Copperas Cove Leader-Press (Copperas Cove, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, November 9, 2012 Page: 4 of 16
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CRIME STOPPERS
547-1111
Help Us Put It Together”
Texas’ two
U.S. Senators
denied their
seats
Oran Roberts of Texas arrived in Wash-
ington, D.C. on Nov. 13, 1866 to take his
rightful place in the United States Senate, but
Radical Republicans bent on rubbing salt in
the wounds left by the Civil War would deny
the defeated South its seats in congress.
Assuming the presidency after the assas-
sination of Abraham Lincoln in April 1865,
Andrew Johnson tried to expedite the home-
coming of the seceded states. Except for a
handful of Confederate leaders, he granted all
southerners full rights as American citizens in
exchange for their pledge to defend the Union.
During the spring and summer of 1866,
the conquered components of the Confederacy
held constitutional conventions that accepted
the emancipation of the slaves. New state
governments were created and members cho-
sen for the congress scheduled to convene in
December.
Meanwhile, Radical Republicans con-
vinced their moderate colleagues that Presi-
dent Johnson’s Reconstruction plan was not
only soft on traitors
but would restore
the pre-war power
of the Democratic
Party. Both wings
of the GOP agreed
that newly elected
senators and repre-
sentatives from the
South had to be
barred from con-
gress.
To preserve
their political
monopoly, the Rad-
icals invented the
“iron clad oath.”
Prospective office-
holders were
required to swear,
“I have never voluntarily borne anns against
the United States...and have given no aid,
countenance, counsel or encouragement to
persons engaged in armed hostility.” From
Texas to Virginia, only free slaves and Union-
ists remained eligible for public posts.
Logic dictated that the legislature select
for the U.S. Senate two Texans, who satisfied
the stringent conditions of the new oath. But
logic went out the window, when it came time
to vote.
Rejecting Unionist candidates as despica-
ble snakes in the grass, lawmakers picked
Oran Roberts, chairman of the 1861 secession
convention, and ancient David G. Bumet, who
opposed the pullout but later supported the
Rebel war effort.
Several newspapers criticized the choices
as a futile gesture guaranteed to bring down
the wrath of Washington on Texas. But the
Houston Journal eloquently differed: “The
South loves its soldiers and will not forget
them nor admit that the Tost cause’ had in it
any element of treason.”
Although he realized no southerner stood
a chance of actually entering the halls of con-
gress, Oran Roberts felt obligated to make the
attempt. Forced to pay his own way, he sold
his home to cover travel expenses.
After an exhausting 11-day journey,
Roberts reached the capital of the former
enemy in late November 1866. The next day,
he dined with 78 year old Bumet, who was
already in town.
The following Tuesday the 28th of
November, the would-be senators paid the
customary courtesy call on the president. Up
to his ears in the protracted political struggle
that eventually led to his impeachment, John-
son dodged the unwelcome visitors.
From the gallery on Dec. 3, Roberts and
Bumet looked on as a sympathetic senator
presented their credentials to the hostile body.
Without a word of debate, the issue of their
acceptance was permanently tabled.
A message from the president was read
later that same day in which Johnson reluc-
tantly recognized the right of congress to
reject any member whose loyalty was suspect.
At that moment, the Texans knew their goose
was cooked.
For days the outcasts dutifully made the
official rounds but received not a word of
encouragement. As Christmas approached,
Bumet bid his comrade farewell and left for
New Jersey to spend the holidays with rela-
tives.
Roberts, however, could not go home
without at least trying to set the record
straight. He wrote a long open letter to the
closed-minded congress that appeared in pub-
lications throughout the North as well as the
South.
In defense of his fellow Texans, Roberts
insisted they were “resigned to their losses and
sacrifices. They aspire to arise from the new
standpoint, and to be part and parcel in the
See HISTORY, Page 5A
Bartee Haile
Texas History
Standing in line to vote
I had the best time standing in line to vote the
other day. Which is strange, considering I went to
the wrong location and waited in line for an hour,
only to be sent to another location. Apparently, I’d
been re-zoned, and nobody remembered to tell me.
Or if they did tell me, I wasn’t listening.
