The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1862-07-18

men were to be coaxed back by tenderness. -
Sir. YOU cannot deal with sayages in that way.
The man who deliberately sets himsolf to over
throw the institutions aud interests OF bis own
country for the purpose of self ambition Is
worse than savage. Such Is the description
of the leaders; and the great mass OF their FOB.
lowers, everybody knows, Is uneducated, and
are willing to take the color OF those above
them.
Now, sir, are We to go on In thisway 1--we
do, the consequences must be well understood
by gentlemen; they must be well understood by
the Government, by the President and the Cab
met, and the generals, and whoever else sane
tons this mode OF proceeding. They must re-
verse their course. or bet me say, however pub
lie opinion may sustain the war, public opinion
will not sustain them. And, sir, not from any
feeling Of abolition, not from any feeling Of
emancipation, not from any Of that sort Of pc
culiar sentiment which gentlemen are 30 fond
of attributing to others upon this side Of the
chamber, and IN AMI out Of this chamber, but
from the absolute necessity Of the case, from
the common sense Of the thing. might adj
dress myself te my friend from Delaware or my
friend from Virginia, and ask them, what
would you do in q like case; IL you were about
10 meet an enemy, " you were to march ut the
head Of an army into an enemy's country, and
your own existence was periled upon the issue,
and the servants OF your enemy should come
aud tender you aid, saying, "We will give you
information; admit US within your lines; We
will dig trenches, we will fight for you, we will
do any thing for you IL you will accept our SER
vices" would you repel them! Would you
say, "No, choose to sacrifice my friends; let
nv friends expose their lives, let them perform
this service for which they are unfit; go back;
will not even take your information; do not
come near mel" The man that acts thus has
not even common sense; he has not common
discretion. II he acts thus from reason. he has
not capacity to conduct his own private af-
fairs.
I have said thus much simply to illustrate my
idea. which is, that IL we expect the people OF
this country 10 cone forward willingly under
any pressure except that of absolute necessity
with their whole hearts and souls to hight this
battle out, tell the President, from my place
here as Senator, and tell the generals Of our
army, they must reverse their practices and
their course OF proceeding on this subject.
agree fully with what was said by my friend
from Kansas Mr.. Lane1 the other day on this
point. | believe that in some quarters, by
some men :, am called n conservative. be-
lieye | am one; that Is, am n tolerably pru-
dent, cautious man; do not say things here in
my place except on elaboration, aud do not
do things unless ON great consideration, espe-
cially in important matters; but say this up.
on full reflection, deliberately, because think
it ought TO be said, and to be said in public.
that this mode of white kid glove warfare will
not do. We must act upon common sense prin-
ciples, VIC must do as all other men would do
and ought TO do in such n case, avail ourselves
of all the means which the great Ruler of the
Universe has placed in our power in order to
oyerwhelm the wretches who are thus making
war upon us and upon humanity and upon civ
ilization. | would not employ any men that |
could not control; would not employ sayages !;
would not do any thing contrary to the usa-
ges of civilized warfare; but | would do all
within those limits that had the power TO do
would not employ even these men If could
not control them; but am speaking now not
so much of what would do with them rs SOL
diers, or whether would use them as soldiers,
but am speaking of availing ourselves Of the
means which they offer us for thousand other
things which are necessary To be done, and
which theycan do better than we can.
There is undoubtedly great force in what has
been said by my friend from Ohio. Why should
we hesitate when our adyersaries do not hesitate
in relation to these matters! Sir, l would do
nothing that christian nation ought not to do;
would do nothing that a civilized people ought
not TO do; would employ no barbarians;
would not bring back the days Of the tomahawk
aud scalping-knife; but any thing within the
rules of civilized warfare that 1t Is in my power
TO do, would do. and II ought TO be done.
Now, sir, one thing more wish to say-and
wish to say II deliberately-l do not approve
Of the idea which seems TO have sprung up that
the people of the country are not wise enough
10 be informed of what takes place every day;
that there is any necessity for concealing from
the people of the United States disaster or
placing different face upon it, OF calling q de-
feat great strategic movement, OF giving false
names to things under the idea that il will not
do to tell the people plainly and to their faces
precisely what the truth Is. Sir, 1t Is just the
thing in all cases that ought TO be done; tell
the people the truth; resort to no artitce. to no
concealments. | do not speak OF course OF
those concealments that are necessary in order
to keep facts aud movements from the enemy;
but the idea of hesitating to inform the free, in
telligent people Of this country, who sustain
this war, precisely what the state OF things Is,
and what Is wanted and what is needed to effect
their purpose, is delusion anda folly. know
the people of my own State. They are as in
tellgent, to say the least OF Ii, as any other
people on the face Of the earth. There are very
few men there who cannot judge Of facts before
them as well as most of us Men have different
degrees OF education and intelligence, but our
people are reading people; they understand
things and they support this war; their hearts
are in il as much as ours. Let them know, then,
plainly what your necessities are.
was very much amused by seeing in the pa
pers the other day an address from the Govern
ors of the different States 10 the President, re-
auestng him to call out three hundred thous-
and men. They thought they might be neces-
sary, and therefore they advised him to call
them out and have them ready. What does that
meanl II means that the President and Gov
eminent thought that they needed more troops;
that to carry on this war we must have them;
that our ranks have been thinned by disease, by
death, by wounds. Do we not know itr DO
not the enemy know it to-day as well as wet-
Does not every body know III We have got
enough to defend ourselves. II any body
doubts that, the thing can be settled by trying,
il has been within n few days; but We want more
men for the purposes OF this war. Why not
say SO nj once, tell the truth why we want
them, and how soon we want them; appeal To
the people; let them know what is required for
the purposes of the country. frankly and plain
ly and honestly, as equal deals with equal. rs
man deals with man. IL will meet with res.
ponse in every true Northern heart-in every
Northern heart; no, not every one, am sorry
to say, but almost every Northern heart Is
true.
Mr.. Wilson Of Massachusetts,. Every loyal
heart, you mean.
MIR fessenden. Yes, every loyal heart, and
with but few exceptions, all in the North are
loyal. Sir, | put the case to myself: II was
Al home a private individual aud appealed to,
should want to know the truth, should want
respect paid TO my intelligence, should want
proper respect paid to my patriotism, should
want to be treated as q man, rs q sovereign, for
here the people are sovereigns That is the APP
peal to make to me, and would respond 10 II !;
and rs Judge myself from the beatings Of my
own heart, SO judge my neighbors and my
friends and my fellow-citizens. Therefore. sir,
hope the existing policy will be abandoned,
and that we shall be in the habit hereafter Of
speaking the truth.
Gentlemen will bear me witness that have