Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-11-12
sRowN1ow,s SPEECH AT CHICAGO.

speeches yet maze Oy TINS energetic 1tnneS-
seean, since he made his escape from the rsb
els, is the one be ore us. 1t is long; and We
can only make room for a few extracts:
Gentlemen, take the ground that we are
in the midst OF wicked rebellion, for which
there is not and never has been, any just or
sufficient Cause. And 90 further than this;
make my statement still stronger and more
emphatie-we are in the midst of a rebellion
for which there is not, and never has existed,
even the shadow of a pretext. Why do say
so2 This Government OF ours in its present
form, and under our most excellent Constitu-
tion, has existed little over seventy i've
years. During that time we have held in this
country nineteen Presidential elections. In
that period, We at the South--don't forget my
figures and don't forget my facts-we at the
South, With halt the States and Territories
you have at the North, with half your pOpu-
lation, with half the electoral votes you have
| cast in Presidential contest, have elected
the President thirteen times. We have gra-
ciOusly condescended to allow you to elect six
times. Not only so, but We reelected, to fill
| a second term, five Of our men at the South.
Those five men occupied the Presidential
chair twice to your once-nOt content with
| having controlled the patronage and power of
the Government twice to your once, We seized
| upon, appropriated and used, for the meanest
and dirtiest of purposes, two or three of the
| six you had elected, who turned out to be
"Northern men with Southern principles."-
| Cheers and laughter.]
The last one of those that was made cats
paw of, and the meanest OF the whole
crowd, by any odds, was the Old Public Func-
iionary of Pennsy sylvania. Roars OF laughter
An old man whose heart and soul is with the
| rebellion tonight. That's true.] l have
canvassed the State Of Pennsylvania. l have
been in Lancaster, and all about over that
country. l have not talked with him, person
oil I ha,, Lon ri I
But conversed with reliable and intelligent
Pennsy OF high standing and integri-
ty, who had conversed with him, to whom he
| said, s.This war is all wrong; it onght to be
| stopped. We ought to stop it. We can never
sus,due this people. They are not the people
to be conquered" !" and 50 on evidently show
ing by the tenor and tone of his CO nversation,
| that he is with the enemy.
The truth is, these leaders at the South are
and have been for years, sick and tired oil
Republican form of Government. know it.
have known il all the time in fact, Re-
| publican Government never did exist in South
Carolina. Ii the letter and spirit of Constitu-
tion of the United States had been adhered to,
she never conld have been admitted in the
Federal Union as member thereof, for she
| never had a Constitution that in letter,
| spirit and form Republican. / have lived in
South Carolina. l have travelled extensively
in South Carolina for years. Why, in their
| and deputy or two, with cooked hats and
swords, retire and bring in the Speaker OF the
House, or Speaker Of the Senate, who comes
| robed in enough black silk to dress cut in all
the amplitude OF fashion any two ladies here,
even in times OF the most extravagant hoops.
Laughter The Sheriff accompanying them,
with cucked hat and sword, gives three rapS
upon the floor and cries, m Ike way tor yonr
| Speaker!'' Laughter. Then he marches
grandly in and takes his seat. The same POM
pous forms are observed with one of their cir
| cult judges. He is conducted in in the same
| way. l have seen old Judge Butler, after
wards Senator, march in with his silk robe on,
preceded by his Sheriff and deputies in cock
ed hats and with swords, crying, "Make way
| for the Honorable Court!'' and everything
squatted like SO many quails when hawk Is
about. tLaughter.l
Do you know that man has to own so many
negroes in South Carolina before he can either
vote or occupy Seat in the Legislature! The
limit is ten. Now, if you, as South CARROLL
nian, have nine valuable negroes worth nine
thousand dollars, you cannot be admitted; but
| ii have ten or eleven little. yellow, ashy pic
caninies, brought out of an alligator swamp,
raised on green persimmons, [laughter.] can
take my seat, while you must stand back
| Almost the last thing that happened to me
before they crushed out my paper, was chal-
| lenge to fight duel from a secessonist ed-
| tor in the South, Lewis H. Pope, speciman
| of humanity who weighed nirety five pounds,
| a worse looking man than Aieck Stevens. He
| supposed that being preacher and editor, l
| wouldn't fight, but he walked up the wrong
passenger. [AppIause.] accepted his chal-
lenge, and wrote in the letter that being the
challenged party, had the right to dictate
| the weapons, time and place. 1t was then
summer time and hot weather. l said: 81
elect that we fight Immediately after the first
| hard rain that comes, in hog pen. The
weapons shall be two, large, four pronged iron
| dung forks, (continued laughter and whoev.
| er shall shovel the other out, should be re-
garded as having killed him in mortal COM
bat" [Vociferous laughter He replied that
| the terms were cruel, inhuman and contrary
to the laws of dueling, and he backed out /;
and well he might, for he knew that could
have shoveled him out in less than no time.
| (l.aughter.]
| 1t is sheer nonsense to be raising all this
hue and cry through the land against the Ad-
ministration and President Lincoln about this
emancipation proclamation. He proposes to
| give the rebels now in rebellion against this
Government one hundred days of grace to
reflect and do their works over again, and re.
turn to the fold from which they have strayed
| away. II they do moi choose to do that, he
proposes to emancipate their negroes, and he
proposes to pay loyal men for their property
| all any Union man, North or South, ought to
ask. and it sht to be done. fCheers.l The
rebels make the negroes an element of
strength in this rebellion. They have them
by hundreds OF thousands at home raising
| bread and meat while all the white men are
conscripted and out fighting against this gov
ernment. If Lincoln did not take from them
everything which lay in his power, which
strengthens and enables them to carry on the
war, he ,couid be gully before God of perjury.
therefore indorse the proclamation. fGreat
applause.
"Oh but it's unconsiitutional!'' Where
| does that cry come from Is il from lor 1