Commonwealth Congressional Hall
Monday, January 13, 2076
Congressman John Franklin stood as the Speaker of the House called upon him. The middle-aged Representative leaned a bit more heavily upon his heavy wooden walking stick than he had in times past. His hair looked a bit lighter, his face a bit more lined. The recent events their nation had found themselves involved in had clearly weighed heavily upon him.
"My fellow...my fellow Americans. I know even that title brings baggage some of you are reluctant to hear. Please forgive it, I cannot find another term that is both pithy and all-encompassing. You all know how much I value pith."
His smile is thin, and fades quickly.
"A few weeks ago, the esteemed
Representative Webber spoke on the subject of peace and war, the needs of the near and the far. She encouraged us to consider carefully how we treated the conflict with Victoria, our goals in Buffalo. Scant few days later, Victoria sued for peace and accepted our terms. Many in this very room decried her words, and the preceding words of members of the Commonwealth Farmer-Laborer Party. Some even made whispers impinging their character and motivations. Words were said, here and in back rooms. Angry words."
He looked levelly at the others in the Congress.
"The war is done. We have achieved our treaty. I will not demand we never speak of it again, but I ask that all of us seek to avoid 'I told you' declarations, or anything that tries to paint themselves as the Only Wise Counsel. Our fledgling nation has barely come out of its eggshell. Please, do not choke it on infighting. Let us strive to focus forward, addressing the problems in front of us."
A smattering of applause began, and was halted when he slammed his stick to the floor once.
"But."
His expression grew stormy.
"Do not assume, my fellow Representatives, that
coalition means
unthinking consensus. We work together in blocs and parties and coalitions, but this does not mean we think identically. And the next time I hear accusations, from
any group, of their opposition being a danger to the Commonwealth, solely based on a
difference of opinion, the results will be...
biblical.
Furthermore, I warn now that our state's capacity for violence is not a tool to be used flippantly. I ask that we always consider the potential risks, and costs, of deploying violence on a mass scale. And I ask you not brand those more cautious than you as 'cowards' for having a difference of opinion.
We have a free nation, my friends and comrades. If we can
keep it that way."
He sits down.
"The Representative cedes the floor to the Speaker."
The Congressional hall was rather quiet for a bit after that speech...
