, 1861-04-26


else and foreible speech at the Union Prayer
Meeting IN Racine, on Sunday last, which ne
commend:to our fee-ters: !,
Friends, Fsphbors aid FsAosp Citize,7s:
: The extraordinary sta. e of our beloved coun-
invitation tn speak upon that subject in this
place and Upon ibis holy Sabbath day.
We are In The beginning Of q new crieia In
American afairs-a great crisis, the end OF
which God only knows. We stand In the
presence Of great events. We are, indeed, en-
acting - history and -for~all time: We are
Ebout to settle the great problem OF mans ca-
paclty 1or self government, and to settle 1t
forever. 1t Ia not therefore party question,
At al, upon which speak to.dAy. 1t lies
dsepEr, far deeper. Il Is no less than whether
the Union and the Constitution can be main
tanned whether WenoW have, or ever have had,
= government under which any man should
desire TO i've or for which he should dare to
die; whether the will Of the people ccuetitu-
tlonally expressed shall rule; In short, whether
Pfeeidents shall be chosen by the peaceful bal
lot, OF be forced. upon us by the bloody bayo-
net. That's the question and upon thar, !
rejoice to say, Wisconsin spsaks but one voice
to-day. From town and hamlet, from native
and foreign born, IRON old and young, from
Republican and Democrat, there comes but one
response, The Constitution and the UDion
must he maintained; Liberty and Union shall
be one and inseparable, now and forever; what
ever stands In the way Of thstr preservation,
By Gods help we will tram pie in pieces"
Before sucn m Issue all mere party Issues
sink out Of sight, Mere politIcal ties are sun
dered like fix at tie touch Of fire. Hence.
forth there can be but one issne, for or against
the UEioa and the Constitution, and upon
that there Is, aud there can be, no neutrality
He that ia not for them isagatnst taem. With
out tresp2ssing, certainly without intending to
rAx,{ {t,n1 cfo + m
be permitted to soy, what all must now COLI
cede, that for mora than two thirds Of the last
year ef Buchanan's Administration, vacitla-
ton and imbecijitF, to use no harsher term,
presided at the White House. Traitors sat II
Cabinet Council, aye, traitors, compared with
whom, Burr and Arnolt were PARROTS and
saints.
Treason, open mouthed, defiant and unre-
buked, stalked the streets Of the Federal Cap.
itsl infest ted every Department and at times,
in language not uusuited to Pande1nonlnm,
belched ont Its ireolent rawlings in both hous-
es of Congress. Our forts and arseDa!s were
left unprotected, In utter disregard Of the pro-
phet1c warnings and earnest remonstEances OF
Gen. Scott
Large Quantities Of armB and ammunition
were sent South on purpose to be seized BY
Tebel2. The ar1uy Was posted beyond reach ;
the army in Texas placed In command OF a
traitor every ship of war ready for service
except the Brooklyn was sent to distant seas;
and erea the gallant Andersen, when pent up
| In Fort Sumter, was held poTerie6s, WhiIa
traitors we're binding him fast, and with arms
stolen from the government, girdine him all
around with batteries to destroy him. That
compelled him to evacuate.
o, my fellow citizens, no language can give
| utterance to these emotions which swell every
| true American heart at the evacuatton of that
| fortress at the taking do~n Of the stars and
| stripes which 1oated over it, and suffering it
| to go into the possession Of traitors. But,
great IS f5 that calamity, It has done q still
| greater good l. has opened, at last, to the
eyes, and brought home to the hearts of the
American people. Of all parties, In all It's length
and breadth and depth, that damning Calhoun
| treason, which, for years, has been plotting
the overthrow Of the best government upon
earth, and, with it, the last hope Of Constitu'
| tlonal liberty for mankind.
Last winter, made still bol3er by this inde
| cisio1, 1t demanded reconstruction Of the
/ government itself; . new Constitution, bJ
/ the express provisions Of which, this Calhoun
4 idea should be adopted, and the Institution
Of human slavery spread ell over the tEes
territories Of Mexico and Central Americs
just as fast as we should acquire them. An6
| what was more insoleut than all else, it de
clared that If even this last demand were grant
ed to save the Union, there was to be no Unio1
| after oil; for it Wonld still spurn With con
tempt the iden that the Constitution gives tt
the Federal Government any power to En-
force its laws in any seeding State.
