On the record
The mercy and grace of the Government fell upon the great mass of those who had been engaged in rebellion as gently and as plenteously as the rain from heaven upon the place beneath the feet of the offenders.
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gutenberg.orgJames Blaine: “The mercy and grace of the Government fell upon the great mass of those who had been engaged in rebellion as gently and…”
Editor's note · Context
Blaine reflects on the government's approach to forgiveness for those involved in the rebellion, emphasizing its generosity.
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More from James Blaine
You can use force only to repel an assault on the public property and aid the Courts in the performance of their duty.
Without the exercise of those functions which belong exclusively to the civil service, the laws cannot be executed in any event, no matter what may be the physical strength which the Government has at its command.
The right of the General Government to preserve itself in its whole constitutional vigor by repelling a direct and positive aggression upon its property or its officers cannot be denied.
If this view of the subject be correct, as I think it is, then the Union must utterly perish at the moment when Congress shall arm one part of the people against another for any purpose beyond that of merely protecting the General…
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