The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1861-08-15

assembling of Congress, were amply sufficient to
protect the capitol against anv force which was
then likely to be sent against it-and the event has
proved it-and ample enough also to suppress the
outbreak in Maryland. Every other principal act
of the Administration might very well have been
postponed, until the meeting of Congress; or #
the exiSencies of the occasion demanded it, Con
grcss should forthwith have been assembled
What it two or three States should not have been
represented, although even tn need not have hap
pened; but better this, n thousand times than that
the Constitution should be repeatedly and fla
GRAVITY violated, and public liberty and private
hight traInpled under foot. As for Harper's Fer
ry and the Norfolk Navy Yard, they rather needed
protection against the Administration, by whose
orders millions of property we're wantonly destroy
ee which was not in the slightest danger from any
quarter, ar the date of the procama .ion.
But, sir, Congress was not assembled at once,
rs Congress should have been. and the great owes
ton Of civil subm tied to their deliberations
The representatives of the States and of the neo-
pie were not allowed the slightest voice in this
the most momentous question ever presented to
any Government. The entire responsibility ofthe
whole work was boldly assumed bv the Executive
and all the powers required for the purposes in
hand were boldly usurpcd from either the States or
the people, or from the legislative departments
while tho voice Of the judiciary, that last refuge
and hope Of liberty, was turned away from with
contempt
I In the portion here omitted Mr.. Y. reviews the
same points that Mr.. Breckenridge does in his
speech. and We therefore omit it -EDsl
+ | have finished now, Mr. Chairman, what pro-
posed to say at this time upon the message of the
President As to my own position in regard to
this most unhappy civil war, have onlv to saw
that stand to-day just where stood on the 18th of
March last where the whole Democratic party.
and the whole constitutional Union party, and a
vast majority, as | believe, of the people of the
United States, stood too am for peace, speedy
immediate, honorable PEACE with all its blessings
Others may have changed: have not question
not their motives nor quarrel with their course 1t
is vain and futile for them to question or to quarrel
with mine. My duty shall be discharged, calmly,
firmly, quietly. and regardless of consequences
The ap rowing voice of conscience void of Of
fense, and the approving Judgment which shall fol
low ''after some time be past,' these, God help
me. are my trust and my supp ort.
SiI, have spoken freely and fcarlessly TO-DAY v
as became American Representative AMI an
American citizen; one Grmly res, s,lved come what
may, not to lose his own Constitutional liberties
nor to surrender his own Constitutional rights IN
the vain effort to impose these rights and liberties
upon ten millions of unwilling people. have
spoken earnestly, too, but yet not as one unmnd-
ful the solemnity the SCIENCES winch surround
US upon every side to-day. Sir. v hen the Con
SreSS OF the United States assembled here on the
Sd o. December 1850, just seven mo:.tlIs ago, the
Senate was composed Of sixty-sx Senafors rep
resentinS the thirty three States of the Union,
and this House OF two hundred ard tlr,y-scven
membcrs-every state being present. 1t a
grand and solemn spectacle; the ambassadors of
three and thirty sovereigns and cf thirty one mil
lions people, the m:,htieSt republic on earth, in
general Congress assembled. liz the Senate, too,
and this House, were some Of the allest ana most
distinguished statesmen of the country, men
whose names familiar to the Whole country
some of them destined to pass into history The
new wings of the Capitol had but just recently
been finished, in all their gorgeous mlgniiicence,
and, except hundred marines at the navy ard,
not soldier was within forty miles of Washing
ton.
Sir, the Congress of the United States meets
here again to-day; but how changed the scene.
Instead of tlirty-fcur States, twenty three only,
one less than the number foly years ago, are here
or iii the other wing of the Capitol. Forty-six
Senators and one hundred and seventy three Rep
resentatives constitute the Congress of the now
/ United States. And of these, eight Senator's and
twenty four Representatives., from four States on
ly linger here as deputies from that erea; South
which. from the beginning of the government,
contributed 50 much 10 mold its policy. TO build up
its greatness aud to control its dcstincs All the
other States of that South are gone. TWENTY-FIVE
Senat, rs and sixty-five Representatives no longer
answer TO their names. The vacant seats are, IN
deed. still here; aud the cscutcheons of their re-
spcctive States look down solemnlv and sad, from
these vaulted ceilig gs But the Virginia of Wash
ington and Henry and Madison. of Marshall and
Jefferson, of Randolph and Monroe, the birth
ace of Clay, the mother Estates and Presidents;
the Carolinas OF Pickney and Sumter and Marion,
of Calhoun and Macon; and Tennessee, the home
and burial place Of Jackson; and other States, too.
once most loyal and true, no longer here. The
voices and the footsteps of the sreat dead of the
past two ages of the Republic. lingcr still, it may
be in echo aong the stately corridors of this Cap
ito! but their descendants from nearly one half of
the States of the Republic will meet with us no
more within these marble Ills. But i'm the parks
and lawns, and upon the broad avenues of this
spacious city, seventy thousand soldiers have sup
piled their places: and the morning drum beat
from score of encampments within sight of this
beleagured capitol, give melancholy warning to
the representatives of the States and of the peo-
/ pie, that amid arms laws are silent
Sir. some years hence, would fain hope some
months hence, if | dare. the present generation
will demand to know the cause of all this; aud
some ages hereafter the grand and impartial tri-
bunal of history will make solemn and dgent
inquest of the authors of this terrible reyolu.