752 



UNITED STATES. 



did not redeem, or ever made a promise that be vio- 

 lated, or that he acted with falsity to the people ? 



They may talk about beheading, but when I am 

 beheaded I want the American people to be the wit- 

 ness. I do not want by innuendoes of an indirect 

 character in high places to have one say to a man 

 who has assassination broiling in his heart, " there is 

 a fit subject," and also exclaim that the " Presiden- 

 tial obstacle " must be got out of the way, when pos- 

 sibly the intention was to instigate assassination. 

 Are those who want to destroy our institutions and 

 change the character of the Government not satisfied 

 with the blood that has been shed ? Are they not 

 satisfied with one martyr? Does not the blood of 

 Lincoln appease the vengeance and wrath of the op- 

 ponents of this Government ? Is their thirst still un- 

 slaked? Do they want more blood? Have they 

 not honor and courage enough to effect the removal 

 of the Presidential obstacle otherwise than through 

 the hands of the assassin ? I am not afraid of assas- 

 sins; but if it must be, I would wish to be encoun- 

 tered where one brave man can oppose another. 1 

 hold him in dread only who strikes cowardly. But 

 if they have courage enough to strike like men (I 

 know they are willing to wound, but they are afraid to 

 strike) ; if my blood is to be shed because I vindicate 

 the Union and the preservation of this Government 

 in its original purity and character, let it be so ; but 

 when it is done, let an altar of the Union be erected, 

 aud then, if necessary, lay_ me upon it, and the blood 

 that now warms and animates my frame shall be 

 poured out in a last libation as a tribute to the Union ; 

 aud let the opponents of this Government remember 

 that when it is poured out, the blood of the martyr 

 will be the seed of the Church. The Union will grow. 

 It will continue to increase in strength and power, 

 though it may be cemented and cleansed with blood. 

 I come here to-day to vindicate, in so far as I can 

 in these remarks, the Constitution; to save it, as I 

 believe, for it does seem that encroachment after en- 

 croachment is to be pressed ; and as I resist encroach- 

 , ments on the Government, I stand to-day prepared 

 to resist encroachments on the Constitution, and 

 thereby preserve the Government. It is now peace, 

 and let us have peace. Let us enforce the Constitu- 

 tion. Let us live under and by its provisions. Let 

 it be published in blazoned characters, as though it 

 were in the heavens, so that all may read and all may 

 understand it. Let us consult that instrument, and, 

 understanding its principles, let us apply them. I 

 tell the opponents of this Government, and I care 

 not from what quarter they come, East or West, 

 North or South, " You that are engaged in the work 

 of breaking up this Government are mistaken. The 

 Constitution and the principles of free government 

 are deeply rooted in the American heart." All the 

 powers combined, I care not of what character they 

 are, cannot destroy the image of Freedom. They may 

 succeed for a time, but their attempts will be futile. 

 They may as well attempt to lock up the winds or 

 chain the waves. Yes, they may as well attempt to 

 repeal it (as it would seem that the Constitution can 



fathers. They could at once see what it is, and how 

 it is, and what kind of spirit is manifested in the at- 

 tempt to destroy the great principles of free govern- 

 ment; and they could understand who is for them 

 and who is against them, and who was for ameliora- 

 ting their condition. Their opposers could be placed 

 before them, and there might ,be a regular contest, 

 and in the first tilt the enemies of the country would 

 be crushed. I have detained you longer than I in- 

 tended ; but in this struggle I am your instrument. 



A decision of the Supreme Court of the United 

 States against the constitutionality of test oaths, 

 based on principles fatal to the whola system, 

 in a case arising under the act of Congress re- 

 quiring an oath to be taken by the attorneys of 

 the court, served to call forth a more decided 

 expression of views from those regarded as the 

 most radical. The court convened soon after 

 the first of January, and its views upon these 

 cases were early indicated. The president 

 (Governor Ward, of New Jersey) of the Na- 

 tional Republican committee, on the assembling 

 of that body at Washington, addressed them, 

 saying, that the people of the Northern States 

 had, at the recent elections in October and 

 November preceding, attested anew their ad- 

 herence to the Republican creed, and their un- 

 swerving determination to build the future of 

 this nation on the enduring basis of justice, hu- 

 manity, and freedom. The right of suffrage 

 should not depend upon the accidents of color, 

 or race, in the final settlement of these questions, 

 He said : " We hold the vantage-ground which 

 right confers, and neither the power of the 

 President nor the dictate of courts can stay the 

 progress of those eternal truths which are writ- 

 ten in revelation, inscribed on the hearts of the 

 good and true, and ever illuminating the on- 

 ward progress of our race." 



Mr. Wendell Phillips, in a letter at the same 

 time, said: "The late decisions of the Supreme 

 Court show us that we must henceforth count 

 two of the three great coequal powers of the 

 Government against us. Henceforth Congress 

 fights alone for the nation against the Supreme 

 Court and the President, leagued in the service 

 of rebeldom. Of course, therefore, the contest 

 grows keener and more equal, and the South 

 takes courage. The North is not discouraged, 

 because she knows her omnipotence knows 

 that she can crush all the mere forms of govern- 

 ment when it is necessary so to do in order to 



be), by a concurrent resolution; but when it is sub- secure its great purpose justice, and the pres- 

 etted to the popular judgment, they will find it just ervation of national existence. This the people 

 as well to introduce a resoutionrecealmff the law of j -n j ^ i n i -u * -i 



t0 . d ' and Wl11 do ' unless ba ked by tmud, 



gravitation ; and the idea of preventing the restora- 

 tion of the Union is about as feasible as resistance to semsn , incompetent, and corrupt leaders." 

 the great law of gravity which binds all to a great At public meetings in Illinois, resolutions 

 m ,n ,,t j b i s great law of grayitati()n will were adopted asking the House of Represent- 



common centre. 



peopl. 



derstand what is going on, and be ready to accept 

 the view just as i't appears to me. I would to God 

 that the whole American people could be assembled 

 here to-day as you are ! I could wish to have an am- 

 phitheatre large enough to contain the whole thirty 

 millions ; that they could be here and witness the 

 great struggle, to preserve the Constitution of our 



the abuse of patronage, etc. 



But the determination of the President to 

 adhere to the policy he had adopted, was un- 

 shaken amid the proceedings of Congress, the 

 declarations of the press, and the resolutions of 

 assemblages. To a delegation from Kentucky 



