Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-10-08

liam L. Yancy and others, Commissioners to
pave the way for the recognition of the South
ern Confederacy,-fromw which we take thi s
extract: So
SIT was from no fear that the slaves would
be liberated that Secession took place. The
very party in power has proposed TO guaran-
See Slavery forever in the States, II the South
would but remain in the Union"
In the face of this plain and conclusive tes-
timony, Mr.. Biger declares, that the South
uas for the compromise, and that the present
calamties are the result of its failure. Yer
lily, Mr.. Bigler knows better what they want
ed. than they did themselves.
What is the testimony of loyal Southern
statesmen, as to whether or not the Sonth
We're committed to the compromise They
certainly had an equal opportunity with MIR.
Bigler to know the wants of their people and
leaders. James S. Rollins of Missouri, in
speech delivered in Congress, on the oath
day of April last, says:
''The purpose from the beginning was to
break up the Government. For more than
quarter of century great party. founded
upon the most perncious theories and deny
ing the most obvious and direct teachings of
the Federal Constitution, as found in the let.
ter as well as in the spirit of that instrument,
and its contemporaneous exposition by the
authorized departments of the Government. as
we'll as by the great minds of the nation most
competent to expound it, have been seeking
pretexts to divide and dismember the Confed-
eracy. Checked IN their purposes of di sloy atty
by tina. man OF iron will, Andrew jackson, in
1882, and relieved from the dangerous predic-
ament in which they found thems. Ives placed
at that time by the generous and liberal states
manship of Henry Clay, they have lost no
opportunity since 10 the seed of discord
and encourage and foment spirit of dsloy atty
and opposition TO authority of the Federal
Government. Starting out originally in their
crusade upon the tariff question, they readily
relinquished it for one of more excitiable
character, and in regrd to which the south
ern heart could be more easily fred"
Senator JOHNSON, whom we have before quo
ted, in the same speech, on the expulsion of
Bright, says:
ssNo it was not compromise that the ha-
ders wanted they wanted power; they wanted
to destroy this Government, that they
might have place and emolument for them.
selves. They had lost confidence in the inteili
gence and virtue and integrity OF the people,
and their capacity TO govern themselves and
they intended TO separate and form govern
ment, the chief cornerstone of which should
be slavery, ,disfranchising the great mass of the
people, of which we have seen constant evil
dence, and merging the powers OF government
in the hands of the f,w. l kno,c uhdt say
know their feelings and their sentiments
l served in the Senate here with them. |
know they were close corporation, tha. had
no more confidence in or respect for the
people than has the D y of Algiers fought
that close corporation here. | knew that they
were no friends of the people. | knew that
Slidel and Mason, and Benjamin and Iverson,
and Toombs were the enemies of free govern
ment and know so now. l commenced the
war upon them before State seeded and
intend to keep on lighting this great battle
before the country for the perpetuity of free
government. They seek to overthrow it, and
to establish despotism in its place. That is
the great battle which is upon our hands.
The great interests of civil liberty and free
government call upon every patriot and every
lover OF popular rights to come forward and
discharge his duty
Mr.. MAYNARD, of Tennessee, in lis speech
before quoted says:
81 was anxious for the passage OF the Crit
teEden Compromise. Not So however, the
men in leagne against the government. They
wanted no compromise, and some of them
were heard to declare that they would accept
none even if furnished with blank paper aud
permitted to write it out themselves
Mr.. LATHAM, of California, says:
'sMr. President. being last winter careful.
eye witness of all that occurred, soon be-
came satisfied that IT WAS deliberate wilful
design, on the part of some representatives of
Southern States, to seize upon the election of
Mr.. Lincoln merely as an excuse to precipi-
tate this revolution upon the country. One
evidence, to my mind. is the fact that South
Carolina never sent her Senators here.''
These authorities clearly prove, Bigler to
the contrary notwithstanding, that the Sena-
tors from the Cotton States were in favor of
no compromise that they had determined
on the destruction of the Government, and
the erection of a despotism of their own,-
that slavery was mere pretext, ard that nei-
ther the Crttenden proposition or any other
upon the part of the North with
regard to it, would have been accepted by
them, or would have ayerted the calamity.
That the welfare of slavery was not their OBJ
ject, is plain from the paradoxical demands
they have made for it during the past quar-
ter of century. They demanded new terri
tories as an outlet, while at the same time
they complained ofwant of labor in the South
They demanded that its universally should
be recognized, and at the same time denied
the power of the nation to interfere with it,
because its existence depends on local law
They demand that Congress should enact
codes for its protection. and at the same time
asserted it had no power over it in the terri
tories. They demanded non-intervention by
those not interested in the Institution, and at
the same time asked the power OF the Federal
Government TO force it upon an unwilling
people. They demanded that the Missouri
Compromise-.he line of IS deg. go minutes.