Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-07-19
9aiIp gppeal,
TKIDAY TOENIaG, JULY 10.
HON. c. L. VALLANDIGHAM,
OF OHIO,
0,E THE LOAF BELE,
In the House Of Representatives, U, 5. COEgreSs
"WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1861.

The biz 70 authorize The secretary CT the
treasury 10 borrow money on the cresit Of the
United States, a sum net exceeding S250,cO0,
600. icing under consideration,
Mr.. VALLANDIGHAM said:
Rir. Chairman IN the constitution IF the
On ted States, which the other day We swore
to support, and by the authority of which we
are assembled here day, It is written:
"Aif legislative powers herein granted shall
be vested in a congress Of the United States"
L is further written also that the congress to
waich all legislative powers granted are thus
committed
"ShaH make Do law abridging the freedom
Of speech OF Of the pIess.o
and il is yet frft6er written, in protection of
senators and representatives in that freedom
Of debate here, wiChOntwhjch there can be no
liberty;
s'Thst for any speech or debate in either
house they shall not be questioned in any other
place"
Holding up the shield Of the constitution,
and standing here IN the place and with the
manhood Of representative Of the pe0F'e. |
propose to myself, to-day, the ancient freedom
of speech usei within these walls; though
with somewhat more I trust, OF deeency and
discretion than have sometimes been exhibited
here. Sir. DO not propose to discuss The di-
rect question Of this civi4F war in which we
are engaged. It's present prosecution is
fcregone conclusion: and a wise man never
wastes bis strengthen fruitless enterprise.
NV position shall a present, for the mos part,
be indicated By myvoles, and by the resolu-
tons and motions which | may submit But
there are many qustioDs incident to the war
and to its prosecution, about Whish l nave
somewhat to say Tow.
Mr.. Chairman, be president, in the mes
sage before us. 6msnss The extra ordinary
loan of $500 600 Gl0-sn amount nearly ten
times greater tbsnthe entire public debt, State
and federal az thee close Of the revolution in
1873, and four tins ss much ss the total ex-
peudltures during DE three years war with
Great Britain, in Sl2.
Sir. that same constitution which I again
hold up. and to V-.icb I give ny whole heart
and ny utmost i,5altV, commits TO congress
alone the power & borrow money sud to fE the
purposes to wkici it sbsll be applied, shd eE-
urassly limits an appropriations TO the term
oftvvo years, Esb sSnsior and representative,
therefore, must dge for himself, upon bis
cOnscience and Gth, and before G0d and the
country. OF the is-i,s and wisdom and policy
of the PRESIDENT demand; and whenever this
house shall hsV become but a mere offce
yyherriu to regjstrlhe deeress Of the executive,
IL will be high tistE abolish It. But | have
right I believ, sir, to say that, however
gentlemen upon,Bis side Of tie chamber may
differ finally az the war, we are Yet firmly
and ineXorsbly. Dited in one thing a. least
and that il the determination that our own
rights and digities and privileges, az the
representatives the people, shall be main
tsiBed in their Ipirit snd 10 the very letter.
And be This asic may, DO know that there
are some here resent who are resolved to
assert ard TO esrcise these rights, With be
coming decencylud moderation certainly, but
at the same tire fully, freely, and al every
hazard.
ST.; it is ansncieHt and wise practice OF
tBe Eaglish CoTnons, 10 pTecede al votes OF
supplies sv IN iqHiry into abnses and griev
=.s-sssae. ard especially into any ialraction Of
the c0sstifutioBsld the laws Of The executive.
Let Us fosi0H It's safe practice We are now
Fn the cenansitfe. Of he whole eu the state og
the Union anGn the exercise OF my right
and IaE dutv ~ representative, and avaiiing
Bvse'f 0f be latitude of debate allowed here,
Z propose to coRidsT the pressat sia'e O the
aeti0E, ans suppy also some few Of The many
omissions Of tla president in the message
before us. Sir. i has uudeTtaken to give Us
Information Of tie state Of the U0ioR, as the
constitution recTres bin 20 dc; AID it was his
ImtV, as an hoEeit executive, 10 make that in
fsrlnstion fu, iE,saTfisl Er-- F1sl5, i47tIa
~ -sEasGing before us a lab0Ted and lswyerly
vizf'irxtfcn Of his own course Of policy-a
roiicv Which has preeipitsted rs into terri
be ana bloody UyciG-ioa. He admits that,
TODAY, we arc in the midst of 4 general civi
var. not now a hsaTs pet = iusgrrecsion, to BE-
suppressed in tWyntT DAYS by a proclamation
ard q posse coaattd'us 0f three m0nths' militia
Sir, il has been he misfortune Of the presi.
