ad used
towards President Buchanan when he accused him of "quibbling and
demagogery." Mr. Trumbull argued with great force that the citizen
has a counter-claim upon the Government for the comprehensive claim
which the Government has upon the citizen. "It cannot be that we have
constituted a government," said Mr. Trumbull, "which is all-powerful to
command the obedience of the citizen but has no power to afford him
protection." "Tell it not, sir," said he, "to the father whose son was
starved at Andersonville, or the widow whose husband was slain at
Mission Ridge, or the little boy who leads his sightless father
through the streets of your city, of the thousand other mangled heroes
to be seen on every side of us to-day, that this Government, in defense
of which the son and the husband fell, the father lost his sight and
the others were maimed and crippled, had the right to call those
persons to its defense, but now has no power to protect the survivors
or their friends in any rights whatever in the States. Such, sir, is
not the meaning of our Constitution: such is not the meaning of
American citizenship. Allegiance and protection are reciprocal rights."

During the progress of the debate a curious incident showed the temper
engendered in the Senate. Mr. Trumbull, on the 5th of April, intimated
his readiness to have the vote taken if the Senate was ready. It was
late in the evening. Mr. Cowan interposed the suggestion that two
senators detained at home by illness, Mr. Dixon of Connecticut and Mr.
Wright of New Jersey, could not with safety come out at night. The
point of courtesy was strongly insisted upon by Mr. Guthrie, Mr.
Hendricks and other members. Mr. Wade spoke very excitedly in reply
to it. "If the President of the United States," said he, "can impose
his authority upon a question like this and can by a veto compel
Congress to submit to his dictation, he is an emperor and a despot.
Because I believe the great question of Congressional power and
authority is at stake here, I yield to no importunities on the other
side. I feel myself justified in taking every advantage which the
Almighty has put in my hands to defend the power and authority of this
body. I will not yield to these appeals of comity on a question like
this, but I will tell the President and everybody else that if God
Almighty has stricken a member of this body so that he cannot be here
to uphold the dictation of a despot, I thank him for