Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-05-09
History of the War Crisis, by
DooIittle

speech Delivered lew Gays since by Sen
tor Doolittle of Racine, because it gives a
perfect history Of the grievances that have
led the north 10 join in common cause Of
war:
Friends, Neighbors, and Fellow Citizens.
The extraordinary state of our beloved
country, is my only apology for responding
to your invitation TO speak upon that sub
ject in this place and upon this holy Sab
bath day.
We are in the beginning of new crisis
in American affairs-a great crisis, the end
of which God only knows. We stand III
the presence of great events. We are, in
deed, euacting history; and for all time
We are about to settle the great problem of
mans capacity for self-goyernment, and to
settle it forever. 1t is not therefore par
ty question, at all, upon which | speak to-
day. 1t lies deeper, far deeper. 1t IS no
less than whether the Un;on the Ccnstitu-
ton can be mainted whether we now b I'VE,
or have ever had government, under
which any man. should desire to live, or for
which he should dare to die; whether the
will of the people Constitutionally express
sed shall rule; in short, whether Presidents
shall be chosen by the peaceful ballot, or
be forced upon us by the bloody bayonet
That's acquisition; and upon that | rejoice
to say, Wisconsin speaks as but one voice.
From town and hamlet, from native and
foreign born, from old and young, from
Republican and Democrat. there comes but
one respone-"The Constitution and the
Union must be maintained; Liberty AMI
Union shall lie one and inseparable, now
and forever; whatever stand III the way OF
their preservation, by Gods help, we viii
tranple IN pieces"
Before such an issue, all mere party IS
sues sink out Of sight. Mere political ties
are sundored like ttx at the touch OF fire.
Henccfore there can be but issue, for or
against tile Union and the Constiton, and
upon that, there Is, and there can be, no
neutrality. He that is not for them is
against them. Without trespassing. GER
tanly without intending 70 trespass upon
the feelings Of ANY one. | may be permit
ted to say, what all must now concede, that
for more than two-thirds of the last year OF
Buchanan's administration, vasclllation and
nnbecility, to use no harsher term, presided
at the White House. Traitors sat IN Cab
met Council, aye, traitors, compared with
whom, Burr and Arnold were patriots and
Sints.
Treason, open mouthed, defiant and un@
rebuked, stalked the streets of the Federal
Capitol infested every Department; and
and at times, in language not unsulted 10
Pandemoniun, belched out its insolent ray
mos in both houses of Congress. Our
forts and arsenals were left unprotected, in
utter disregard of the prophetic warnings
and earnest remonstrances OF Gen. Scott.
Large quantities Of arms and ammunition
were sent South On purpose to be seized by
rebels. The army was posted beyond
reach; the army in Texas placed in COM
mand of traitor; every ship ofwar ready
for service, except the Brooklyn, was sent
to distant seas; and even the gallant An
derson, when pent up in Fort SUMTER was
held powerless, while traitors We're binding
him fast, and with the arms stolentron the
government, girding him all around with
batteries to destroy him. That compelled
him to eyacute.
@, my fellow citizens, no language can
give utterance to those emotions which
swell every true American heart at the
evacuation Of that fortress; at the taking
down Of the Stars and Stripes which Il 9at-
ed over it, and suffering it to go into the
possession Of traitors But, great us is
thatcalamity, il has done still greater good.
1t has opened, at last, to the eyes, and
brought home to the heart II the Ameri-
can people, Of all parties, IN all its length
and breadth and debth, that dainning Gai-
houn treason, which, for years, has been
plotting the o, erthfow OF the best govern
ment upon earth, and, with it, the last hope
of Constitutional liberty for mankind.
Let Us not deceive ourselves. This
thing is not the growth of day Or q year;
il Is the studied and persistent work Of
many years. Its leaders, now, throw OFT
all disc lises, and declare, that, for more
than thirty years, they have been steadily
ut this work. The tariff wa the pretext III
1880. Then, thank God, there was a
man at the helm Gen. Jack son was there
to putt down by coertion. He placed, IN
due time, regiment in O. site Pickney.-
Though quelIed by him then, it was only
for tin.e. He saw, with a prophets eye,
that ii would still live. "Its pretext then,
said he, s'was The tariff question, its next
pretext will DO the slavery question. Cai-
houn found that he could neither unite
the South for disunion upon the the tarlii
question, for Louisiana would have tarlif
upon sugar, and therefore, true to his fell
purpose, but changing his pretext, he said,
1--WE must force the issue upon the slavery
question:
For that purpose, and 70 force that Is
sue, he gave utterance in tie senate to that
new idea which uneerlies the Southern
revolution which we now witness, and which
lbreat ms to rentl and destroy everything
ia its way, even the government ITSELF.
That new idea is that slavery j. the COM
mon law Of the Constitution--the natural
and best relation Of cspitIl and lal oF--tile
f...a,. f.lr tfsate f4iSf I'LL