The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-01-22


ma Sufferers--The Union Saved "A
Little.
A memorial was presented to the Coun- |
Gil on Saturday evening, signed by some /
two hundred and fifty persons, praying the
Council to save the Union by assigning a |
day for an election to take the sense of the |
people of Evansville for and against the
Crittenden Compromise --.r- ,.s...
Councilman Sauer moved that the prayer
of the Petition be granted, which was sec
onded. lrr
Mr.. Cook was opposed to making such
an order He was afraid the Council had
no authority to NEEDLE in such matters-
He would be glad to do anything to save
the Union, and if he could be assured that
the election asked for would certainly have
that effect he should feel disposed to stretch
point and vote for it. But as he doubted
the power unless such assurance was given
he must vote against it.
Mr.. Chandler said he had intended to con
tent himself with silent vote against the
petition, but since he came into the Cham
Der his attention had been called to a COM
munication of the gentleman who claimed
to be its originator, in a Louisville paper
which satisfied him of what he before had a
shrewd suspicion, that the movement had
its origin in partisan and not in patriotic
motives; that its object was not so much to
preserve the Union of the States as to
restore the union between the offices and
certain most unhappy class of politicians,
which had recently been elected from them.
He had observed in other quarters in the
North where similar attempts had been
made to foist this absurd and impracticable
compromise prematurely upon the consid-
Grafton of the people az the only alternative
to a dissolution of the Union it had usually
been under the lead of men who before the
November election had refused in the most
significant manner to adopt the principle of
that proposition in much less repulsive
| form, though they were assured it was the
only way to save the Union. But they de-
clared they dared not go before the people
of the North on that principle. Why dared
not Because their offices were at stake,
and they knew that the masses of the North
of all parties were determinately opposed to
the doctrine of the protection of slavery in
the territories. Now they are willing to
abandon the great principle that they pre-
| tended was Gear to them as the apple of
their eye and concede this monstrOuS doc
trine in its most repulsive shape. Why
Because they have nothing at stake-noth-
ing to lose and all to gain. They are pO-
litical bankrupts, eager to seize upon any
| means however desperate to mend their bro
ken fortunes. Hence they coolly sit down
to calculate how out of this nettle, danger to
the Union, they may pluck the flower, safe
ty to themselves. They make the same use
of their country's misfortunes that old Mrs.
Sniggens did of her husbands body found in
the milldam "chock full of eels.' When
the fact was reported to her, and she was
asked what should be done with the body,
she said she reckoned they had better take
out the cells and set it again. These men
have just as high an appreciation of the du-
ties of patriotism as the old lady had of hu-
man decency.
The proposition was n downright insult
to the people. Just look at it More than
2,1OO of the people of Evansville voted in
November against the idea of the protec-
ton of slavery in the territories; just loo
voted for it. This prayer for another cleo
ton upon this question assumes that these
2,lOO are now ready to go over to the 100
and under coercion and because there are
traitors in arms against the Government
concede great principle to threats and me-
naces, when they would not do it to reason
and argument. What a calm, dishonor-
able vile submission would this be- he
did not believe they would do it, and if he
did believe it, that alone would decide him
to refuse to give them the chance. They
should have no aid from him in exposing
themselves to the infamy of such poltroon-
cry.
The memorial asks the election in order
to restore peace and harmony, sc. Is il
not strange way to restore peace and har-
mouy to renew again the angry political
ronhict we have just passed through
These gentlemen must not flatter themselves
that this question is to be taken by default
There are some of US at least who have not
bowed the knee to Baal, and who will be
heard before the verdict of November is
reversed. Is it good policy to enter upon
such a controversy now? What good would
it effect even if decided as the petitioners
desire Would it save the Union Would
even the Crittenden Compromise, if passed
and proffered, save the Union Why, only
the other day in the U. S. Senate a vote was
taken upon that scheme and resulted in
what was considered a substantial defeat
southern men voting against it, and the
news of that defeat was hailed by the
Secessionists in Charleston, Washington
and elsewhere with unbounded rejoicing
They don't want any compromise They
spurn and despise you and your gifts and
yet these dOughface friends of theirs can see
no other way to save the Union but by
saving slavery. -.....=.
Their constan: and sole petition is save
slavery 80, for Heavens sake, save slave
~ !" They are the fellows whom Parson
Brownlow describes in his prayer, who be-
lieve that " the chief end Of man isnigger.'-
In their treatment of this great question
they reminded him of an incident he wit.
messed when boy in Nashville, Tennessee
George Kit, an "ebo-shinned gizzard-foot-
ed niger as Gov. Wise would describe
him, who belonged to old Kit, another mig
ger, and stood in as much awe of him as a
Northern dough-face does Of his masters
down South, in attempting to dip a bucket
of water from the river, tumbled in, and af-
ter making trip to the bottom, got bis
head above the surface, and seeing the
bucket floating off down the river, bawled
out "Save old kits bucket" a second