Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-11-20
INTERESTING HISTORICAL RE
LATIONS
TIE LAST EFFORT TO SAVE THE UNION.

ceiVinR Us very kindly, Dy htAtlnH tnht 70
tslly electsd President Of The United States; that BE-
never aspirsd ~ 3 position Of that kind; Thai ft haa
never entered into his head; but that from lhe TACT OF
his having mazda . race for the Senate Of the oniseo
States with Judge Douglas, In the STATE Of Illinois MS
name becsme prominent, and he was aocidenniiy seisc-
red and elected afterwards as President 81 NE United
States; that running thAt raes in . local section bis
| sneecte "a had been published; and that any enc might
examine his speeches and they would see thAs ne MAO
| aid nothing against the interests OF the South dc de-
fad them TO point GU: any one sentence IN oil the VA.
rious addresses that be bad made In that canvass that
could be tortured into enmity sgans; the South, except,
he remarked, one expression, namely, that q house a..
| yided against itself must fall; they must either Dc all
slave or eli Tree State !" and he said that hssxpia4pd
Afterwards TIA that was an abstract opinion, and never
intended - be made the basic oil his oil ioL action. de
remrkei a. the same time tia the clau 70 in We Oon'uiu
ton Of the Uli ed 8 Ates rec -iribg fugitive SLAVES 70 be Dc
delivered % was o constitutional protnion; vas part OF
sue organic lag Of the land, and that he woaia execute
il with more 6delity than any Southern man that they
could possibly hnd, and that he could not Imagine what
vas he cSus, of the deep and apparently Nsfed enmily
tha. existed towards him throughout the setrs South,
leaking n me n the time a. il to invie an ansser from
ma. replied that be WL very much nA4aken II he
supposGd that the deep pervAding fselipg sdssaghout Che
South ~orieiused in any personal snmity ouArss am
aef that did not suppose that there vas any feeling
of that kind on tho part Of 40 individual in The South
hat he vas the representative Of Q great pgty-of .
very sectional pArtI-slscted on . platform which they
eorsidered uo1ld, il carried out, be destructive Of their
dearest aud best righ1; aud that il wa on that &C.
count and that alons-the attempt 70 throw Q common
g ,ysrnment. the Government for all the States, In an
tavonism 10 the interests Of . portion OF the very State
rhnsa Government il was, which Wa the Gauss OF the
deep and settled feeling which existed throughout the
entire 8 ,uth. We appealed to him then to give the
Guarantees which we're demanded by the Southern men
10 that Peace Conference, representing 10 him that it
"a, in hs power that he Vas At that ums q power In
he s ate: that he held in the hollow Of his hand the
destiny OF thirty m lions CT people that II he said that
the gu ,rantee should be made, and would make Il, there
you'd be no difficulty 10 carrying eut any programme
that might be adopted.
He ssld that he was Wiling 70 give . constitutional
guarantees that slavery should rot lie molsatsd in any
sa,, directly or indirectly, In the States that he VA
ulinEt 10 20 further, and give a guarantee that itshonld
not be molssted in the District oil Columbia; that he
would 90 still further, and aay that Ii should not be dis
tu,bed To the dNks, Arsensls, forts, and other places
sithin the slsveholding 5 atee but q Tor slavery In the
Territories. that hii whole life Vas dcdicatedi in opposition
90 ius extension there that be vas elected BY . parry
which had made that = portion OF II, Platform, and be
\ Guild cousijer that he was betrsyirg that party il be
ever agreed. IN Ter any state OF the case, TO sllos 81 avery
n he extended in tho Territorits. We pointed oct 10
him that there VS. not Al acre OF territory belo: ging TO
the Uoited States where the loot oil = slave could ever
t,ead th At there we're natural laws which would forbid
Isyety going into . mountainous Z gion, sud the
colder regions OF the North and that 1t Wa utterly
impossible that slIvery could ever eI'snd there
and MA denied that q common Government hal
power 10 make tie prohibition, and asked him
shy. IL he was q really true, sincere, uaion man,
have An empty prohibition, when the Laws ct
nature were = stronger prohloinon taan any tnAI
could be plssei by act Of Congress. (Hear, hear.)-
roat he waved, By saying that he uAs committed on
tai. sul set. Then il Was that ! replied to him: u
President, you say you we're Accidentally selected And
elected by party. You we're the candidate OF the
marty but Wien you were elected, cir, thought
nave been taught to beli,ys-thAt you we're tho Pnesi
dent of the UIion. I~opposed you, sir" said TO him
/. With all the zeal and energy o. which | was master, l
oudsayorod 10 prevent your elecuon-not because bad
apy personal feelings Of enmity towards you, but because
I believed that 4. could lead 10 the very result we nov
v;tues. opposed you, sir bu. you are my President
-you h,ys b,ep elected according to the forms Of the
Constitution, and you are the President oil the people oil
ths limited States, aud | think that soma tie Difference
"a due 10 the otlaions OF shosc who constitute the ma
1rity, according to the voc that has bSen polled oil
100000 men 10 the Uaited s.atcs."