de1t from the BEGUN 3 = that be has totally an,
wholly uadsIestiDaisd The mGsuitude and
character Of The revolution sYith which he had &
deai, OF surely he neVrr yvoUi} have veBturec
upon the wicked and hazardous experiment o!
calling thirty million Of people to arms smnni
themselves without the counsel and authority
OF congress. But when at last be found bin
self hrmmsd in bV The revolution, and this cit
in danger, az he declares, and walked up thus
as The proclamation az The 18th Of Apri
pTovss him 10 have walked np, to the rsaiit
aud significance OF the movement, why did b
not for hwith assemble congress, and thToT
himself uron the wisdom and p7triotism o
she representatives OF the States and of To
people instead Of usuTning powers which th
ronstit tu'ior has expressly conferred upon us
sV. sir, and powers which congress had but
lirtIe while before repeatedly and emphatical
Is Tefssed 70 exercise, OF TO permit bin TO eZ
errise. But I shall recur to this point sgsin
Sr, the president, in this messsge, has N
deTtsksn siso to give us a summary OF To
causes which have iea to this present Tev0iu
tiop. H has ms,le eat csse--be might, i
nv Judgment hstf msde out much stronge
csse-against tire srcessiCnis and disuui0n
lists OF the S0nth. All tiis, sir, is very we
as far ~ C goesJ Bgt ths president does nc
20 back far saeugh, nor iE the right dir ion
lie foggsls he e % stronger case agaiHs' th
shoitlOnists sndjaiscHisriBts o. The North an
~ st. He euits 10 tell us that secsssisnist
and disunioHists bad a New EngiSnd origin
snd began in Massachusetts IN 1904, at th
time of The Louisiana purchase: weru revive
br the Hartford convention in 1914, snd cul
Iniasfrc, during the war with Great Britain
ID peBitpg commissioners to Washington t
u Ess.-. -,
New England ffom the other a5es of tb
Union. He forggts 10 remind rs ard the coun
tTv. that this pTeseLt reroiution be an fort
years sEo in lie vehement, persistent, oden
rive, most irritating and un3Toveksa sgitatio
of the slavery question in the FQTtb and Wes
from the time Il he Missouri controversy, wit
some short intervals, down 70 the pTesHu
hour. Sir, If his statement Of the case be n
whole trath and wholly correct. then tn
Democratic party sn1 every member Of it. an
the Wbig party, too, and its predecessors. hav
been guilty for sixty years Of an unjust, IN
constitutional and most wicked policy in ad
miDistering the affairs n The government.
But, sir the president ignores totally d
violent and l0ng-CoHtiHusd dsnunciatiOn {
slavery and SHAREHOLDERS, and especially sine
TE35-I sDBaqI TO Jacksonss message for tf
vate and pToof-uBtil at last a political ant
NsTerv organization w7s formed in the Mort
sDE West, which continued to gain strengt
wear after year, TN at length It had destroYe
and ueurped the place Of the Wbig party. sn
fnsliv oassined control of every free State
the TTR. .ior. and elected himself, through fra
State vo fes alone. to tie presidency Of ii
United States. He chooses to pass over th
fact That tt1e party to which be thus owes hi
place and his orAsent power Of mischief,
wholly and totally 2 sectional orgsniza ion
and ss sneh coudfmhed bv Washing on, b
Isfersop bv Tscl-sou Webster and CisV, IN
by an ihp founders and prestTvers OF the RI
public, and utterly iDcoBsisteut with the pTiI
einies. OF the peace, the stabii Y, or The exist
ence even. OF cur fedfTai system. Sir, thef
never Uss IN bcur, from the organization q
this sectional party, when it was not predicte
by the ygisest and tTueet patriots, and when
o-lght not to bsve been known by every intel
ligent man in The country, that It must soon
er or Iafer prrcipjtate 2 revolution and th
dissolution of the Union. The president for
rets already that, on the 4th OF March
t. declared that the platform Of that part
,ras ga law unto him," by which be mean
70 BE- governed in bis administration; snd ys
lhar nIafform announced that whereas ther
were two separate and distinct kinds OF iabo
and forms ef civilization in the two diteren
sections Of ihe Union, yet that the entire ma
toBai dousin. belonging in common 10 al 70
states. should be taken, possessed, and held b
enc section alone, and consecrated to that KIN
Of labor and form Of civilization alone woic
p-evsiIed In that section which BY mere M
,nsricsI superiority, had chosen the president
snd now has, AMI for some years past has bad
majority in the senate, as from he begin
.rino Of the government it had also IN th
house He omita, too, to tell the country an
the yrorId-for be speaks, and we all spea
now 10 the world and to posterity-that D
himself and his prime minister, the seeretar
a. ~ haw