St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-05-16
KloIitital.
SPEECH OF SENATOR DOOLITTLE.

We publish below the remarks Of
Senator Doolittle before Union meet
ing held at the city of Racine, Wis,
a few days since, for the historical in
formation they contain, and the patri-
otic sentiments they breathe:
Friends Nayt5ors and Faloc Citizens:
The extraordinary state of our be-
loved country, is my only apology for
responding to your invitation to speak
upon the subject in this place and
upon the holy Sabbath day
We are in the beginning of new
crisis in American afl,airs--a great
crisis. the cnd of which God only
knows. We stand in the presence OF
great events. We are, indeed, enact
ing history and for all time. We
are about to settle the great problem
of mans capacity for self govern
mcnt, and to settle it forever. 1t is
not therefore a party question, at all
upon which | speak to-day. 1t lies
deeper, far deeper 1t is no less than
whether the Union and the COnstitu-
tion can be maintained whether we
now have, or have ever had a govern
mcnt, under which any man should de-
sire to live, or for which he should
dare to die whether the will of the
people Constitutionally expressed shall
rule; in short, whether Presidents
shall be chosen by the peaceful ballot,
or be forced upon us by the bloody
bayonct. That's the question and,
upon that, | rejoice to say, Wisconsin
speaks but one voice to-day. From
town and hamlet, from native and for,
cign born, from old and young, from
Republican and Democrat, there comes
but one response, "The Constitution
and the Union must be maintained
Liberty and Union shall be one and
inscparable, now and forever what
ever stands in the way of their pre-
scrvation, by Gods help, we will tram
pie in pieces
Before such an issue, all mere party
issues sink out of sight. Mere politi
cal ties are sundcrcd like flax at tho
touch of fire lIenccforth there can be
but one issue. for or against the Uniol
and the Constitution, and upon that
there is, and there can be, no neutral
ity. He that is not for them is agains
them. Without trespassing. certain
ly without intending to trcspass upon
the feelings of any one, may be per
mittcd to say, what all must now con
cede, that for more than two-thirds o.
the last year Of Buchanan's Admins
tration, vacillation and imbecility t,
use no harsher term, presided at th'
White House. Traitors sat in Cabi
net Council, aye, traitors, compared
with whom, Burr and Arnold were pa
triots and saints.
Treason, open mouthed, defiant anC
unrebuked, stalked the streets Of th,
Federal Capital +; infested every De
partmcnt and at times, in language
not unsuitcd to Pandemonium, belche'
out its insolent rawlings in both houses
of Congress. Our forts and arsenal
were left unprotected, in utter diSre
gard of the prophetic warnings an
earnest remonstrances Of Gen. Scot
Large quantities of arms and an
munitoin We're sent South on purpos
/ to be seized by rebels. The arm.
, was posted beyond reach ; the arm
, in Texas placed in command of ira
tor every ship Of war ready for sci
: vice, except the Brooklyn. was sen
t to distant seas and even the gallan
, Anderson, when pent up in Fort SumI
| ter was held powcrless, while traitor
G were binding him fast and with til
arms stolen from the government
: rirding him all round with batterie
D to destroy him. That compelled hi,
, to evacuate.
, Oh. my fellow citizens, no languag
| can give utterancc to those emotion
: which swell every true American hca,
} at the evacuation of that fortress f;
| the taking down of the Stars al
\ Stripes which tloatcd over it, and
: fering it to go into the possession
! traitors. But, great as is that calan
: ity, it has done still greater goo'
1t has opened, at last, to the eyes, an
= brought home to the hearts of til
4 American people, of all purtics, IN a
y it's length and breadth and depth, tina
t damning Calhoun treason, which, fc
j. years, has been plotting the overtime,
t of the best government upon eartl
o and, with it, the last hope Of Constit'
C tional liberty for mankind.
c Let us not deceive ourselves. Tn