John Sherman: “The United States cannot plead inability to pay interest on its notes if it will not or cannot pay the principal.”

Our family of states is already large enough to create embarrassment in the Senate, and a republic should not hold dependent provinces or possessions.

Though my grateful thanks are due to them and have been often expressed, yet I have felt, as they do, that my duty was to the whole country.

The events of the future are beyond the vision of mankind, but I hope our people will be content with internal growth, and avoid the complications of foreign acquisitions.

It was settled by this war that we have a country limited in its powers by the constitution of the United States fairly construed.