The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1860-12-28


speech Of Honorable II. r.. Wade. ,
Ohio, in the United States senat,
Decembar ~, 1900.
\ AT 1 o'clock, Mr.. PowelI's (De
mocrat. Kentucky.) resolution wa
\ taken up.
s Mr.. Wade (Republiean. Ohio
E said: At a time like this, whe
8 there seems to be unusual excite
, ment, have very little faith in tn
~ efficacy OF any argument. But
IN must say, when, in this very chambe
where We have all raised our hand
at to Heaven and took an oath to aus
2 tain the Constitution of the Unite,
{. States, we hear it said BY man,
$ Senators that we are upon the eve O
Y a dissolution of the Union, and thu
. your Constitution is to be tramplet
!. under toot, silence under such cir.
cumstances seems to be akin TO trea
son itself. We have listened I,
"""pl"i"t- va tiIe vti'uI eiue vi tuir
Q chamber patiently, and with an ar.
! lent desire to zee what they were.-
But ! confess / am unable to under.
stand what 1t is OF which they com
plain. The party which has lately
elected the President, and is pros
pectively coming into power, have
never held office under the govern.
ment, nor any individual OF them
Therefore, it is manifest that that
party have rs yet committed no act
of which anybody can complain. If
any one has fears as to what NAV
hereafter ensue, they are mere ap-
prehensions-notlIing else. A bare
suspicion-a fear rising ou. oil un
warranisble prejudices. wish to
ascertain in the outset whether we
are right. for tell gentlemen here
" they can convince me that am
holding any political principle tha,
10 not warranted by the Constitution
their rights, they need not ask me Ia
compromise, for | will r, dress their
rights when | am wrong. No man
need approach me with threat that
the government is tn he destroyed
because hope that have now, and
ever shall have, tha; sense OF justice
that when any man shows me am
wrong, | shall b. really to right it
without thr, AT or couprumise Now.
what il it of which gentlemen com.
Iplainl When | left my home in the
West to come to this place all Was
calm, cheerful, and contented |
heard oi no discontcnt. nnd appre
hended there was no cause to inter
rult the harmonious course OF lcgis
lation. did not learn ,hat there
had been, since we adjourned, any
new fact intervening that could at all
disturb the public mind | 10 no,
know that there has been any en-.
tcroachment upon the rights oi any
sectlon or upon any individual
Therefore, | came here expecting we
would have a harmonious session.
1t is very true that the great Rapub.
lican party, which has been organ
liZ ID ever since you repealed the
Missouri Compromisr, which gave
you four years ago full warning tina,
ITS strength would result as it has
resulted, and | suppose, any man
might have supposed things would
have result d in the same way-it is
true. this party has carried the elect
ion; bnt do not suppose anything
growing out OF the election is cause
oi the present excitement in the
country. Now, who is it that is
lainingp Is it the minority
that they have subjected to an op.
presslve and aggressive government!
No such thing as that. sir. We
might suppose that eighty four years
ago, when the leaders oi that glorious
revolution met iD Philadelphia, there
to draw mp a bill OF Indictment
against weak King and bis Minis
ters, they had been ut loss what
; they would Get forth as to the cause
Of their complaints. But they had
no difficulty in setting them forth.
and 30 that great article OF impeach
nent will go down to posterity to
Justify them for all they did. LIT
t ns, 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 eighty years pre-.
I vious. Instead Of dignilying wha,
1 they did as revolutionary, who would
i not have hanged every man of them
j as traior-i They would ask what
4 right have you, who have had the
J government in your own hands, who
. have been Ministers doing ever,
J thing that has been done, to set III
2 here that you have been oppresse,
y and argrieved by that very govern
y ment2 Ii would have been an act O
treason and nothing less.
Now, they who sit here the lead
T ers OF this modern revolution, ar,
ne they in position to complain OF tn
or action OF this government for year
pss,3 Why, they have had NOR
than two-thirds of the Senate ia
is many years. You, that complain
rs represent but little more than on
" quarter Of the free people of til
!. United States; yet, you have pre-
ID vailed for ten years past in the Cat
m met of the President. and in th
Supreme Court Of the United State
''' aud nearly every department Of III
q. government. Those who voted wi,
rnsy you have dictated the policy Of II
government. ls it not strange IN,
- those who occupy this position con
n, here complaining that their righ
ISL have been stricken down2 But VIII
liza the cauaa of this uroot axo;ka,,o M