12 they have no treaty of amity To illustrate how this fact bears upon this question: the English Bay, “Oh! we are going to be neutral; we will not sell you any arms, because we should have to sell the same to the Confederates.” To that I an- Bwer: You have got treaties of amity and commerce with us by which you agree to trade with us. You have got no treaty of amity or commerce with them by which you agree to trade with them. Why not, then, trade with us ? why not give us that right of preference, except for reasons that I will state hereafter ? I have been thus particular upon this, because in stating these views to gentlemen in whose judgment I have great confidence, they have said to me, “ I agree to your views, Mr Butler, but I am afraid you will involve us with other nations, in the view that you take of that matter.” But I insist, and I can only state the proposition—your own minds will carry it out familiarly—I insist that there is a higher and closer duty to us—treating the rebels as a strange nation, not yet admitted into the family of nations—that there is a higher duty from our old friendship, from our old relations toward Great Britain, than there is to this pushing, attempting-to-get-into-place member of the family of nations. There is still another logical sequence which, in my judgment, follows from this view of the case. The great question put to me, my friends, and the great question which is now agitating this country, is, How are we to get these men back ? how are we to get this territory back ? how are we to reconstruct the nation ! I think it is much better answered upon this hypothesis than any other: There are but two ways in which this contest can be ended; one is by re-revolutionizing a portion of this territory, and have them come to ask to be admitted into the Union ; another is, to bring it all back, so that if they do not come back in the first way, they shall come back bound to our triumphal car of victory. [Applause.] Now, when any portion of the South becomes loyal to the North and to the Union, or, to express it with more care, when any portion of the inhabitants of the South wish to become again a part of the nation, and will throw off the government of Jefferson Davis, erect themselves into a State, and come and ask us to take them back with such a State Constitution as they ought to be admitted back again under, there is up difficulty in its being done. There is no witchery about this. This precise thing has beeb done in the case of Western Virginia. She went out—stayed out for a while. By the aid of our armies, and by the efforts of her citizens, she re-revolutionized, she threw off the government of the rest of the State of Virginia; she threw off the Confederate yoke; she erected herself into a State, with a Constitution such as I believe is quite satisfactory to all of us, especially the amendment. [Applause.] She has asked to come back, and has been received back, and is the first entering wedge of that series of States which will come back that way. But suppose they will not come back! We are bound to subjugate them. What, then, do they become ! Territories of the United States—[great applause]—acquired by force of arms—[renewed applause]—precisely as we acquired California, precisely as we ac- quired Nevada, precisely as we acquired—not exactly, though—as we acquired Texas—[laughter] ; and then is there any difficulty in dealing with these men? Was there any difficulty in dealing with the State of California, when our men went there and settled in sufficient numbers so as to give that State the benefits of the blessings of a republican form of government ? Was there any difficulty in obtaining her, beyond our transactions with Mexico ? None whatever. Will there be a'ny difficulty in taking to us the new State of Nevada when she is ready to come and ripe to come ! Was there any difficulty in taking any portion of the Louisiana purchase, when we bought her first ? Will there be any difficulty, when her people get ready to come back to the United States, of our taking her back again, mors than, perhaps, to carry out the parallel a little further, to pay a large sum of money besides, as we did in the case of California after we conquered it from Mexico! These States having gone out without cause, without right, without grievance, and having formed themselves into new States, and taken upon themselves new alliances, I am not for having them come back without readmission. I feel, perhaps, if the ladies will pardon the illustration, like a husband whose wife has run away with another man, and has divorced herself from him; he cannot take her to his arms until they have come before the priest and been remarried. [Laughter.] I have, I y, the same feeling in the case of these people that have gone out; when they repent, and ask to come back, I am ready to receive them; and I am
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