Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-02-16
The National Crisis.

COERCION IN NEW YoRK-.EXCITISG
SCENE IN THE DEMOCRATIC STATE
vENTIoN--AFFECTING REMARKS
OF THE VENERABLE CHANCELLOR WAL
WORTH, HON. DANIEL CRRoLL AND
OTHERS.
In the Democratic and Union State Con-
vention of New York, which met in Alba
ny on the lst instant, and which was
composed of more than seven hundred
members, an exciting scene occurred upon
the adoption of the second resolution which
read as follows:
2. Resolved, That, in the opinion of
this Convention, the worst and the most
ineffective argument that can be addressed
by the Confederacy or its adhering men,
bers to the seeding States is civil war.
Civil war will not restore the Union, but
will defeat forever its reconstruction.
On the reading of the resolution, Chan.
cellor Walworth appeared upon the plat
form. His venerable looks claimed instant
attention from the Convention, and he
was received with an outburst of enthusi.
astic applause. He said :
Gentlemen of the Convention l am far
advanced in years, and not in the habit
Of attending conventions of this character,
but l could not resist coming here to enter
my protest against civil war. have seen
the horrors of such conflict. In the war
of 1912 my house, in Plattsburg, was
sacked by the British. A battle was
fought opposite my very door, and the
bullets that were fired fell like hailstoncs
around my dwelling.
In the easement of my door remains to
this day imbedded one of those bullets,
memento of the fight. In that struggle l
saw my fellow citizens shot down by my
side. l knew, til en-, the horrors of for
cign war, and they are nothing as compa-
red with the horrors of a civil war. A
civil war is a war among brethren. We
are all brethren in this Confederacy of
States; the people of the South are our
brethren, not only nominally, but actually
our brethren. In Georgia alone l have
the names Of one thousand citizens, whose
ancestors were near relatives of my own.
In the same State alone are over one hun
dred relatives Of the family of IIillhouse,
whose name is known as that of one of the |
patriots of the Revolution, and whose
descendant now occupies scat in our
State Senate and SO, scattered all over
the Southern States are the near relatives
of the men of the North, and perhaps
there is scarcely member OF this Con-
vention who has not some such ties in the
States of the South. 1t would be as bru- 4,
tai, in my opinion, to send men to butcher
our own brothers of the Southern States
as it would be to massacre them in the
Northern States. We are told, however,
that it is our duty to do so ,and we must ,en-
force the laws. But why and what laws
are to be enforced ! There were laws
that were to be enforced in the time of the :
American Revolution, and the British
Parliament and Lord North sent armies
here to enforce them.
But what did Washington say in regard
to the enforcement of those laws That
at home and abroad more
than any other man on earth ever was
he go for enforcing the laws? ?
No, he went to resist laws that were op
pressive against free people, and against
the injustice of which they rebelled.
Did Lord Chatham 60 for enforcing the
iaws' No, be gloried in defence of the
liberties of America. He made that me-
morable declaration in the British Parlia-
-,ooI ave -------.O"u vitiLtn IN
stead OF as l am, an Englishmen, never
would submit to such laws-never, never,
never!'
Such is the spirit that animates our
Southern brethren, and shall we war upon
them for it? No! We must avert civil
war if possible, and l close by exhorting
my brethren to do all in their power to
avert civil war. Concession, Cancellation !
but that-and no man among
US, in his dying hour, will regret that
his conscience is clear, and that he can
lay his hand upon his heart and say,
81 did all in my power to turn from the
bosom OF my country the horrible blow of
a civil war;"
Immense sensation followed the remarks
of the venerable Chancellor, and the deep
silence that had attended his remarks was
followed by an enthusiastic outburst of
applause.
Mr. George, of Orange, said that the
l., A.