Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-01-21

| had it from his own lips. He said he could
not 60 to the South with that boat that the
people there would not permit him to land
that they would not permit him to land his
his life. And this, in the freest Republic of
the world, as you call it; ay, sir, the model
Republic of the world. The next thing you
will hear will be that we must change our
names, if offensive to the South, before we
can travel there.
Sir, il is time to stop the work of these
traitors, and vindicate the laws. They must
prevail, or the Government must put them
down by its own strong arm. The trial can
not come too soon. ForbeaTance toward
them has ceased to be virtue. The people
are everywhere asking, "Have we Gov
ernmentp l say, we have, that the coming
struggle to mGntainit will demonstrate that
it is a Government of power and overwbelm.
ing force, against the offenders Of the law.
If, however, we have nothing more than
sort of NATURALIZATION society in this
House, and in the other, it is time the people
understood the fact also. 1t is better for
them to understand that now. If there is
any truth in the doctrine of the Secession
lists, our Government never had any vital
power and it is, and ever has been, as they
expound it, the merest'Tope Of sand-a cheat
and swindle against those who have hith-
erto sustained it.
The people have been spending millions
of money every year under the delusive idea
that Congress was making laws that they
actually meant should Be obeyed and, at
this late day, they awake to the reality that
those laws were only submitted to the con-
siderstion of offenders to see whether they
would like to obey them.
We see treason and cold -blooded rebellion
eliminating in the destruction of the rights
of the law-abiding people of the land; but we
| are coolly told that the Army and Navy
must not molest them. Why? Lest they
| should become offended, and,then possibly
some body might be hurt. Awful 1t is
said, too, that If you attempt to execute the
laws, war will be the result. My answer is
this: we are to perform our duty, our known
duty, and leave the results to God. We pro-
| pose no war against anybody, much less
against any State. We only ask that the
laws be duly executed against individual Of
| tenders.
| Who is not opposed to war; Who does
not shudder at the contemplation of clash
| ing arms among people of one blood and
| country. But bad as it is, there are some
things even worse than war, when carried
! on by a well.estahlished Government. An
archy is worse. The loss of honor. and the
loss Of public credit, aud a. broken and shat
tered Government, whose laws are derided
and trampled under foot: these are worse
than war to maintain the most favored and
and glorious and blessed Republic that the
sun ever shone upon.
But no war will come if we are prepared
| to yindicate the laws. 1t is the very absence
| of preparation that invites trnnblss like
those which now surround us. Let the Gov
eminent act with firmness and vigor, and all
will be well. The present is no time for tenn
porjzing Men insane with passion have
risen up in arms against the Republic, and
their causeless rebellion has already at
u H.. Al, g H. -,
the leading Governments of Europe are look
ing from their high places intently upon us
to see if our institutions can survive the
shock of we'll organized treason. Liberty.
loving men of all countries are watching us
with the interest that more than seventy
! years of successful experiment has inspired
in their minds and for the action which VIC
now take, civilization, as well as history it.
self win hold us sternly responsible. Sir
we are now on trial before the whole world
to see whether freemen have the right t.
choose their own rulers or whether a fac
tious minority shall dictate terms and mel
to the majority.
If those in arms against the laws ma,
force the Government into dishonorabl
compromise, we have no security for ou
= Government for single Presidential term
for the people of any section, if they hapoel
| to dislike a President-elect can easily vot
themselves out of the Union, aud again ant
again compel the law-making and the law
executing power to surrender to their absur
and unjust demands. The precedent ono
established, what is the elective franchise il
this country worth2 Absolutely nothing
and less than nothing 1t is a shadow with
: out the substance. r.
Those who stand up against the Govern
7, ment aud in open rebellion against it, a
t though it secures to them higher privilege
! than any upon the face of the earth, seek t
4 excite sympathy ana attract support, b
S drawing comparison between their politics
g condition under it, and that of the COlonis
! under the King of England; but "a moi
t absurd comparison in my judgment, W,
I, never instituted, as we will show.
: [Mr. Gurley was here interrogated by NJ
: jenkins, as to what he proposed to do
;, fifteen States seceded.l
!. Mr.. Gurley-When they go out, vi
}. answer that question.
e was saying that those who stand up no
in open rebellion against the Governmen
/. do so although it secures to them high
y privileges than would be secured to them
q any other Government upon the face of I'll
d earth and that they are exciting sympatf
n by drawing comparisons between their poll
i ical condition under it and the Colonis
. under the King of England. But, ask, d
IS | lle OOlOulStE create Tue Alug Dlu IhtJ ;
up the thTpne2 Did they elect the Parli
? meut? Did they even elect and contr
', their own Governors2 Nay, sir the vel
le acts which they passed, with the exceptiC
It of some Colonies, had to receive the sanctiC
J. of the English sovereign before they becan
NJ a law. A foreign despotism held uudisputt
ID sway over them.
ct Now. sir, let gentlemen who complain
it oppression in the light Of complaints utter
by our fathers against English rule, tell
In who established the Government und
m which we live. Did it come from foreil
"a despot, from king, from an emperor
es came from your fathers and mine. WI
es but the patriots of the Revolutionary tim
he gave us the glorious institutions which ha
40 been the pride and admiration OF all WI
"a and good men? And now, who carry
40 this Government The people OF all t
rS States, whoNelect the Chief Magistrate I
mo- people, who create the laws; the people,
er' their sovereignty and representatives. Al
vet gentlemen Of the South assure us I'll
lr they are oppressed Oppressed Oppresse
*. How Oppressed, and by whom If at q
yn / by the Government which they themsel'
of have helped 10 create, and have controls
adj as they openly boast, for fifty years, 1t
of their Government; and what do they pI
he nose 10 do now? Trample upon the VI
,ed laws they have made with their own bra
mi and with their own hands. They assume
,at Law violent hands upon their own work, o
am commit political suicide. They will overtJ
,besl the Government because ii is not certain 4
nj. they can control it in the future as d
go, have controlled it in the past And tbi
or called consistency; this is called a decla
ost tion of their independence. ST, call