Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-10-25
speech of Hon. John sherman.


county, held in Mt. Gilead, Sept. 9th, Hon
JOHN SHERMAN made speech upon the pres
ent posture of national affairs and the duty o.
citizens in relation thereto. 1t was not po
litical speech. We should be- glad to give i
entire, but onr space will admit only of the
concluding portion, which is as follows: :
What then is left to Us? If you go on ant
cultivate your farms in peace and quiet; ifyou
enjoy the fruits of your industry, unmoved By
the dangers around you; if you go to youl
Iest at your usual hour. and rise in the morn
ing to your various vocations and labors what
then becomes of your county? If the armies
which the rebels by force of drafting, by sp
Peals to sectional pride, have gathered aloag
yoar borders for three thousand miles. are un
resisted by physical force, what will be the re
suit? We shall be subjugated and our coun-
try broken up. We might as well haul down
our flag and submit to the yoke. There is nc
way to meet force but by force. Providence
will help those oply who help themselves.
and in my judgment the providence Of God
has taken a higher view of this contest than
many Of us have yet dared to do. l sometimes
think l see beams of light coming from where
would have hardly breathed the thought a
year ago. No man was more sincere, more
honest iB his determination never TO interfere
with the institution of slavery in the Southern
States than was. My opinions are still un-
changed But sometimes begin to think
that the Almighty Providence that controls
the actions Of men according to His own will,
has permitted this terrible epd overwhelming
calamity TO come upon us, IN order to point
out to US the seat of this disease. And if it
becomes necessary for US, in order to protect
our Government, in order to vindicate our flag,
to allow our military authorities to emancipate
the slaves upon whose labor this rebellion rests
then l will ssy-let Gods will be donel (Cries
Of "amen! amen!'l do not think that as
member of the Senate have any power 10 in
terfere with slavery where It now exists
And these men can never forfeit the benefit
of their local laws in that respect except by
their own treason. BY our laws, and by the
laws of all countries, treason is punished with
death; and it may be punished by confzcation
and the loss of properly. Whena man takes
up arms against his country, ordinarily he is
snbject 10 the loss of his life and property; and
if by llsing his slave that slave becomes u free
man, with right to his own wife and children
and the benefit Of his OVID labor, who will weep?
Not I. (Cries of ':Not ], notI'1
Now Go not misunderstood me; do not mis-,
me. l repeat TO you in all candor.
| say as | have said before, that in times OF
peace aud quiet and harmony, Congress has
no power to interfere with this question. But
no man North or South has ever denied the
doctrine, that when man takes up arm
against lis country he forf its his lie and his
property TO the will of the loyal people of the
country.
This war must be prosecuted. and it ON on
ly be done successfully by resort to physical
force. Almighty Cid will not furnish vou
with guns and ammuI OF and mon an horses
without effort on your part. You have the
power 10 suhdue this rebellion. When you can
convince he that eight millions of Southern
men, women and children, weakened by the
presence of four millions of slaves, can subdue
twenty millions of free laboring men such as
We are; then you will convince me that this
Government can bc overthrown. If we per
form our duty like men, it cannot be done.
Aud more than that who is there here so
base and so mean, who will not respond to the
call OF Kentucky? Kentucky though a slave
State, bound by sympathy and all natural and
family ties to the Southern States, now calls
upon US for help against the enemies Of our
country. In that dark and gloomy h ur,
which many Of. my old friends here remember
so well, when Ohio was threatened by the In
dams and British, when a portion of our soil
was in their possession, when men were killed
on their farms and by their lire-siIes, and when
the call from Ohio went forth for help, Ken
tucky sent over her gallant soldiers for our de-
fense, We have now the opportunity to repay
the debt then incurred. l tell you now in all
earnestness that unless the loyal men of Ken
tucky are sustained they will soon be over
whelmned, There are diffcrent es of opinion
in Kentucky, it is true, but the great majors
ty Of the people are loyal; thrce-fourths Of both
branches Of their Legislature are loyal. Their
people love this country. this Government
they are mostly agricultural, farming people,
as you arc; raising such products as you do =
They have slaves among them, creating some
sympathy with the Southern States. But the
jority-two- thirds. aye, three-fonrthS ofthenl
| ain told are cordially loyal to the govern
ment. They are now threatened by rebels from
Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. and they
call upon us for help, aud if we do hot help
them, then we are both towards and slayes.-
Any man who will talk to me, in this hour OF
peril and danger, about politics, would, while
his neighbours house was on fire, stop to talk
about his belonging to a different church than
he dees.
No, these are times when men should rise
far above all party matters, when men are call,
ed upon 10 perform grand tragedy in the his
tory Of this world. We live in a historic age;
we are creating a history of events in this
country which will be read by men in all com
ing time. | would not give much for that
young man who does not hasten to place his
name upon the page of great events now being
enacted. We all should do it. We have the
power to do ii; we have the physical courage
to do it; we have the means to do il; we have
large army and the command of the sea
As u military proposition, the physical power
to suppress this rebellion is as cer.ain as ans
thing can he. Look at it. As | said we have
the command OF the sea; we have the popala a
ton, the money, the enegy, and bravery; while
they have fewer men, less means and are weak
eheu W lls presence Oh IouC nlllenS OI slaves
and entirely without navy. All they art
called upon do, is simply to do what they
ought, 10 obey the Constitution and Laws o
their country. If they will persist in this re
bellion, then let them take the consequences o
it. Whenever any of the Southern States viii
obey the laws as you do, and as L mean to do
then the laws will protect them. When they
lay down their arms, would not dictate hare
terms TO them. We have always been for
bearing with them, and they may be sure thai
we will be so in the future. The people of thu
Southern States have nothing to fear from thu
people of the Northern States. We have new
er cultivated toward them that feeling OF hos
tility which they have cultivated toward US
When they shall haYe returned to their ale