4, at ouc' rather briskly said III he vas : minoti
" President he vas not the frat, and that, at all event,
he Iai obtained more votes than 20 could muster for
,ny other man." | lhibk, as near "a | can reoolieet,
thHsc are aboa, L.s IDENTICAL sords."
I rsspoude at onoo TO him that ! did lot INTENDED
TO recall TO him that he va a minority President, 6u'
simply to annouGcs the broad fact tia. he vas The Free
teit not OF the men Who voted for him. but ct the
,hol, ua,pla Of TIA, Ulitd s a.ee, aud that OF the
-ishes aud feelings aud interests OF the uhoe people OF
the Ulited Stales-hs party sith l 100 900 IN jor'ty IS
sell a. the miL0'iy party by whom he vas elected,
ought to ba consulted By him.
GeusrL d Jnoval heos INFER )osed an prs snsi thFse
altasnAiya PROOFS tons to him. First, that he night
remain perfectly idle and pus'Ve and let the dainlcgra-
lion Of h States 90 GA ss l had gone on secondly,
give guarantees such as were a'ksd, and bring the Whole
pouer OF hs administration to bear IN Obtaining those
guarantees; or, thirdly, rsIt ~ secretion and attempt
n force the seceding States into obedience. He illus
rated very distinctly and CLEARLY those three PROPOSE.
lions.
tured TO appeal TO him in a ElInnst IN Which never az
pealad 10 Any other II I'm, aud never eIpee; to 70 again
| said that a. to the last proposition desired TO say or
uord-that | trusted aud prayed 10 God that Ne you'd
not repor. TO coercion that If be fd, the history OF hs
Adui ~istrstiOn would be written III blood, and All The
vaters OF he Atlantic ocean could never wash II hon
nj, hands. (Hssr, hear, aGd applause } He asked me
what | would do, and IL | meant by coercion tbs collec
ton of the revenue and the taking back OF the iot!s
which, no said, belonged to The Ulited siates replied
that that VA the OILY mode in which 1t vas possible that
he could, under tao Constitution, resort 10 coerhou-
nv an Attsmnt 90 oollec. The revenue and TO take back
the forts. n, had pl4csi himself 10 a chair With rounds
70 II. with hn fsst upon the highest round long, ia1k
man, With very large sid3 %uhi1fera, With his elbow
upon hs knees, ard his hands upon the cheeks OF hts
face. in al attitude of listening, and when he would
speak he would drop bis haHda aud raise his heal
D,opnirg his hand and raising his head, be sAld he vonid
tel me a little aueciote which bad happened when be
frs. came to the bar. 40 old man, he Ssid, had applied
to bim to bring q suit, Enl mad, out . capital case, ~
be thought; but when lhe evidence vas detailed before
the iury IL was the worst case he had ever listened TO,
and vS;le the evidence vas going on the old mao came,
listening TO the esidsnce himself, and %shispered IN hs
ear. "Guv It up" Laughter Nov" said he, "do''
ernor, wouldn't this DO gavin it npf'
assure you, Mr.. Chairman, I don't present It in o,ny
light dihsr n. from that in which i. actually occurred
none uha'evsr. / said o hin "hs. P%teiisnt, \
NAV be said that it you'll be suvin' |. up bu. hadnt
YOU better E"v It up without bloodshsd than drfncn
this land With blood, aud tLen have to 'guv It up!
Applause.) He then asked what he vas to do Si'h his
oath Of office. He said he had sworn to sec the AVS
faithfully executed, aud, sdir ssipg himself to me, he
aid. al would like 10 know from you what l am 10
do With my oath OF oficeY p l said to him that be had
taken A solsmu oath to zee the laws faithfully executed;
hut that Csngross vas thea IN go sion, and sppiica Ion
Rad been made to Congress to give to the President OF
the United States tho power to collect the revenue oJ
.-..I n.n,i, nn,aiha of Iha nnrta. and OongfeA bad re-