Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-04-10

and had them passed. iThst pacifsf he country
and preserved the union In 1850 hS came here,
and inathis Legislature he delivered IN address
Thes storm had then passed BY, hut be spoke to-
them With prophets DIRE And With p patriots
concern of the character Of the Constitution Of
their country and the value 81 this Union He said
IL have been asked when would consent to give
up this Union answer, neseri never! neverf
! and warn you, my countrymen, now if, as things
seem to tend, this country should be divided ato
Union and Disunionist party, here now, no matter
| who compose that party. declare myself member
of the Union party. Whether it be . Wing or q
Democrat that belongs to the party Of the iUnion
there subscribe my name,-there unite my heart
] and hand with that party" How would he answer
the question, What shall we do? Shall we quit
this Union now, and &c off upon the experiment Of
our brethren of the South. What would he an
swer who then answered as have stated 4,
say Their it would be wisdom in us never to con-.
slider the question of dissolution. It is not ques.
ton to he debated it is nota question TO be settled
| upon politics or arguments. You know the frnit
of that tree is good Stand under it; feed upon its
rich fruits as you have done until you better
one at a distance, or until great necessity is
| upon us-until necessity like that by which our
parents were driven from Eden shall drive you from
it. Then 20; it will be time then, and that peces.
sity will be your justification. There is another
authority still more venerable than that Of the H.
| lustrious man whom T have mentioned-I mean
| Gen. Washington Do you believe he was q wise
| mann What did he tell you of the value of this
Union, and of your duty to maintain and uphold
| it?-not merely argumentative devotion, ready to
argue yourselves in or out of it on occasion; ne
| told you to have IN immovable attachment to the
| Union-never to think of abandoning it.; stick to
it; fight for it; fight in it.; if your rights are dis
turbed maintain them, if that desperate extremity
| should come; but that desperate extremity is not
| to be apprehended. 1t may occur for short time.
Wrong and oppression may be practised for short
time. Bad rulers may Cypress you, as they have
oppressed Others. You may have mischievous
President and an ignorant and Injurious Congress.
All this may occur, but all this, in the wisdom Of
the Constitution is swallowed up in the general
good That same Constitution, which, through the
in6rnity of human nature necessarily subjects you
to these evils, gives you the power Of redressing
them at short intervals of time and he who cannot
for the perpetual good, bear such evils for short
time does not deserve to be member of good
government You have the opportunity of redeem
ing that government by frequent elections of
President and Congress. If you permit repeti-
ton of mal-administration, it is your fault You
have the remedy, and it is your fault if you do not
apply it.
Gentlemen. the government is in bad and dan
gerous condition. Whether it shall fall to pieces
and become the scott Of the world whether our
ruins are all that shall remain to tell our story is
the question now to be determined. ! believe in
the people more than believe in governments. l
believe in the people more than believe in Presi-
dents, in Senators, in Houses of Representatives.
do not say that to fatter multituds. l say it be-
canse believe in the intelligence of the people.
believe in the public virtue Of the people, whatever
may be said to the contrary. Though in many
things many people act little unworthy of the dig
nifty of freemen, STILL when l look at the majestic
body of the people, find that there is wisdom, a
generosity, and public virtue that will not allow
this country to be tramped under foot or to go down
to rnins They will extend their hands from the
North to the South, and from the South to the
North, in fraternal sympathes. do not believe
they will fight upon any cause that yet exists
believe they will not permit their rulers to maintain
any petty platforms to destroy a great country.
The Chicago PLATFORM thing no bigger than my
hand-to be set up, like an idol of old, and wor-
shipped, and great country like ours, with all its
millions sacrificed upon its altars-the people will
not allow that to be done. They are not platform
makers Their country and their God is what they
are for They are our citizens, and they will
save u.s. This may be superstition, but have it,
and it comforts and solaces me. You are portion
of that grea: body, and will you do your part?
My friends, these remarks are desultory. / have
not pretended to sketch the sad history of these
events to relate them in their detail. have not
attempted to discuss all the probable consequences
of abandoning or standing by the government Of
|
ing that to join the new government would be moth
| ing but speculation. 70 stand fast where you are
is to perform the duty which is nearest you, and
within your clear conviction. That is the course
have recommended. What have you done? Are
you not pledged to- this course? What has old
| Kentuckys course been? You sent some years ago
piece of Kentucky marble to be wrought up into
the structure Of that magnificent monument to the
Father of his Country; now unfinished in the city
of Washington. That was your tribute to the pa
tIiotsm and the great name Of that dnequallsd man
/ What1id you cause TO be fnscti6ed sAptn IN Les
1 me remind YOU Upon The saone is.sneFaysd thss:
words. KsnsaekE ms the Hlst State TO enter
he Hhi61 sser The sdegtioo p the present consti:
/ is the testimony engraven by your own order. 1t
4 is engraven upon the marble. 1t stands part Of
| the great monument to the memory of Washington,
where all the world may see it. While Washington
is adored as the founder of his country-in that
holy keeping is this monument of recorded rock in
which you say you will be the last to leave.
Now Mr. Speaker and gentlemen, when you have
examined in every material point of view, in the
view of every material interest this question as to
the policy and course Kentucky ought to pursue;
when you have found them ALL let me say that
think your judgment will find it satisfactory not to
remove from the Union But suppose you did not
arrive at that satisfactory conclusion, is there not
something in the stability which marks the manhood
of old Kentucky? Here she stands upon her own
native ground; here she stands by that flag under
which she has often fought and stands by that Union
that she has to maintain. Is there not senti
ment that you feel in your heart that however pol
itcians may policy ought not to sway this mat
ter. There great deal even IN doing wrong when
you do it in pursuance of sense of fidelity and
honor-a sense of patriotism. Which of youi if your
child is to read the history of this period, if it be
our sad fate that country now is to perish, and
he is left to read only the mournful history Of its
fall, how would you rather it would stand in that
history-that Kentucky in the tumut of this revolu
ton was led away led away from her colors and her
Constitution, and joined in the sad experiment of
Southern Cotton State Republic ?-that she SUM-
dered herself from the parent Government which
was broken into fragments and helped to form little
governments which soon consumed each other Tor
that old Kentucky was left when the land had been