New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-07-02
SPEECH OF GERRIT SMITH on THE
COUNTRY.
sIApE IN BOSTON, JUNE IS, 1862.

M tbeme ia a ruined country, and that country
our own / say not that II is reined beyond recoN-
cry. Perhaps il Ia not: though perhaps II ~ my
theme is conquere1 countfy-our own country
conquered. Time will prove whether II is or Is no.
10 be reconduered. should be sure Of It's reconqnest
were il not sef-conquered and self-conquered 100
not by means Of economic, military, or o'ner piI "
ders bat by deliberate crimes IL is not alone - "
Israeli but o America also, thou hast iaiien
Nv thins iniunity." Far more hope for our country
would there be had abe been conquered 0y aio'hei
country. For then she might be stlli unueDaseli.
For then she might h. still inwardiy strong, 'nouS
for a season outwardly weak. l..
[ aid that our country was conquered oy ne'
crimes had better said that slavery was nei 49,
oueror II was in the service OF Slavery lnhs .n:
sriues were perpeir a'ed. Very soon after Our hsion
began her existence, Slavery began 70 conquer hci
Her commerce, and then her mapuiaclures. uou l'o'
long after her literature, all fell the Mighty in'out
of Slavery Her politics, Which, IN .ne emu, caeo "
be controlled by that influence ,ei. ~ ely a;l
tensively scarcely need add that 'he ecciesia ufs'
,ooion of the country WAS less quick TO feel II,
and no less easy to be corrupted by IT, For that re-
cion especially in II country OF popular institutions,
goes With the politics. TIE religion which does not
1ft up the poIiics to It's level never fails to de-
scenn to the level Of the politics. The State goes
with pure church. The church goes with cor
rupt State. A Pro-Slavery religion always accom-,
7anies Pro-Slavery politics Let wickedness abound
among the civil rulers. and il abounds among the
ecclesiastical also.
referred to the early and rapidly increasing in-
fuence of Slavery. it has taken up arms 10
complete its cOnquests For tins Rebellion 10 nell
Their more nor less than Slav ry in arms.
Until Slavery brose oat in this Rebellion, tins
nation lad ever been frightened by il. Pity had
not BEEN For the harm that it did us before the Rebel
lion is greater than the harm 1t can 90 us IN the
Rebellion. Ii can but Kill us now. II corrupted US
before And however great evil it is to be Killed.
Ii If an infinitely greater one 10 be corrupted-anu
especially so corrupted they are, who do the work
and guard the work of Slavery. BY an obvlous law
of our being the greater the crime TO which we
addict ourselves, the more thorough ia our corrup-
tion. But 10 other crime, not even the murderer =
is so great as the shareholders, Even the slave
holder Will confess that he had rather bis child were
murdered than enslayed. And no other crime IS so
mean as is theirs who "rob the poor because they
are poo-" and outrage the helpless because they are
helpless. However much he may have deserved IL
at other hands, II was certainly very uniting ana
unseemy act IN the American people 10 hanS ',ofue1
the slave-trader. For his Pro-Slavery Work ana
theirs were substantially one-though pursued IN
different wsys. lie was comparatively honoraoie
man. because be Car led INTO the common W0ih
daring and danger-defyDg spirit. They, Ike other
towards, keep themselves at q safe distance from
danger, and perform their part OF the wickedness
because they can perform it with IMMUNITY: Com
pare Gordon with the Pro-Slayery men OF the South
and Of the North, and II he is not as hyperion 10
Satyr" he is nevertheless very far from being as
low ia the scale of Satyrs are the Southern slave
holders or their Northern limps.
The Abolitiouists think their country Will be saved
myself think il will be aLo he'd, and very soon, too
That Il received its death wound In the lombard
ing OF Sumter | have never doubted. NeVer nave
1 believed that Slavery could survive TINS war lOr
Slavery. Us prestige Is lost. It's weakness Is re-
yealed Ii ia now laughed at and detested by vast
numbers who had hitherto respected It, Inc war
has stripped the great lie of It's DISCUSSES and cast
out all naked the deIision and scorn, and aohcl
renee of the world. Nevertheless Slavery may ole,
and yet the nation not live. For it NAV so die that
the nation will die with il. The exercised spirit
If the uncean devil OF Slavery is rending ns iear
fully as he leaves Us, and al TIE more ieaiiuly De-
Cause in unpTe, edented inaiuatiOn we ciinS TO
him, and refuse TO let Nm 90. Our nation Is broken
up 1t is only through penience that II can be
made whole, il indeed God will let so guilty anation
be made whole. And yet, notwithstanding this, ana
Notwithstanding ali our sOheIlngs, we remain IN
penitent.
do not forget that the uations excuse for being
corrupt project Slavery, is that the Constitution
requires its protection. But whether i does require
IL as some hold dcee others hold, the excuse
is entirely ground-ss This pleading Of the require
ment of the Constitution is hypocrltical. 1t would
have mattered no. what Interpretation on the subject
of Slavery the Constitution Is capable Of The
nation would still have gone for Slavery. However
strong against Slavery The CONSTITUTION might have
been nevertheless such nation as this IS and was
iull Of Yankee eagerness lor gam, and 80 much
more enterprising than rncipled-woud have been
carried by Waitney's cotOngin to the side OF Slav-
ery In short, any people who wicked and base
enough to 90 for Slavery, alOog with Pro.Slayery
Constitution are wicked and base enough to 20 for
ii against however strongly Anti-Slavery Consti-
tuition. That 1t Is not owing TO reverence for the
Constitution that the bias been Pro-Slayery,
Is manifest from the fact that II has not shrunk from
kicking ADt-SavAy Constitutional impediments out
OF its Pro-Siavery way. And that II Is not owing
10 such reverence that the nation spares Slavery, is
manifest from the fact that 1t spares 1t even
now, when the Constitution coDiessedIy presents
obstacle in the WAY OF it, abolition by either the
civil or the military power.
Oh no lei not the uati n seek 10 hide her shame
behind the Constitution. She has corrupted the Con-
stirution far team the Constitution has corrupted
her. In other words, Jar more of the PrO-Slavery
spirit has tie nation infGsed into the Constitution
than the Constitution has Infused INTO the nation.
1t is true. that Shareholders and demagogues in
The interest OF savehC ders jugsle with the Consti
linton, do the priests OF this that and the other
reIiq1 ~. with their sacred books. But DO not be-
leye N 1t the people very much deceived by
these Con stltutloa jugglers. l admit that very
deem and Gender regard for the Constitution Is
claimed TO be general. But for other Constitu-
tions-and even Tor those which trainers of the
Federal Constitutions wrought-tLere has been
but little manifestation OF such regard Even
those have been readily thAown aside 10 make room
for their successors and when the shareholders
could no longer serve their selfish purposes by
clarifying ana wOrs iping the Federal Constltu-
lion, how quickly md coutemptu0usly did they
dismiss it The simple and disracefu truth lis that
the people, being willing 20 uphold Slavery were
willing TO accept the most eXirayagant PIo-Slavery
interpretations of the Constitution. IL was
this which encouraged shareholders and PrO-Slavery
dcmagogues TO shout for the Constitution. was
mysen accustomed to sIeak and wriCe much for the
Consultation. BIT since the breaking ont Of the Re
belhOn, my absorbing couoern for the country has
made careless Of everything in the Constitution
save only those most precious parts OF 1t which &C
cord TO the Government unhuited discretion and