The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-09-17
speech OF Gen. fremont.


asked to appear before you. | am gratiied
that you think ! can say any thing which
will aid in the object of these meetings. But
| trust that this object, so far as it relates
to the enrolment of the volunteers required,
has already been attained. The events of
the las. few weeks have made so apparent
the necessity for immediate reinforcements,
that hope nothing else has been needed to
procure prompt response to the call of the
| Government, and to that mute but strong
appeal TO your friends in the field who to-
day constitute our bulwark against the
surges of rebellion.
The chances of war do not admit of de-
/ lays. The enemy is pushing it forward
| with renewed vigor, and the loss of few
| weeks, or even few days, may involve dis
aSters shameful to record and impossible to
retrieve. In this condition it will never do
to let differences of opinion as to how the
| war should he carried on interfere with its
! vigorous prosecution. First fill the ranks,
and leave to those who stay at home the
| obligation of shaping the struggle to its
| proper ends.
| But Massachusetts needs no other incite-
ment to her duty than the certainty that
! she has one to perform. Under this impulse
her people will come forward promptly and
nobly, as they have always done. Cheers
! She will be always true, as in this contest
she has been POLITICALLY true, to her historic
record. The infant that here in the "Cra-
! die of Liberty" strangled the serpent, is
ready in its manhood to destroy the hydra;
and when | see, as l lately have had the
! opportunity to see, what kind of men they
are, each one filling a place in society. in
structetl, intelligent mon, heads and suppor-
ters of families, contributing by steady la
| hor to the wealth of the State--when | see
such men going by thousands and hundreds
of thousands to the field. my anxiety is not
| in regard to the number who go there but it
| is that their ready obedience and affecting
| confidence in the Government will be met by
corresponding care for them in the field,
and that these concentrated energies will be
! directed to results worthy of the sacrifices
they are making. (Applausc.)
Therefore, | indulge myself i'll the pleas
ure of feeling that the object of this meeting
is not so much to urge the necessity for
| further troops as to furnsh an occasion for
encouragement and sympathy to those now
| leaving for the ield--the assembling OF
friends on shore to greet the parting ship
and so, with Godspeed to them, | turn.
with your permission for moment to the
| duties resting upon those of us who, for the
time being, are left at home.
/ had Just now expressed my anxiety that
we should obtain from this war results
worthy of the sacrifices we are making. How
this shall be done and in the speediest way.
is the question which threatens still more
to convulse the country, and is making of
the nation one great council of war. And
it is right that the people in this way should
iealousy debate their vital interests. Not
only is this their inherited right, bought by
! the first revolution, and to make known their
wishes concerning the manner in which it
shall be controlled, so as best to secure do
mestic peace, and restore it upon imperish-
able foundations. loud cheers.) 1t is i'll
this way that the vitality of our insttu.
tons manifests and maintains itself. Zap
plause)
In ordinary wars a soldier is limited to
| the silent execution of his military duty
But we are in the midst of revolution
where every citizen is soldier. Rome had
her laws special to civil war. Here the ma
ton is stirred to the very heart by strug.
gle for existence, and not only the life of the
country but the life of Representive Lib
erty throughout the world is at stake. 1t is
not safe to believe that we shall be able
easily to govern this revolution. And ir the
midst of such events it is not only the right
but the duty of every man to express
his opinion, and, however slight his opinion
may be, to employ it III laboring for the
common cause.
Lord Herbert, when envoy at the court o1
France, sent, | think by Elizabeth--at all
events at Il time when on the personal rea.
tons of ambassadors depended peace or wal
for their nations said to the French minis
ter, who had purposely provoked him, that
although ambassador, he was no gentle
man. He reserved the right, when oocas
ion called for it, 10 act in his broader capa
city. So, therefore. q soldier, but not the
less a citizen, | will in the little | have tc
say to you, speak my opinion freely (cries
OF Good, good and applause; but at
the same time, | will endeayor to do sc
with the reserve belonging to the first char
acter. Twill ask your indulgence, ifl speak
upon subject about which you are not al
equally united, but the proper treatment O
which think equally important with tht
proper treatment of our forces in the field
! and if speak of myself in connection, it il
, because in the suggestions | presume Il
make to you, | speak upon my individual
experience. Cries Good" and applause.
Six years ago. when had the honor t
represent your views upon national affairs
, held in common with yourselves, the opin
: ion that slavery should not be disturbed
within its existing limits. When the Con
q federate States announced their existence
their Executive proclaimed slavery to be tn
corner stone of the new power. In Missouri
a year ago, as war measure. declared tn
I, slaves OF rebels free, immense applause ant
cries of Good and immense cheering,) be
lieving this to be the most incisive, search
ing and deadly blow that could be aimed q
: the heart of the rebellion. applause am
/ Good, good. Bully for you. and cheers,)
d Judged it to be tho quickest mode to dan
d age and disconcert the enemy, and to gai
n great advantage with the leaF cost of lif
}. to the good citizens who wefe acting wit
e me in maintaining the laws. A General i
the field, in distant and rebellious distriC
!, invested with pro consular powers, did thi
II in the exercise of what believed to be m
: legitimate authority. (Cheers.) Later, q
!, the war went on, became satisfied ths
a with its successful termination must ais
:. terminate slavery in some form. (Goo,
A. good and cheers.)
l. considered it then sufficient that son
d measure should be adopted by which
ID should Immediately cease as political pow
er and begin to cease as a social fact. Bl
as the contest was protracted the conditio
be al opinions with which we all entered upc
IN that every advantage which the laws of W,
:, allowed to us should be employed, and tn
~ to be effective as war measure this a
~ should be thorough and immediate. 1t b
- came apparent that the slower proce
q. would be Intellectual. And so the events
10 the year have brought me to the convictiC
or that there can be no lasting peace whi
OF slavery exists on our continent. Great a
" plause.) Therefore, all other consideration
an apart, aud regarding it only as measure
IS, the effectual suppression of the rebellion
er am in favor of the immediate abolition
I'd slavery great cheers) and in favor of usil
gy every practicable means to make that alb
he lition effective (cheers) and so deprive Il
"s euemy of their great element of strengt
'' Great applause)
Wherever our flag waves in jurisdictio
an let it wave over free men. (Cheers)
n, it answer all questions, and give all pas
1 oh \