The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1861-09-10

LplsCOpAl SHuIcH VI tHc 1hitcu ptaitS
made speech from which we extract the
following in reference to the great rebel
| lion
| have been grateful for the interest
which has been expressed for my beloved
country since | have been in England and
the strong sympathy which has been ex-
pressed for our land in its present hour OF
trial loud cheers knew from what
has been intimated, that | should disap-
point this audience tonight if | did not
refer to our national difficulties Hear,
hear) And yet it is no light matter for
man to speak of such interests in such a
presence as this. Some persons, in some
places, can speak without much response,
bility, but am conscious that what | say
here ought to be said with care Our ma
tional difficulty is one of great magnitude,
the cause Of it is one of gigantic stature.
| express it as my opinion, my clear, de-
cided judgment, that our present national
difficulties have arisen out of the one
question-slavery. Hear, hear True,
politicians have attempted to assign ether
reasons. Reference has been made, some
times, to the tariff. The leaders of the
secession movement refer to our fiscal laws,
and they refer to some legislation in Con-
gress which, they say, was unfriendly to
their peculiar interests. The Vice Presi-
dent of the self-styled Confederate States
stated publicly, in his own State, (Geor-
gia, when he returned from his seat in
Congress last fall, after the Presidential
election, that the South had no reason to
complain of the tariff, for that South Car
olina had voted with Massachusetts, on
every tariff bill which had been passed;
and | think upon that question he was
good authority He also stated that, so
far as the fishing laws were concerned.
there was no ground of complaint, because
the Southern States had got as good right
to send out ships To the fishing banks as
the Northern States, and if they did not
avail themselves of the opportunity it was
nobody else's fault. And he made this
declaration, that the Government of which
they were complaining was the most be-
nign Government In the world and that
the Southern States themselves, under that
Government, had unparalleled prosperity.
That was the statement - the Vice Presi-
dent of the Confederate States. Previous
to the last Presidential campaign, the Re-
publiaan party, in their National Conyen-
ton, when they made their nomination,
put into their platform, Us they call it,
this "No more Slave Territories. -
Hear, hear.) The present President,
when he accepted the nomination, accept
ed that platform | rejoice that, having
first adopted this, together with the other
principles laid down by the Convention,
he was elected The one question of the
extension Of slavery was the one that has
brought about this conflict. The free
States did not claim the right to control
slavery in the States where 1t existed, the
Constitution making il State institution
The free States did claim the right to CON
troll the Territories where slavery did not
exist, and prevent any new slave States.
Hear So that the South had no right
to complain of any action whatever touch
ing the existence Of slavery in the States,
and it was the one question of the extern
sion Of slavery that was the cause of this
war. Hear, hear The object Of the
war is another thing. The Southern States,
| for the reasons | have stated, claimed a
right to secede from the Union, and hay-
| ing passed an ordinance of secession seized
the property of the Federal Government in
those States. 1t was clear, to all intelli-
gent citizens, that, if one State could Sc
cede, all States could secede If tho State
could secede from the Federal Govern
ment, then the county could secede from
the State Government If the county
could seccde from the State government
then the town could secede from tke coun-
ty, and consequently there was no law or
Government. Our citizens could not
admit that principle, and consequently our
Government determined to maintain it,
authority and the object Of the Govern
ment Is national efisteAce That is tn,
object Of the war As to the conseauen.
ces Of the war, do not think any one car
see or divine them. One thing is clear
however, to my mind at least, and that ii
that the result must be damaging to slave
ry. Cheers | am satisfied that tn,
people of the free States who have taker
the position they have, and entered upor
it with the spirit they have, will never
reeede from that position No more slav,
Territories - no more slave States !.
Loud cheers As to the issue Of tn,
war, ! am not well qualified to speak, as
hayr>no military knowledge. can no
well see, however, how ten millions .
people, with domestic enemy anon,
them, can successfully contend with TWEEN
ty millions. / can not see how, with thei
ports closed, and their commerce DESTROYED
they can sustain themselves against PEG
pie whose ports are open, and whose com
merce is as free as ii ever has been. Wit
: these statements the audience can judy
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