Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-26

distinguished gentleman here were many Ia
dies present. and every seat was occupied. and
hardly standing room left in aisles and lobby.
Senator Wright, presenting himself. said he
was no psrty man. He stood. in this crisis. only
for his country. Away with all party creeds and
party platforms. The time for them had passed
away. What we wanted now was an united
North, and IL party creeds prevailed. we should
have war and bloodshed In our own midst How
bitter DO We become. even in ordinary times OF
peaeei Let the people be arrayed on party
creeis. and what man could foretell the conse-
qaencesr Douglas had said. forget your party
creels and your party platforms, aud bring your
all 20 the service of your country in this dire
emergency
His (wnght's) party platform was that the
Constitution Was 10 be maintained as the supreme
Law Of the land. and that the Union must be pre-
served rs the only guaranty Of liberty. He rec
osiize.i but two classes now--the friends of the
Union and the enemies thereof Has motto was.
maintain tie Constitution. and Mt all hazards and
alt risks, aud no matter at what cost, preserve
the Union.
uDon BY the jisunionists Of the South The
Was wsged our part only Ia maintain the
Uason. All classes OF men in the North stood
upon this platform. He referred 20 the resOIu-
tons of the Democratic Convention of the 9Th OF
January -62 and censured them because they
did not express this: viz. that the war was brought
by tire Southern disunonists Because he
thus cersurcsl tins omission il was said he no
Democrat Ia this hour of the calamity of his
he
ty platforms. The 9Th of January platform was
"a very ingenious one-It didn't say the5 would
hight, and t ddn "a say they woudn Z. and il wound
up with resolution complimentary D. the soldiers
engaged ia the Ii party platform and
nothing more.
The greatest difficulty in our present trial has
been this: divisions in the North. In this con,
neetion he produced Richmond. Virginia paper
containing DayIss speech before the 9Th Of Jan
uary Convention. and commented severely upon
the declaration therein that the surrender of Ma
son ana Slidel was greater humiliation than
would be the recognition on the part of our Gov
ernment of the Southern Confederacy. Benton
the great statesman of Missouri, had insisted as
long ago 1852 that il was the settled design of
Southern demagogues to break up the Union.
Benton repeated this time and again until il
almost appeared To him (Wright) childish But
time had demonstrated the wisdom of his words.
Slavery was the pretext only, and was used as
such. Benton said il would be- but TO break up
tie Union was tae grand design All their aim
was to bring about this dissolution Twenty
years ago he had said in Congress that we of the
North did not intend TO interfere with the institu
tlons OF the people of the South. In lc6O 30.
litical revolution swept over the country Did
the ultra men then elected interfere, propose
interfere with Southern institutionsl 1wo.thrds
of the free States in Congress had offered addi-
tional guarantees that slavery should not be in
any WAY meddled with. All these things went 10
shov that Benton YVES right These demagogues
sought To excite one section of the country
against the other, using slavery as a pretext
They used this pretext for no other end and aim
than the dissolution Of the Union. No peopleo on
the face OF the earth were so deuded as were
these Southern men Let any man so and talk
with the prisoners now here, and he would find il
out
They conceived that they had come to fight
Northern Abolitionists. but they found that they
were lighting Northern Union men And the
expedition To Florence. Alabama. had demon
strated that there were Union men, South. Strong
was the Union sentiment this very day in the Sc
ceded States
For this Union we were fighting. and vet there
were men who would stand on the corners of the
streets and talk To YOU about taxes. Talk about
taxes, when our brothers, sons, and even fathers
ct Indiana were away fighting the battles of the
countryi Talk about party platforms in this
connection Party platforms with ten or fifteen
boards in them, and not one worth stepping on az
that
The great question of this controversy -: Can
We he one people. united and harmOniousl This
is the all absorbing question. At last At the end
of ninety days. We would have question of
tariffs. We would have no question of war
We would have no question of taxation.
But We would have a Tar mightier question:
How shall We reconstruct the Government. or
the Cniong No man could DENY this proposition:
la every ten years in this prolific country. we
have new generation at the ballot box These
succeeding generations would be felt i'm all time
t. come. They were THE PEOPLE. And i'm the
direction towards which their interest point
Ell them they would surely go Their in
terests pointed them in the direction of the Union
We had an identify of interests Cheaper boots
and shoes. for instance. could be bought for nis,
gers In Massachusetts than could be bought
abroad. Our manufacturing our commercial.
our mechanical our agricultural interests were
those OF one people Every day. in all parts Of
the country. new pursuits of industry sprung
NJ. he would instance one-that of the produc-
tlOn OF coal oil At first only a few hundred
barrels per year was manufactured. Now more
than ~ OOo barrels were manufactured and this
one production alone bids fair TO revoutioni1e
commerce in oils. In two more wears the trade
!
true m tins matter OF all our great interests
~ an Industrious, producing and enterprising
people
IL We will but do our duty In putting down
this wicked rebellion the good God would keep
IA forever people
Look at the position OF Indiana on the man
Look az her rivers Look az her ceosrsplic,l
relations. Never would she consent Ia surrender
the free navigation of the Mississippi river
Never would she con>ens that this continent
should be divided An eaAaent British states
man. wears ago. surveying the map of our coun
try, regarding mighty rivers. our prairie our
natural mountain barriers, had said that never
could two nations exist within our domain
In nine months. fellow citizens. shall have
questions far superior 90 those which now agitate
rs We shall have questions with respect - for
eign interference in the Affairs of this continent
Already are they talking of placing a scion of
tlse House OF HaTsSburg the throne OF the
M0niezuuIas Already. a. is reported in the
newspapers. j. the South making propositions
abroad TO abolish slavery after fifty vears Al
ready England and France prenaring 20 in
terfere i'm our national troubles
he believed that Napoleon never would engage
IN a contest against the people Of the North His
interests forbade IL. Whatever course the Enc
hsh Government might lake. Napoleon would
take his Osn course He was a man OF his ouu
mind, and kept las own counsel. lie had more
intellect than any man governing in Europe
Napoleon was the hereditary enemy OF England
l. 81.