bounty equal to
those paid in the latter part of the war


IF it should be objected that the
public domain would not afford land
enough for this purpose, his answer
was s' Cross the Potomac commence
at Arlington and measure southword" p"
TSuch storm of applause as greeted
this utterance has rarely been heard in
public assembly. Who, he would
ask, has a better right to occupy this
land than the men who fought for it
Who are they that shall say to the sol
dier, Stand back; I am holier than
thour'


He did not wish to be hard in his
treatment of the South unless it were
necessary. IF the country could afford
/ to do justice to the soldiers without
this measure, very well but justice be
done in any case. To our sailors we
give all they take, and why may we not
apply the same rule to the soldier, at
least to the extent Of giving him q few
acres Of the soil over which he has
marched and fought SO long?


It would seem that we have right
to demand so much as security. If the
land were settled by the soldiers who
won it, the question of reconstruction
could be quickly settled. Then the
Southern States could speedily be re-
admitted, and our representative in
those halls would have no occasion to
trouble themselves about questions OF
loyalty. We might at least settle
enough of our soldiers in the South to
supply the place of those who have
fallen on the other side. 1t would be
sound policy for us to secure our con
quests thus, as did the Romans.


Discussing the right to adopt this
policy, he said the South staked every
thing upon the issue Of the rebellion
not merely their political destiny, but
their property, their lives, and their all
This being the case, it would not be
manly in them to whine when the win
ners come to obtain the stakes.


Speaking of the resolution calling fol-
the punishment of the rebel leaders, he
said we have heard SO much about pun
ishment of treason, and making Treason
odious, that the sentence itself has be
come odious. E g1 ea-


He here drew sketch Of the great
military leader of the rebellion, Robert
E. Lee showing that he had resigned
his position in the army of the United
States, when he had enjoyed the fullest
confidence of the Conmander-in- Chief
and within two days after his resigna
ton had been accepted, he had assumed
command of the rebel troops in Vir-
ginia. This man had served with the
enemies Of his country until his word
became law, and he had then stood by
indiherently and without remonstrance
had seen our officers and men herdeC
in prison pens, where they burroweC
, holes in the earth for shelter. All the
atrocities of Andersonville had elected
no word of rebuke from him. That
/. man was now the teacher of the youth
of his country. If such things are tC
be, he asked, have we, not shed oul
blood in vain?


What plea had this man to set up te
:. axc,1sn his. aDOstacVS The rioht of So