Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-12-26
SENATOR WADE'S GREAT
SPEECH,
In o. s. Senate, Dec. 18th, 1860.

AT l o'clock. Mr.. POWFLL'S Dem
! ky.) resolution was taken up.
4 Dir. WADE rep. Ohio said: At
j, time like this. when there seems to he unu
sual excitement, | have very little fai h i
. the efficacy of any argument. But | mus
: say. when, in this very chamber. where W
have all raised our hands to Heaven anC
taken an oath that we would sustain tn,
Constitution of the United States, we hea
/, it said by many Senators that we are up
on the eve of a dissolution of this Union
and that your Constitution is to be tram
pied under foot, silence under such circum
stances seems to be akin to treason itself
We have listened to complaints on the 9th
er side Of this chamber partiently. and witt
an ardent desire to ascertain what they
we're. But | confess | am unable to un
derstand what it is of which they complain
The party which has lately elected the
President, and is prOspectively coming into
power, have never held office under this
Government. nor any individual of them
Therefore. it is manifest that that PARTY
has as yet committed no act of which any
body can complain. If any one has fears
as to what may hereafter ensue. they are
mere apprehensions-nething else. A bare
suspiciOn-a fear-rising out Of unwar-
rantable prejudices. l wish to ascertain
in the outset whether we are right. for |
tell gentlemen here if they eau convince me
that | am holding any political principle
that is n t war; nted by the Constitution
under which we live. or trenches on their
rights. they need not ask me to compromise.
for | will redress their rights myself when
| am wrong. No man need approach me
with a threat that the Government is to be
destroyed because J hope that | have now.
AMI ever sh Il have. that sense of justice
that when any man shows me | am wrong.
| shall he ready to right it without threat
or compromise. Now what is it of which
gentlemen complain? When | left nv
home in the West to come to this place all
was calm. cheerful. and contented. heard
of no discomfort, and unprecedented there
was 30 cause to interrupt the harmonious
course of legislation. l did net learn that
there had been. since We adj ,urne1. my
new fact intervening that could at all dis
turb the public mind. | did not know
that there had been any encroachmeut up
on the rights of any section or any individ-
ual. Therefore. l came here expecting We
should have a harmonious session 1t Is
very true that the great Republican party,
which has been organized ever since you
repealed the Missouri Compromise. which
gave You four years ago full warning that
its strength would result as it has result
ed. and l suppose any man might have
supposed things would have resulted in the
same way-it is true this party has carried
the election; but | do not SUPP use anything
growing out of the election is the cause of
the present excitement in the country
Now, who is it that is complaining? Isit
the minority that hey have subjected to an
oppressive and aggressive Government
No such thing as that. Sir. We might
suppose that 81 years ago, when the lead
ers of that glorious Revolution met in
Philadelphia, there to draw up a bill of
indictment against a weak king AMI his mIl-
listers, they had been at 4 lsss what they
would set forth as the cause of their co.n-
plants. But they had no difficulty in set
ting them forth, and so that great article
of impeachment will 60 down to posterity
to justify them for all they did. Let us,
then. suppose the old patriots had been the
Ministers of the Crown, or members of the
British Parliament of the dominant party
that had ruled Great Britain for so years
previous. Instead Of dignifying what they
did as revolutionary. who would not have
hanged every man of them as traitors?-I
They would ask what right have you, who
have had the Government in your own
hands. who have been Ministers doing
everything that has been done, to set up 4
here that you hsye been oppressed and az
grieved by the action of that very Govern
ment? 1t wouldhave been n act o ftreason.
and nothing less. Now they who sit here
the leaders of this modern revolution, are
they in position to com llain of the action
of this Government; or years past? Why.
they have had more than ~two-thirds # this
Senate for many years. You that com
plain. represent little more than one quar-
ter of the free people of the United States;
yet, you have prevailed for ten years past
in the Cabinet of the President, and in the
Supreme Court of the United States. and
nearly every department. of the Govern
ment. Those who voted with you have
dictated the policy of the Government. Is
it not strange that those who occupy this
position come here complaining that their
rights have been stricken down? But what
is the cause of this excitement which IN
douht"' ly prevails in a portion of our
country? for, if the newspapers are to be
credited. there is i reign of terror in he
cities and large towns of the South that
!90ks very much like the reign of terror in
Paris during the French Revolution. We
hear Of Northern men being sent back, or
.scoureed anl larrcd and fcatlered, and 10
made in regard to the cause. lido
aot suppose the regular Government. in
times of excitement like this, is really re-
sponsible for these outbreaks Of passion
If the State where these outrages prevail
were a foreign government, and if they
were really authorized by the constituted
authorities, everybody knows. if it were
the strongest government in the world, ne
would declare war in one day. But what
has caused this great excitement? | viii
tell you what | suppose it Is. | do not
50 much blame the people of the South, be-
cause / think chat they have been led to
believe that We to-day, the dominant party,
who are aboHt to take the reins of Govern
nett, are their mortal foes, and stand ready
to trample their in~stituticns under foot
They have been told 50 by our enemies at
the Moth. and they would not hear US at
all Now. wish 10 inquire eandidly, hon
estly. and fairly. whether the Southern
gentlemen Who complains go muA have any
reasonable grounds for that eoRpiaint-I
mean when they are really informed "a TO