Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-06-13
sfmy Lords, You Cannot Conquer
American

AMERICA
Prom the Louisville Couriorl
This was the language Of the great Chatham
In the English House Of Lords almost a cen
tury ago, in that memorable speech in whicL
he so eioquenuly advocated the withdrawal Of
the British troops from America, and the ees'
sation Of the ~fruitless h0stilities against the
Colonies.
The Colonies had declared their indepen-
deEce battles had been fought, victories "onl
and defeats suffered for nearly two years the
greatest power on earth, with men, money,
vast resources. a powerful navy, experienced
generals, abundance Of arms and munitions OF
war bad been attempting 10 enforce ne SUD
mission Of tie erebels,n who, with but Two
millions Of Inhabitants, distributed over a VAST
territory, and without credit, money arms
munitions Of war, a navy or he means Of ere
ating one. had bean bravely fighting against
the fearful odds for their inaiienable rights
aud parliament assembled the ministry an
nounced the i~ntentisn Of the king 10 continue
the war until the Colonies Should be conquered
and the traitors punished. Then Lord Chat-
han, solo and weak " BIC great heart tull OF
the sublime principles Of constitutional lib
ertv, bis mind stil active in devising
ulsns for the good Of bis country and kuman-
itv. wise. ssEacious, and experienced as few
ether men Of lis day; honest and fearless In
his sdvocacT OF the right; immovable in bis
opposition to wrong-tbis great man dragged
himself 70 the house Of lords and entered his
memorable protest against the prosecution Of
the war.
~ love and honor the English troops" said
he. 81 know their virtues and their val0r. /
know they can achieve anything except mpos-
siblities: and know thss the conquest Of En-
glish America is an imp0sriblhfy. You can
not. ] ventura to say it, you cannot conquer
America. -s My Lords, you oa=aot c0aquer
.fmericgi - As to 20 conquest, therefore, ny
Lords, I repeat, it is Impossible. You NAV
swell every expense, and every effort, and still
more e~xtraVsgsntiy, pile and accumulate every
assistance you can buy OF borrow; traffic
and barter with every little pittful German
prince that sells and sends his subjects to
the shambles Of a foreign prince; your e.
forts are forever vain and important: .
r ] were an American, as ] am an
Englisbmsn, while A foreign troop was landed
in my country, I never would lay down my
arus-nerer-neVer-never. You
cannot conciliats America BY your present
measures. You cannot subdue her by your
Wesent. OF By any measures. What, then, can
you d83 You cannot conquer; you cannot
gain; but you can Gd3re5s-you can lull the
fears and anXietiss Of the moment into an
ignorance Of the danger that should produce
them. But, nv Lords, The time demands the
NAAEA4EE "a GULL NE Ma AgE INV LANA
the fsttering unctioR Of servile compliance.
In q just and necessary war to maintain the
rights or homer Of my country, would strip
the shirt from ny back TO support Il. But in
such war as this, unjust in It's principle, i'm
practicable in its means. and ruinous in its
consequences, I wouid not contribute d single
effort, nor a single shilling.
7 have laid before you the ruin Of your
power, the disgrace Of your reputation, the
aaHH-Hs-n 81 800 LrnmH-Hram INSTRUMENTATION
OF your morals, the complication Of cslamI-
lies, foreign and domestic, that overwhelm
youT cOmmon country. Your dearest interests,
your OWL liberties, the Constitution itself tot
tiers TO the foundation. All this disgTscefuI
danger, this multitude Of misery, is the Of
spring Of this unnatural war. We have been
deceived and deluded too long. Let Us now
stop shou. This is the crisis, the onlF crisis
OF time and situation, to give us a possibility
Of escape from The fatal effects Of cur della
sions. Butu II, 10 an obstinate and infatuated
perseverance, il folly, we s~layishiy echo the
~peremptory words this day presented to Us,
nothing ear save this devoted country from
complete and final ruin"
But The king aud bis ministers were deter
mined; the madness extended to the parliament
and the people; aud the war was continued for
six years, and then the independence Of the
United States vas acknowledged.
There is a similar contest nov between the
United States and The Confederate States
similar in many respects. The Confederate
States have, however, almost five times the
population tdst the thirteen colonies bad; hey
have wealth; they have great resources; they
have an abundance OF munitions OF war; they
have two hundred and fifty thousand well
drilled aud well armed soldiers now ready 10
striks for their homes and their liberties; thev
cGnnof &c o9nguersd; the United States cannot
conquer them; the vast army Lincoln has
raised in defiance Of the Constitution, incress-
ed bT TIRE zane means an hundred fold, cannot
conquer them: every blow struck in the foolish
AMI wicked attempt to accomplish this impos-
sibiiity indicts an iDju-voa The whole country,
and sTeis The legacy OF bitter feeling which
nus. be transmitted to the next generation.
Congress win assemble in a few weeks. We
viii have no Chatham there, it may be, 10 add
The GROWING glory 10 z long and iIlustrious
life b. such a protest as that from which we
have quoted, against the conduct Of the Ad-
ministrstion, ard such an appeal for peace; but
We ear send delegates from Kentucky who viii
speak FOR peace, vote FOR peace, act for peace
who viii speak against the prosecution Of
the w7r, vote against il, act against it; men
whs viii tell -he northern representatives, and
thunder &c IN toe ears % the executive, that the
S0Eih ccan0f Be c0nqHered-thst 90 attempt it
is 70 undertake to accomplish an imp0ssibility
that the independence Of the Confederate
States should be recognized now without fur
ths- b~loodshed, because the day is at hand
when If must be done; and we trust a solid del
egation IN Congress, speaking such sentiments
in behaf Of Kentucky, viii be heard with re-
speet, and heedsd By men not hoPslessly mad.