By all taese acts and u5nTpltiou5, the nat
.urA precursors Of what We now see belong Il
the past. They are now sWalloaed up in tn
feet that, With arms in their hande, these cen
spirators have Eeiztd our forts and arsena1i
rob ed our treasury, ineulted and fired upo7
our flag, and to crown the whole catalogue c
their crimes, they have inaugurated actus
war against the government and threatened t
l nar afr ha fr
ITSELF
Grea. God Almighty, shall Just Tengeanc
sleep forever?
That point, beyond which forhsaraace cease
to be q v,rtus, has been reached and pasee
long, too loag, ago, already.
| Let US lot deceive ourselves. This thing
not the growth Of a cay or year; 1t is th
studied a1d persistent work Of many year.
Its leaders, now, throw off all difguises, an
declare, that, for more than thirty years, tie
Eare been stesdi]y at this work. The tart
was its pretext, In 1880. Then, thank Got
there was man at the helm. Gen. Jacsso
was there to put 1t dowu by coercion, H
placed, in due times regiment in Castle Pincl
rey. Though quellsd by him then, twas OIL
for time. lie saw, with prophets eye, tds
it would still live. '"1is pTetext tber," sal
he, twas the tariff question, 1ts next pretea
will be the slavery question: Calhoun four
J. that he could never uutte the South for di
|
would nave a tariff upon sugsr, and therefor
true to his fl1 purpose but cta ging his pr
text, h+ said, !" Ne ln1st force the issue upo
tie slaVery question"
For that purpose, aad to force that issue, h
gave utterance in the Senate to thas new ide
which unde1l es The Sou'hfrn revolution Whic
We now witness, and which threatens 20 ren
and destroy, every thing in its way, even tt
| Government Itself.
The new idea is that slavery is the commo
law Of the Constitnslon-~the natural and be-
relation Of capital and laboT-;he most Eal
and stable basis for free institutions in tt
world.
This Calhounisu, entering into and takiu
, possession Cf his followers, inspired them wit
the Wtldsst Eana:icism. Claiming slavery
: be positive good, 1t became, of necessity, a
/ | gressiEe,
> 1t demanded at once reversal Of the teacl
1nga Of the Southern pulpit, and they 1ere
| verEed.
T T. demanded 4 reversal Of the teachings
: their public schools, and it was done.
A reycr5alof the doctrines Of the press, an
Of the creeds Of political parties, AID it III
: done,
| Upon the same demand it has reversed Il
decisions Of their Courts; the acts aud res
lutions of their Legislative bodies.
It admits Of 30 question. Il tolerates I
) | other opinion. It reig' supreme, despot
r and intoleraat as the Spanish 1nquIsition,
,, the seeding States, and controls the leadi1
1 politicians III eli the Slave States.
l Not content, however, with controlllI
State action, and all domestic, it also demaI
ed the control Of every department OF Il
Federal Government, OF Congress, Ct the Pr
e sident, and Of the Supreme Conrt.
, 1t demanded Of Congress the repeal Of tt
,, Missouri Compromise, and it Was repealed.
: 1t demanded the invasion and subjugatit
Of Kausas by FIVE thousand mea In arme, Al
q | it was done,
= 1t demanded the enforcement Of the bloot
Border Rutfan Code, and it was enforced.
It demanded the admission of Kansas und
the Lecompton Constitution, though 1t can
2 covered all over reekIng with frand and pe
t jqry. and, as the world knows, vqted down
- almost ten thousand majority. In that, ho
3 eye7, for the first time it failed and, thai
r God, Kansas is free.
/. It demanded the Dred Scott decision, !
> yersin9 all the decisions Of the supreu
q Court, and OF every state Court, North q,
= Sauth, and Of every administration fro
Washington to Polk, and that decision "
| made.
would be as foraearirg az any. I ha
hoped and prayed that this dreadful cup mis-.
pass; but II it must be drunk, Gods will
n | done
y 1would hope AID pray and labor sill fol-
b troubie, but if blood must 1ow, 1t it be E
will that va must " tread the wine press of t
derccuess Of His wrath before we reach
It end, be it so! We stand for the Union a
J, the Constitution Of our 1athe1s; for the lig
J. and glory Of uatio1B. We stand for Constis
z tiopal liberty and equal Justice to all rnarA Ii
In such 8 struggle, If true to ourselves, G
If | the Almighty must be with us.
II Go on, then, young men; not day, not