The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-02-02
SPEECH OF WIN. h SEWARD,
In the Senate. January 18th 1861.

The presence u deranSeaeni Of bGs.aess and disturb
anre Of guli- well private credit ard in the ,e
q. seftious o1.blaaI3ns 70 overthrow the raiop 7h
alarm Is appalling; fur Unsn is net mere the t,v
than liberty Is the soui u The naloa The American
citizen has been accustomed 10 believe the Rsstlc
Immortal He shriuks froa The sigh, os eyuyr,stous
faieatTe Of tis sutten 6eaIh The report Of our en-,
diion has gene over The seas and who have 50 long
aud with mach eozapaeeny studied the eadless sgIta
tons of society in the Old World believing ourselves
exempt from sueh Disturbances now u our ;urn seem
10 he falling INTO aEJmeHIous and disastrous reygt-
,toa
kEoS has dirieat IT is N decide amid 30 many and
- various eounsels what ought to be and evea wha,
can be done Certainly hgweger it is time for every
Senator 20 declare himself. therefore following the
example Of the uooie Senator frurn Tennessee fNr.
JoHssossl aso1 my adherence ~ tie Gn.oa in its
integrity and wth all its parts with my fficads with
party, with Tay State my country or without
either, as they determine, in every event whether
Of peaee Of war with every consequence 0. homer or
flshoHor, Of life or death. Although I lament the
occasion, hail with eheerfune.s the duty Of lifting u
voice among distracted debates for my whole cou-
try and Its IHe8slnahle Union.
Hitherto the exhibitions spirit and resolution here
as elsewhere, have been chiefly made on the side of
disunion. do not regret this Disunlon is 50 unex-
before its presence be realized ike best also
the courage that rises slowly under the pressure Of
severe provoeation II it be Christian duty to forgive
to the stranger seventy times oence. it is
the highest patriotism 10 endure wihou; complaint the
passionate waywarness OF political brethren long as
there Is hope that they may come to better mind
think 1t Is easy to pronounce what or
duct will not the URiQn agree with the
Senator from North Carolina tMr. CLIsGMASl that
mere en!ogiums will not it, Yet think that as
prayer brings nearer to God, though move
Him toward US, 50 there is healing and saving
IN every word Of devotion TO the Union that spoken
and In every sign that its danger draws forth know
AZ least that Ike virtue, it derives strength from
every irrcvcrent act that is committed every bias
phemous phrase that IS uttered against it.
The Union cannot lie saved by mutual ordinations
concerning our respective share of responsibility for
the present evils lie whose conscience acqults him
will naturally be slow to others whose co-opera
tIon he needs. History only adjust the great
count.
A continuance Of the debate on the constitutional
power Congress over the subject OF slavery
Territories viii not the Union- TIE opinions of
parties and sections that question have become dog
maticaI. this circumstance that has produced
the existing alienation. truce, least during the
"he Union cannot be saved by proving that secession
il III, gal unconstitutional. Persons bent on that
fearful ep will not stand long enough forms of law
.obeasla ad and loyal men do not need such narrow
ground sta.''d upon.
fear that lit will be gained from discussing
the right Of the Feu oral Government to seeding
States into Obedience. II disunion is to go on, this
question will Civ. place to the more practical one
whether secedin,F stases have right to e"eTee
the remaining members acqu. esce IN dissolution
dread as:in my innermot soul abhor civil war
30 not Know what the Union ,ould he worth II saved
by the use of the sword. Yet for ali this, do not
agree with those who with a desire ave.t that great
calamity, advise conventional unopHosed separa-
tion with view to what they call recUnstl uctiou II
enough me- first, that in this plan, des, ruc on
gees before recons structon; and secondly thai the
strength of the in which the hopes of the on
held consists chiefly in its remaining unbroken
Congressional compromises likely to save the
Union. know indeed, that tradition ators this
of remedy But is essential It's success, in any
case, that there be found prepoEderating of
citizens so far neutral the issue which separates
parties, that they Intervene. strike down clasnns
weapons, aud compel accommodation. Moderate
concessions not customarily asked by force with
its guns battery liberal concessions apt
own right and its strength. think, also, that
there is prevailing conviction that legislative copro-
misses which sacrifice honesty cherished principles,
while they anticipate future exigeneies cten II they
do powers, less
to avert imminent evils than they certain pro-
duce ultimately even greater dangers.
Indeed Mr.. President, think il will be wise to
discard two prevalent ideas preudices namely FIRST
that the Union 10 be saved By somebody in particulars
and secondly Is to be saved by cunning and
iusucere compact Of pacifcaon. II remember
rightly said something like this here so long 1850,
and afterwards IN 1854.
the uresont danger dsc,oses itself in this form Dis
eoutcnted citizens have obtained political power in
certain States, and they using this authority to
overthrow the Federal Government. They deIadc
themselves with belief that the State power they have
acquired enables them discharge themselves Of allie
glance To the whole Republic The honorabig Senator
from Illinois Mr. pouGLAsl says we have right to
eoercc State but cannot. The President says that
no state has rshtt seccc, but we have no eonsitu-
tionaI power to make sgains. State. The dem-
ma results from an assumption that those, who In
such case act against the FEDERAL Government, act
lawfully as a state; although msnifestly the, have
per, the power Of the State to an Unconstitutional
purpose class Of politicians In New England set up
this theory and attempted practice II In our war with
Errat nritstn Mr. jefferson cid not hesitate TO say
that states mus; be kept within heir constitutional
sphere by npusion If they could not be held there by
attraction Secession was then held insimisSabs
in hp face Of public enemy. Bat IL is untenable in
enc case t Is necessarily in all others fully ad-
nit the orx,astv the sovereignty, and the niepend-
enre = the several States within their sphere Bat
bold the Federal Government to be equally original
sovereign, aud independent within its sphere And
tho government ot state can no more aesoive the
,eo,fe residing within its limits from allegiance to The
Union than the Government OF the Union can ahsoise
them from altsxance to The State. The Constitution
st tn. rnite states aud the laws made IN pursuance
thereof ar. the the supreme aw Of the land, para
mann, Ia ALI legislation ot the States, whether maize
uner The Constitution by their organic eouven-
tious The rnlcn he d,sscised not By secession,
with or without armed but only BY the voluntary
consent Of the people et the United States collected IN
the manner prescribed by the Constitution OF the
/ United states. t--
rsn.rsss in the present case oushi not to BE apas-
ir. n ought 10 it can redress real grievances
q, the offended States saa ,hsn IT ought to supply the
President with all the means necessary to MAINTAIN
IN, rg,sn in the tu sxhibtsn and discreet exercise
s liz authority Beycad his. with the rroper ACTIVITY
a, .hc o,vt Of the Executive, the respcnsIeiiis OF
xavinx the Unioa bssonSs the people and they He
/ atuadsntly competent to aischarse H.
,-grS. thprsssre with great difference. 60 address
rnvsrt TO the country upsa the uemeaseas saeeS''
..ssuz hsarimg not less frem the pecpte vt'hihSha
Ar, rsf;c The secsairs than trcm those who resiar
within the ssihertnz States.
,e resulting frgu eoavtSioas q. its neSess'iy, and
therefore oct likely % tA hastily discarded TIE early
s,.tss while existing As eaaauiss, eeFs eousoinea
., sv,,.y.,,,v .hrosga eoursun allegiance TO the