The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-02-13
Speech of Hon. John sherman of
Ohio, on the State of the Union,
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE ES,
January Is, 1861.
CONTINUED.

January Is, 1861.
CONTINUED.
Mr.. Sickles.-With the indulgence of the
gentle from Ohio, desire to correct state
ment Just made.
Mr.. Sherman.-I cannot yield further.
Mr.. Sickles,-Merely to correct an error.
Mr. Sherman.-Very we'll. I cannot re-
fuse to yield.
Mr. Sickles.-I merely desire to state that
the agreement which the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Vallandingham,) who has just
taken his seat, has assumed to have existed,
never did exist The Executive has dis
tinctly declared that no such agreement or
understanding was ever entered into on his
part, and that if any snch agreement was
made, it was done by some officer not au-
thorized to make it.
Mr. Vallandingham.-Il leave the question
of accuracy or veracity, as the case may be,
to be settled by those who were present at
the conference, and who affirm that there
was such an understanding.
Mr.. Branch now renew my PROPOSE
ton that the time of the gentleman from
Ohio be extended.
Mr. Lo7ejoy.-I will not object if the
gentleman from Ohio will use his time and
not give it to others.
Mr.. Sherman.-l Will.
MIR. Farnsworth.-I objected to the prop
osition when it was before made but am
willing to withdraw my objection if the
gentleman from Ohio will go on, and not
suffer himself to be interrupted.
The Chairman.-The Chair hears no OBJ
lection, and will consider it the sense of the
Committee that the gentleman's time be ex-
tended beyond the hour allowed him under
the rules.
' Al. Al.
men will see that l cannot extend to them
further indulgence, but that shall be per-
mtted to go on and finish what | have to
say.
Under the grave responsibility upon which
we are acting, l feel it to be my duty to
you, to my fellow members, and to my
country men, North and South, to say
frankly, that in voting for this Army bill,
vote with the expectation that the Army
will be used in protecting the acknowledged
property of the United States, in recovering
that which has been unlawfully taken, and
in maintaining the Union.
1t may be said that the gravity of the
events that surround us demands a greater
force than is provided by this bill. The
regular army is mere skeleton. The pres
ent force will scarcely defend our frontier
from Indian incursions; but it forms
nucleus capable of any reinforcement de-
manded by the exigencies of the times
do not contemplate in any event, hostile in-
vasions of the soil of any State unless de-
manded for the defense of the acknowledged
property of the United States. 1t is the
duty Of the Government to suppress insur-
rection in a State but i'll this event the
military power eau only be used in strict
! subordiuation to the civil authority. If the
| civil authority refuse to call for such aid, or
suppress the courts the military power can
not interfere If the courts are closed, the
| duties OF pOstmasters cannot be enforced,
| or the mails protected, and therefore the
postal service must necessarily be suspend
| ed. No doubt this measure will soon be
adopted If the revenue is refused, or can
not be collected, then goods cannot be i'm
ported, and ports must be closed If q
State shall, in violation of the Constitu-
ton, undertake to regulate commerce, then
her commerce must be suspended No
doubt other measures can be devised that
will preserve the peace of the country until
the States may confer in a constitutional
way, unless one or more of the seeding
States shall, by military force, shed the
blood of their fellow citizens, or refuse to
surrender to the proper authorities the ac-
knowledged property of the Government
| know that all the gentlemen around me
must deeply deplore civil war, especially
if that war shall involve the fate of this
capital and the disruption of the Govern
ment. No man with head to reason or q
| heart to feel can contemplate the inevitable
results of such a war without the most
serious desire to avert it. 1t is our duty as
members of this House, it is the duty o.
Congress, am happy to say it is now the
acknowledged duty of the President, as it is
of the incoming Administration, to use for.
bearance to the EXTREMIST point. Let no
physical force be arrayed in civil war unit
the last hope of peace and conciliatiOn has
been exhausted /; then let each branch o
the Government acting in concert with
each other, perform its respective duties
though the heavens fall
What can we do for peace and concilia
ton? | anticipate at once your reply; yoI
say, [" let US compromise; yield what we de-
mand of you" Let US compromise, anC
we will peserve the Union; civil war will
, be averted. This / know is the earnest ap
peal of patriotic men in the Southern State
who would gladly give their lives to stol
the march Of treason in those States How
I useless it is to talk about compromises
concessions, conciliation, adjustment, wheI
= if everything was conceded the integrit,
of the Government may be broken up by
majority of single State. five hold thi
Union, and all the rights it secures to us
and all the hopes we base upon it, upon tn
: whim or will of aIsingle State, then, indeed
. it is the weakest Government ever devise,
by man. If a single State may destroy ou
nationality, then, indeed, is the wisdom @
5 our fathers the wisdom of babes. We car
no longer talk about the weakness of th
+ old confederacy or anarchy of Mexico.
81 CI
to put down this heresy. If it now forti
. ies itself by sectional animosities, if it rise
: from party rebellion to sectional and civi
: war, still it must and will be met with de
termined resistance. Upon this point, an
glad TO say, the people of Ohio are united
if the unanimous voice of the Legislature c
o that State is a true indication.
e Again | say what is the use of conces
% sion, eonciliation or compromise, when,