The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-10-25
speech of O. e. Gray, ESQ.

dication Of his old position as a conserva
tive republican, or new position as demo-
crat whichever you please, was SO mastery
and exhaustive, that we cannot forego the
temptation to give brief outline of its
leading points.
Mr.. Gray commenced by alluding to the
political parties two years ago; and while
he showed that the democracy have no,
wavered hair in that time, the republi-
cans have abandoned every position they
then took. They solemnly pledged them
selves not to interfere with slavery in the
States and now give us the proclamation:
they solemnly pledged themselves to pro.
hibit slavery in the territories, and one Of
their first acts was to organize three terri
tories without such prohibition; and they
stood pledged against the abolition of sla-
very in the District of Columbia without
the consent of the people, and had vio-
lated that pledge.
This by way of preface. His main OBJ
| ject was to speak of the Proclamation.
The habsas corpus question was not suscep-
tible Of argument M man had yet at
tempted to, and no man could successfully
defend the Preslden, on constitutional or
legal grounds, in suspending that writ in
the loyal States. Linder himself shrunk
| from the attempt. Was J. W. Browne
kept in prison, and denied hearing be-
cause the courts IN Illinois were obstruct-
ed in their functions, He wanted to hear
Cook, Glover, Cavalry, or some OF these
able republican lawyers argue this CUES
ton, before he took it W.
While however, TIE republicans avoid
the hd6eos corpus question, they sustained
the Proclamation. That they had fully
and unanimously endorsed in a republican
meeting in this house, as indeed the party
leaders had done all over the county
There was no ambiguity on that point
! Hence, whatever uncertainty may have
been felt heretofore as to the purpose of
| the republican party In the prosecution of
this war, there wss none now. Their
policy stood revealed And it was this
! That this war is to be waged solely 10 eu,an-
cipate the slaves They will never consent
to q restoration of the Union as j. was
| never consent to peace unless the negroes
are free. And as inseparab'y connected
with and part Of this policy, the republi-
cans were also for arming the slaves, and
exciting slave insurrcctions He read from
the Proclamation to prove this. Mr.. G.
| briefly and wildly painted the horrors Of
| a slave instruction, as illustrated in the
case at Nat. Turner, and said he did not
believe in such measures-in . war pow
! er that authorized them; contendIng that
/ the constitution was the only true guide,
and there could be no safety in steering the
ship Of state if we threw the compass
away.
! The republicans, justified such measures
by saying that slavery was the cause Of
the war, and the cause must be removed
before the war can be ended MI q. de-
MED that slavery vas the cause of the war.
1t was unwarrautabie agitation of the
slavery question. Suppose" said he,
= ! 60 to Mr.. Smith and say / want your
son-must have him. Mr. Smith refuses
to give him up and we quarrel and fight
about it. Mr.. G. rapidly sketched the
history of the various slavery exctements
in this country, from the Missouri com
promise down, to illustrate this point
. These difficulties had always been ended,
and the safety Of the Union re assumed
, by reasonable compromise. 1t was SO in
been so in 1851 When Abraham Lincoln
was elected the southern mined was ex
cited to the highest point on this subject.
What ras the obvious cause for the new
the whole country asked ana begged
Lincoln to give theEr but Il word of friend.
ly assurance. He was mum as the grave,
but was closeted with your Bsechers, Sum.
;ners, Chambers, and men of that class
Congress Eaet in December, and what was
the course of that body Mr. G. read reso.
lutions offered by Eleott Of Mass, Stevens
ef Pa, dc, announcing the most violent
and rabid abolition doctriHs, and which
were received with unmistakable favor by
the whole repubEcaa party, then having
control OF Congress and the exeestiye =
He also read the Crittenden proposition to
. Compromise-the Douglas proposition
showed that they were such at the coun
try would have gladly accepted in prefer
ence TO the war; that the South-Davis
looms, Iverson, &c, would gladly have
accepted them but they were treated by
the republicans with contumely and con-
tempt. fhe people were not even allowed
to vote upon them The republican
party and not slavery was thus RESPONSE
: BILE for the war
With the full knowledge thus before
: them that war was the dead alternative
, why did the republican party select il
= We have the answer in the Proclamation
n They would incur sill the terrible evils o.
F. civil war rather than have the Union as il
D such Union ,.s the proclamation would
e gives us.
l. What il the Proclamation After the
e dst Of January ell the slaves in the rebel
d lious States are to be free-not the slaves
o 90 rebels onl, but ALL. And 81, the slave
n are invited to rise in instruction agans
y their masters This was the policy. Yes
y in this day Of enlightened civilization
r religious men--so called unblushingl,
K avowed their purpose to resort to sucl
e means to put down the rebellion Thi
z country has complained of England fol
a arming the savages against us--what wer,
n they to scenes as are here invited?