Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-03-15
General Lane at L LeavenWorth.
Extract from his Speech.

I saw day before yesterday speech
said to have been delivered in the
State Of my birth, by man called
Abraham Hendricks, in which he said
that this war was caused by the radi-
Gals in the Northern States. Great
God / wonder the earth did not
open and just let him through Such a
speech at such an hour from man pro-
Tossing to be loyal citizen
What did Immediately produce the
war? | hope there are Douglas Dem
ocrats here, and | want to say to them
that the Douglas Democrats at Charles
ton brought on this war. 1t was they
who had the nerve and the courage to
stand up for the principle that the peo-
pie of the Territories had right to
govern themselves. If they had con-
aented to give up that principle, the
Charleston Convention would have
nominated Stephen A. Douglas, and
he would in all probability have been
elected and alive to-day!
The South, having failed in conquer
ing Kansas, in making it slave State
faded, just q little, failed to protect
slavery inside the Constitution, delib-
erately and coolly went to work to es-
.ablish its empire outside the Constitu
ton. Ii any one should say to the
South, " We will acknowledge your
independence" would it secure peace
for day? Never. But | will tell you
what it would do. 1t would write
"c01oard" in burning letters on the
forehead Of every freeman, and hand
over to our children a war which we
ought to end ourselves. My children
may call me everything else, but they
shall never call me a coward. War,
war, perpetuaIly, until the North is
conquered by the South, or the South
is conquered by the North. There are
4 class of persons who want to close
this war, and permanently, but they
want to light III such way that the
slaves shall not be free. To carry out
this policy, you must fight without kill
ing anybody. For, if you Kill a mas
ter, the slaves will escape. Until the
last ten days, the policy has been so to
fight as not to hurt Slavery.
The on y way to close this war is to
fight. and fight everything that stands
i'll the way. Cruel | remember we'll,
shortly after the battle Of B1ona Wis
IA, report came into the camp that Il
party Of Mexican men, women and
children had been butchered in the
mountains. ] was ordered ont with
detachment of men and brought in for
ty or fifty mutiIated bodies, and re.
ported TO Gen. Taylor that they were
butchered by the Comanches. No one
ever questioned Gen Taylor's good
ness OF heart or his skill as soldier,
bat he replied: <'The Comanches seem
to be fighting on the same side we are
We won't Interfere with them."-
Now, barbarlsm Of the most terrible
character has marked every step of
this war As waged by the rebels. /
don't say | would call in the Conan
ches. but | do say that it would not
pain me to see the negro handling a
gun, and l believe the negro may Just
as well become food for powder as my
son. For twenty years I was a re-
spectacle member Of the Democratic
party,
\ Noice-s'N0t very respectable"
Well, mean as respectable as any
member of that party can be. Even
IN 1852 [ was still = Democrat, when
our party at Baltimore declared that
all other subjects might be agitated,
Fbut Slavery was sacred. We might
"agitate" the Word CT God, s'agitate"
His law, ''agitate" the golden streets
of the golden city-but before Slavery
we must bow our faces in silence-it
was too sacred to be talked about. I
have lost that reverence, and so much
progress have | made that | w would not
give one drop of the blood of the hum
blest soldier within the sound of my
voice to save Slavery from eternal per-
dition.
We have lost Just men enough for
the preservation of Slavery, have made
widows enough, orphans enough.
Go yonder to that ferce-fought bat
tle-ground at Springfield. There, out
OF twelve hundred, five hundred and
seventy killed and wounded. Kansas
has offered up enough blood to this
Moloch, and 50 has every other State.
And | thank God our Government is
satisfied that the war has gone along
far enough in that direction. Who
feeds this rebellion :? Four million
slaves. Who clothes this rebellion i?
-Four million slaves Take them from
that side and put them on this side
IApplause.] If they were mules, you
would do it in minute. And yet I