The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1861-06-13

cares! What right have you to get irri
tated because We claim equal rights an,
equality with you! We are for peace
we desire no war, and depreoate collision
All We ask is peace. We don't iutent
you any harm. We don't want to hur
you. and don't intend you shall ipjure Vi
if We can help it. We beg of you to lei
us live in peace under the good old Gov.
ernment of our fathers. We only ask
that Why keep us ever on the aler,
watching you, to prevent you from en-
shaving us by a destruction of that Gov.
ernmentl
Senator Johuson-It is already de.
stroyed.
Mr.. Rousseau-Not bit of it. The
Union will never be dissolved. / know
you say it is, but. believe me, it will never
be dissolved. We may have much suf.
fering; We may endure many calamni.
ties. War, pestilence and famine may
befall US; our own good old Kentucky ,
may be overrun and trodden under foot,
and her soil may be drenched in blood
but the Union will never, never be dis
solved. | have never had doubt on
this subject, never. I know We must suf.
fer, but We must preserve the Union.
You, Mr.. Senator from McCracken,
are a sanguine man You think the U.
nion is destroyed. Well, you sometimes
err. / believe you had a correspondence
with "Uncle Abe" in which you com nit.
ted glaring error. But that was only
semi official correspondence. and per.
haps should not be alluded to here.
Senator johnson (good humoredly)-
Oil yes; tell
Mr.. Rousseau thank you. Well,
as one Of the Senators of Kentucky, you
made your most solemn protest aRainst
the stationing of troops at Cairo. H.
The protest was very elegant, as is gen.
orally what comes from you-a little
highfalutin it is true. You forwarded
your protest to "Uncle Abe" and, in due
time, received reply, which was to good
joke for good natured gentleman like
yourself to keep all to yourself, and SO
you disclosed it. Uucle Abe replied to
you that your letter had been received i,
duly considered, and in reply, he had to
say to you Zone of the Senator'S of Ken
tucky), that il be had known that Cairo.
H., was in your Senatorial District, he
would not have sent my soldiers within a
hundred miles of that point.
Mr.. Speaker, l have but word more
to say. Kentucky is an armed neutral,
it is said. l submit, with others, to that
position. I hope that circumstances may
not drive us from it. l hope that our
Secession friends will be, in fact, neutral.
If We remsin SO, it is said we shall have
peace. l hope SO; but the neutrality tina:
fights all on one side l do not understand.
Troops leave Kentucky in broad day
light, and our Governor sees them going
to fight against our own Government, yet
nothing is said or done to prevent them.
Is this to be our neutrality If it is, I
am utterly opposed to it. If We assume
neutral position, let US be neutral in
fact. 1t is as little as we can do.
Our Government, constitutioDally ad
ministered, is entitled to our support, NO
10 after who administers it. If We will
not support it, and yet enjoy its blessings,
in Heavens name let US not war against
it, nor allow our people to do SO. Let us
be true to our position, whatever it may
be. We are nullifying at any rate
Our Government has not objected to it.
But who can look 40 honest man in the
face, while protesting neutrality, refusing
to help his Government to preserve its
existence, yet secretly and traitorously
warring against i'll For one, Sir, Ill
none Of it Away with it. Let US be
men, honest men, or pretend to be moth
Jog but vagabonds.
I hear it said that Kentucky will 60
out of the Union; that if she goos any
where she will 60 South, &c., T..
Mr.. Speaker, let me tell you, Sir, Ken
tuoky will not "go out" She will not
stampede. That has been tried. Seces'
siouists must invent something new in the
way of Secession appliances before they
can either frighten or drag Kentucky )
out of the Union. / tell you sensation
gentlemen that your exciting events have
ceased to affect US. Try Something else.
Get up fight at Cairo, that you may gel
us to side with you. That is your game
and you will play it whenever you think
you can succeed at it.. You tried to scare
US, but you failed in your purpose. And
if you illegally and against right assault
Cairo, hope every man of you will gel
bis head knocked or be taken prisoner,
end that the Cairo folks will never per
NIT you to come to Kentucky again
That's what I Wish, and what believe
would happen in such an event.
But we won't "go out"-have not the
least notion of it 10, the world. You
must take us out according 10 law and
right, or take us dead. Believe this
and act accordingly. 1t would be better
for all of us. We shall be but too happy
to keep peace. but We cannot leave th'
Union Of our fathers. When Kentucky
goes down, it will be in blood. Let tha
be understood. She will not 60 as othel
States have gone. Let the responsible
III t. !.