Mr. COWAN. But, Mr. President, we are all sinners, and I suppose that is the 1st point when a man seeks forgiveness and reconciliation, that he confess himself chief among sinners. I have no doubt that the very pious temperament which I know belongs to m honorable friendfrom Wisconsin, [Mr. Howe, and also to my honorable friendfrom Iowa, [Mr. Grimes, is such that that would be the very 1st exclamation they would make in a contingency of this kind. But being, as I said, all sinners, and all involved in this general calamity which seems to have involved the inhabitants of the planet universally, even down to the honorable Senfrom California, [Mr. CONNess, we ought to be lenient to the mistakes of one another; and if we should happen to be deceived as to the character of the elect or the saints, and find ourselves mistaken, that I know, in the opinion of my honorable friendfrom WestVirginia, is not matter for eternal or universal condemnation. That is a thing in itself venial, pardonable, and it ought to be so. The common frailties of our nature enjoin us so to consider it. But, sir, enough of this. What I meant to say in the statement I made to the Senate yesterday was that we were in the habit of exaggerating the errors of our antagonists, we were in the habit of magnifying the faults of our adversaries; and misled by delusions of this kind, blinded by this sort of glare, we might be unjust at times; and I thought a very unjust spirit was manifested toward the POTUS Men change their opinions. Men may have expressed themselves in the heat of temporary excitement as this postmaster at Wheeling expressed himself. Men on the other hand, fickle, unsteady men, quick men I may say, at the outstart of this controversy with the President manifested themselves in language pretty strongly in his favor. I think I could point out among my friends here some instances where gentlemen expressed themselves very strongly in favor of the President and his policy as being the policy and the only policy which was calculated to restore harmony to the Union and integrity to our institutions; and yet to day these are the very persons who denounce most violently and most unscrupulously and in the most unwarranted terms that same policy and that same programme which they started out by indorsing. I trust we shall be able after awhile to comprehend these things in their true significance, understand them as they really are; and not only for ourselves, but for our several parties make the best of them and make the best of them for the country. That, indeed, is the great question. Today the great question is not what shall be done which is best for the E. of the country or those who expect to e the recipients of party honors and party emoluments, but what is best to be done for that great mass of our fellow citizens who are not partisans actually in an interested sense but who are inhabitants of the country an whose future welfare depends upon our action. I think, and I agree owhat was said yesterday by the honorable Senfrom Maine, and I am glad to be able to indorse it again today, that moderation such as he recommends is the true course of wisdom.