But none of that really mattered, for as I wait-
ed in line, I saw several of my friends that I don’t
get to see very often. We chatted and sipped our
coffee, just like we’d made the appointment on pur-
pose. And even the people I didn’t know when I got
in line became fun acquaintances by the time I left.
We snickered about the empty candy machines
somebody should have filled before Election Day.
We tweeted and face booked about how everyone
seemed to be tweeting and face booking about his
or her voting experiences.
But you know what was really cool?
Not one person asked me whom I was voting
for. Not one single person. We laughed and smiled
and talked about our kids and our cars and the
weather, and everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy
the process.
Now, I’m not naive enough to think that all
those nice people around
me voted for the same
person as I did. But isn’t
that what we tell our-
selves sometimes? The
nice, smart, intelligent
people are the ones who
think like we do. The
dumb, socially backward,
mean, awkward people
are the ones who voted
for the other guy. Right?
Right?
Be honest.
Since we’re being
honest here, I’ll just tell
you the truth. My guy
didn’t win. And I’m real-
ly disappointed about
that. But rather than hang
my head and grumble
about the results, I’m holding my head high. I’m
proud to live in a country where we can all be so dif-
ferent, and yet the same. I’m proud to live in a
nation where my voice is heard. And I’m also proud
to live in a nation where the other guy’s voice is
heard, even if I don’t like what he says.
And most of all, I’m proud to live in a place
where our sameness bonds us together, in spite of
our differences. I don’t think I saw one person,
standing in that line the other day, who wouldn’t
fight to defend our country’s freedom, no matter
what it took.
The whole election process reminded me of an
important truth, though. My citizenship here in the
grand old U. S. of A. is temporary. One day, I’ll
move to another place ... the place of my penna-
nent citizenship. In that place, there won’t be any
long voting lines. There are no elections, for its ruler
is also pennanent. God, the King of Kings and Lord
of Lords is a merciful, compassionate ruler, gracious
and loving, generous and kind.
And the economy there is out of this world!
We’re talking, streets of gold, people. And each cit-
izen of that place will have his or her own room in
the king’s house ... a room prepared by the Prince
See BRUMBAUGH, Page 5A
Renae
Brumbaugh
Coffee
Talk
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p
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i
(akaGVSSftt)
10
lo^eccwa.
Rich
Lowry
column
A world of gifts
Eventually social science works
its way around to confirming eternal
verities. So it is with gratitude.
An article in a psychological
journal a few years ago noted that
"throughout history, religious, theo-
logical and philosophical treatises
have viewed gratitude as integral to
well-being." Psychology has recently
worked to quantify the wisdom of the
ages and confirmed — sure enough —
it was correct.
A raft of recent research has
established that grateful people are
happier people. They are less
depressed and less stressed. They are
less likely to envy others and more
likely to want to share. They even
sleep better. As the journal article put
it, empirical work "has suggested
gratitude is as strongly correlated with
well-being as are other positive traits,
and has suggested that this relation-
ship is causal."
Gratitude constitutes what
philosopher David Hume called a
"calm passion." It doesn't have the
theatrical potential of anger and
hatred, or courage and sacrifice.
Nonetheless, there's a reason it has
been considered central to the good
life and a good society by all major
religions and by thinkers stretching
from Cicero ("Gratitude is not only
the greatest of virtues, but the parent
of all others") to Oprah ("Whenever
you can't think of something to be
grateful for, remember your breath").
See LOWRY, Page 5A
Copperas Cove Leader-Press
(254) 547-4207 Fax 542-3299
email: news@coveleaderpress.com
web site: www.coveleaderpress.com
Publisher: Larry Hauk
Graphic artist: Travis Martin
Office manager: Sandra Angulo
Staff writer: Renae Brambaugh
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Staff writer: Lynette Sowell
Staff writer: Mikayla Mondragon
Associate Publisher: Joyce Hauk
Sports editor: David Morris
Photographer: Dennis Knowlton
Photographer: Lee Letzer
Photographer: Robert Walker
Distribution: Alex Perez
Advertising: Linda Goode
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Copperas Cove Leader-Press (Copperas Cove, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, November 9, 2012, newspaper, November 9, 2012; Copperas Cove, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth627642/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .