Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1862-05-02

the capitol In that hour Of extremity
and peril, when new army was to be
raised, and the old one encouraged and
reinvigorated, Congress announced 10 the
country, and to the whole world, the
policy which should govern The future
conduct Of the war. On motion of the
| distinguished gentleman from Kentucky,
Mr.. Crittenden, Congress said
That this war is NO. WAGES .satir
part in any spirit Of sppre lon iar|
any purpose Of conquest Or snbwsalion i
nor purpose of overthrowing or iuterfer-
ing with the rights or established insti-
buttons of those States, but to defend
and maintain the supremacy of the Con-
stitution, and to preserve the Union with
all the dignity, equality, and rights of
the several States unimpaireG, and that
as soon as these objects are accomplished,
the war ought to cease"
The nation heard this, and loyal men,
trusting and confiding, again poured with
military tread from the loyal States to
the banks of the Potomac. They were
repealed then by no outcry from either
end of the Capitol, that slavery, as the
cause of the war, must be abolished, and
that the seeding States had committed
political suicide, and must be reduced,
by the force Of arms, to territories, and
governed as such BY Federal authority
Mr.. Chairman, | am amazed, utterly
amazed, when contrast the present with
the past on this subject. All is changed,
at least so far as Congress is concerned
Pledge upon pledge has been made by
every department oe the Government in
the opening stages of this conflict. The
national faith has been plighted at home
and abroad in the most binding and
obligatory manner, that the domestic
laws aud customs of the seeded States
we're not to be violated, that slavery was
not to be abolished, that "savages we're
not to be let loose" We heard no in
dignant protests then against the policy
Tongues that are now loud in its denun-
citation were then mute. Voices that are
now high in wrath against it wero then
silent
An army, however, Of six hundred
thousand men now stands banded togeth-
or under the stern control Of military dis
cipline. In that | suppose, the object
Of conservative pledges is accomplished,
and the time has arrived for the fulfill
ment of the purposes of this war, accord
ing to the views of abolitonists. They
demand now that all these pledges shall
be broken. They demand that the faith
of the government shall be dishonored
They demand that the present Admins
tration shall be disgraced in the eyes of
all the world by abandoning its own de-
liberate construction Of the Constitution
Its own boldly and openly marked line
of policy. They demand that the army
shall be deceived; that the promises by
which it was raised shall be proven false;
that the soldier shall now fight and die
in the prosecution Of purposes which were
concealed from him when he enlisted,
and which he abhors They demand
that the people shall be betrayed, and
their hard earned money taken to support
this war, conducted on principles which
they utterly repudiate.
And, above all, they demand that the
Constitution be ruthlessly violated that
the laws be stricken down, and that the
old Union, such as our fathers made it,
shall never be restored. Had they
avowed their purposes at tho opening Of
the war, and appealed to the country to
support the atrocious doctrines which
they now ayow; had they made their de-
mands then, no proud army would now
line thousand miles of border, but,
rather as my colleague Mr.. Dunn has
well and truthfully said on this floor, our
army would have been composed Of a
small and deluded band, such as follow
ed John Brown to IIarper's Ferry. Let
these demands be granted now, and the
appalling fact will stand confessed that
stupendous fraud has been practiced on
the nation, and that the army OF the
/ United States has been obtoincd by FALSE
PRETENcEs. Let these demands be grant
ed now and no American Union will
ever more bless the eyes Of men. No
more
own bloom the thunder blasted tree,
Or the stricken eagle SOAR
Mr.. Chairman, | represent u part the
people Of .groat State. Indiana may
point proudly to her escutchcon. II is
eemmed all over with honor. She did
not want this war. She was for compro-
misc and peace, and is now, when they
can be Obtained, as they once could, with
honor and upon the principles Of the
Constitution. But once cast into the
conflict, though by no act Of hers, she has
welded her name to victory on every
battle field where her troops have drawn
the sword Go and ask her sixty thou
sand soldiers now in the field, encirclcd
as they are with halo Of gallant achiev-
ments, whether these demands shall be
granted, and listen to their answer. That
answer will be, that they are fighting 70
restore a Union Of equal and honored
members" that they have encountered
the perils OF war to restore tho COnshtu-