Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-28

Gle 90 hold within her grasp conquered and
sal colonies. Her success hss, indeei. thus far
been great. bat her experiment. j. not over She
has formed many unions with welker Powers
whose soil she has laid waste. and whose people
she has murdered: but what sorrow iul spcetacles
they arei She has a union with ireland. but
who wants 10 behold one like il on this continent
filed With blood. with bitterness. with tears OF
grief. with cries Of hate. with charging armies.
with revolution following revolution in quick and
borrid succession, and with all those repulsive
crimes which forever attend such events, and
over which humanity has shulderei and weft IN
al sge-f No. sir. Jet "a labor for no such Union
this. All history. all age. and every cline
contain volumes Of teaching on tins mOmentOus
subject. II becomes the American statesman 20
heed their warnings Give "a back the I mon a
italways heretofore has been consisting OF equal
and honored members" Fail To DO this strip
the States of their attributes States under the
Constitution. and reduce them Ia territorial bon
dage measure already introduced into the other
branch OF Congress, and though our
mics may be victorious in every field
though they NAV. in their triumphant
march. cross every river. scale every noun
tain, and encamp IN every valley, from the PotO-
mac % Mobile there will never come a day when
the ange. Of peace will return to the land-there
will never come day when the drum beat and
the roll call Of vast standing armies shall cease to
be heard; and there will never come a day when
the football Of the Federal tax gatherer shall cease
10 be heard nj the threshold Of every labOreg's
hamlet from the Atlantic 10 the Pscfc ocean.
There will be no peace in such a Union. The
lightning of civil war will be forever playing i'm
htiul CLEANS along our horizon. The people OF
the South are "Our kindred and cOuntrymen,
AID the blood which inherit in common, the
proud race to which We belong, never yielded a
nbo ~ tho .fa.,r.diur ffous nf
inequality and dishOuor. | am fully aware that
the sword must nov bring The conclusion OF this
unnatural strife | am fully aware that result
must be attained now on the battle field. There
was time when IL WAS not 50, and history will
embalm in everlasting infamy the names of those
who rejected peace-who rejected union when
both were oHerei OH honorable terms. leave
the past, however, ut least for to day, and deal
with tie present. Let the armies move on, and
bring speedy issue to this war of kindred and
country men,; but let them move in the name
OF the Constitution: IN the name Of the laws; in
the name OF the Union composed Of equal and
hOnOred members; in the name of Col; and
guided by the preeepts of an enlightened Christi
anity.
| am not done yet, however. Mr. Chairman,
with the recorded pledges OF the Government
They exist on every Leaf and page of the history
OF the hrst three months Of this war They are
leave the laborer in that field only the difficulty
OF selection, not that OF discovery. Sir. when
that dear AID hOnOred State Kentucky, where NV
ancestors were born, where they fought, where
they died and where their ashes rep0se. was
trembling in the balance: when their fate from
day to day was unknown: when the ties OF blood
and Kindred and similarity OF domestic institu-
tons and interests pulled hard against the strong
anchor of her fidelity o. the Union. and when she
the North ana the South. one Of her most eo
quent and gifted SONS spoke to her on behalf OF
the present Administration in language which
kentuckians trusted which they received an
Executive promise, and on the faith of which
thousands of her troops are now in the field
On the 3lst day of May. 1861. Joseph Holt
wrote his celebrated letter TO Mr.. Speed, which
rang through the country like Il clarion. In it
lie said:
the Republic no institutions OF the States will be invaded
tempered with; rights Of persons property Will
be violated. The known purposes Of the Administration,
and the high character OF the troops employ ed alike
guaranty the truthulsess Of this statement"
Not content. however, with this most explicit
and most satisfactory assurance that the rights of
the States to be respected Mr. Holt pro-
ceeded to convince Kentucky that her rights in
the Territories were also amply secured and
would be carefully guarded by this Alministra-
ton. lie discussed that point as follows:
'he Supreme Court has decided hat the citizens Of
the slave States will take their slaves all the
Territories Of the United States and this decision which
has been resisted interfered with in single
u the law Of the land and the whole power Of the
Government Is pledged 10 enforce it, That il will be
Loyalty enforced by the present Administration
tain doubt. \ Republican Cons ress. at the late
session. organized three Territories. and in the
ganic law Of neither there introduced or attempted
20 he INTRODUCED the slightest restriction upon the right
Of the Southern emigrant bring his slaves with him
.sf1a rafff
cation there is not Territory belonging 20 the United
States into which the Southern people introduce
their slaves at pleasure and enjoy their complete pro-
lection"
It is no part of my purpose mt this time to de-
termine whether MIR Holt construed the decision
OF the Supreme Court correctly or not He is a
very eminent and learned lawyer, and his opinion
Is entitled to great respect. But | simply now
make him my authority 10 show the principles
and the policy TO which he pledged the Admins
tratiOn before the country in its conduct of the
war and It's treatment of the question of slavery.
Sumter had fallen. The nation arming.
Soldiers were wanted Kentucky was TO be
saved. ana language like this WAS more potent
with the lovers of the Constitution and the friends
of the old Union than all the bounty land or
monthly pay which the Government had with
which To enlist recruits There it stands. and
there il will stand forever, 10 the honor Of him
VINO wrote it, and to the eternal shame and dis
grace Of those who shall turn their backs upon
its teachings and render false and deceptive its
deliberate and solemn promises.
| do not assume To- speak for the affairs of Kep-
tucky: she does not need my humble voice on
this floor. Her experienced and eloquent
Representatives are here to speak for her. But
this NAV be allow ell. as her neighbor and friend
and linetl offspring. to saw, that if the pledge
that has been given To her on the subject of her
domestic institutions Is 10 be broken and
the abolition of slavery declared the treachery
involved in the act will be so dark the fraud 50
monsfrous, that il will pollute every succeeding
page of American history and crimson the cheeks
of our children with shame they read it,
Sir. one more name | will add 1t belongs
now 10 the dead. Ii i a name which will live
long ia American history. oppose it to the mal
fanaticism which reigns in this hall. and by and IN
it, authority denouucc the wicked purposes of abo-
litionism- read from the last sneech Of the
great popular tribune Stephen A. Douglas:
we mus, invade constitutional rights The inno-
cent must NOT >ucr. ana children be the vic
tins Savages must NOS be let loose"
How pregnant and full of meaning are these
three short sentences The Constitution must be
maintained n all hazards. and the rights of the
South under il must not lie invaded "Slyages
must not be let loose" This was spoken ia June
The fell measure of the rebellion before him
Yet almost with his diving words lie spoke for the
yreser, alton of tile constitutional rights OF the
States: and - ii wiki prophetic eve foreseeins the
evil designs which were theu cherished In secret