Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1862-05-31

sir, the South consider slaves inst as other
property. do not eoncede IL I
never did eoncede it. All COR.
ccdtd ever, was, that in times Of peace
when they let our institutions alone, /
would let them alone ia the States; that |
would not touch hair Of their head Alb.
hOrrent as slavery is to man end God, /
| had agreed that in their States they might
have it, provided they would keep it there,
and let US alone; but when they repndiate
the Constitution of the United States, when
they waged violent war against it, when
they made use of those very slaves ss the
fulcfum by which TO overturn the Constitu.
ton OF the country, lost all my veneralion
no, not veneraion, for | never bad any
veneration for sayery; repudate the idea;
but it absUlved me trom all my sense Of
duty in that regard, and all owed me to
| give full scope to my scuse Of justice IN
dealing with slaves aud their masters. They
have repudiated me; they have tepudated
you; they have used these very slaves TO
murder your brethren and mine, aud to rob
us Of our property. Being now Withdrawn
from all obligation in their behelf, | say to
every traitor wbO holds a slave, $50 far a.
my hand can reach that slave is free, and q
much better man than yOu. Every traitor
ought to think God Ii he escape the gal
lows: his slave is reunited to his rights"
| am little aslOniShed at the doctrines of
these Border State gentlemen, notwitb.
stand ug know they have strong n6ie
pleading in their behalf, just as W. on this
side have pleading in our GehaIf They were
nurtured in The institution. Il had bern in
fr,p, t.I
to them. All their relations, aud all the
great men they have had tmOUgst them,
had praeticed this sysrem of slavery. o.
course, they do not view 1t as we do; aud /
make oil due allowance upon that suffice,
But sir, ] wonder that gentlemen, so suga-
cIuus as they are, men Of great capacity
aud generous impulses, fail to see the ab
Surdlty OF attempting longer TO maintain all
institution Of that kind / admit that, in
the progress of nations from barbarlsm 10
cvljzluon, there is, aud has been time
in every naliuu Of which know anything,
when slavery vas not only permitted, but
formed 8n Institution among men, 1t you
hook back 10 the Institutions Ut antiquity,
YOU will iud it there; if you look at the
middle ages you find it there; bat you 6od
II ia times Ot ignorance, when be arts and
,cienccs had advanced dIy beyond bar.
bari,m. Then, ,Ir, your institution was in
harmony with other ns:ituiOGS; tut do you
not Sc. that in the progress vi uatlon
from barbarous state To high degree OF
civilization you will reach time when sa.
very becomes utterly impossibtH
Why, sir, do you not see that it has EN-
ascnaied you; aud that 1t has laid you al.
most pr0SIraie Mt the feet of a power
scarce Iy greater than your ownH Duriug
one year of this accursed war--and | take
some pride in saying ii--no hostile fool has
yet invaded the territory of free state
How is that? II is uot because you South
ern men are not brave; il is not because
yon are not enrerprislng; but you have
leaned upon this accursed institution until /
you are as weak as infancy in the grasp Of |
treemen, end to-day you ale tcuuuls at will, |
tenants at sutiersnce, to the masculine
principles and the manly attributes of free
communities. | wonder that you are not
more anxious than we are TO do away with
an institution that makes you tenants al
will to us for your liberties. l luIk plainly
but it is even SO
We have been complained Of by some
gentlemen on this floor that this war wGs
proSec uted in q spirit of severity and intol
erance towards traitors. They have harp
ed upon it from day to day. Sir, from the
earliest period CT the history Of mankind to
the present., you will fiud no war, much less
any rebellion, that has been characterized |
with the f1fbearance, the lculty bordering !
on imheciIiiy, with which this one has been
prosecuted. Ii, with the aid and assist
nnce Of oil your slaves brought into your
camps TO build your fOrtifcations to do all
your manual service, to cultivate all the
agricultural productions on which you feed,
you have accomplished so little against u.s.
ask you, suppose we had appealed TO your
bondInen to come on our side, where, in
Gods nome would you have been to-day |
Do YOU not see that it is owing to our for
bearance to use the power the Almighty has
put in our hands that you traitors breathe
I he breath of life 20 dny2 | wonder, sir,
that honorable men, ateSmcn-
Mr. HENDERSON VIII the Senator per-
nit me to interrupt him for moment
Mr. WADE Certainty.
Mr. HENDERSON. | appreciate the kind
ness OF the Senator in his alluson to the
Border State men; but desire to ask him
if it be desirable TO do away with the insti-
tulion of slavery entirely throughout these
States; if he has perfectly satisfied his mind
that his course will accomplish Il sooner /
than the course Of the Border State men
Mr. WADE Mr.. President l am not
pe milted to choose my course; and this |
lends me 10 another observation that / will |
make IN a point which has been very much
arsnrd here: What is he oijrct of this
va? For what is il proseeuledI Is il tor
The pu pose Of abolition aud emancipation
Gentlemen have sometimes charged that
This war was commenced aud prosecuted
with that view. So far from il, We had no
choice in that matter. The war was com
menccd upon u.s. and all there was for US To
do was purely the right of sell delence.-
We had no other alternative.
Nj. HENDERSoN. The Senator will ex.
cnse me for saying certainly made no such
argument.
Mr.. WADE. did not say the gentlemen
did, | excuse him, aud know that umoug
all the most sagacious men in the Soul he