Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1862-12-24

to feed upon bread of affection, and water Of
affection, like the prophet whom Ahab hated.
Bot partial dissolution has already occurred.
Secession has been tried and has proven q
speedy and terrible success. The practicable
Iity Of doing il end the way TO do il, have both
been establlehed. Sir the experiment may
readily be repeated. II will be repeated. And
is it not madness and folly, then, TO call back,
BY adjustment, the States which have seeded,
or to hold back the States which are threaten
ing TO secede, Icithout propiding some safe
guard against the renewal Of this most simple
and disastrous experiment. Can foreign ma
tions have any confidence hereafter in the
stability Of a Government which may 50 read
lily, speedily, and quietly be dissolved2 Can
we have any confidence among ourselves p
add now an extract from the same speech
(of February 20, 1871 explaining the gene
raj object OF the proposed amendments
Born, sir, upon the soil of the United
States, attached to my country from earliest
boyhood loving aud revering her, with some
part at least, with the spirit Of Greek and
Roman patriotism between these two %alterna-
tiyes, With all my mind, with all my heart, with
all my strength of body and Of soul, living or
ldying, At home orin exile, l am for the Union
which made IL what il is and therefore | am
also for such terms of peace and adjustment
as will maintain that Union now aRd forever.
This, then, is the question which to-day l pro-
pose 10 discuss
"How shall the Union of these States be
restored and preserved2 O.
"Devoted as | am 10 the Union, | have yet
no eulogies to pronounce upon il to-day. Ii
needs none. Its highest eulogy is the history
of this country for the last seventy years.
The triumphs of war and the arts Of peace,
science, civilization, wealth, population, com
merce, trade, manufactures, literature, educa-
ton, justice, tranquility, security to life, to
person, to property, material happiness, com
mon defense, national renown-all that is
implied in the blessings of l~iberty-these, and
more, have been its fruits from the beginning
to this hour. These have enshrined it in the
hearts of the people-and, before God, l be-
lieve they viii restore and preserve it. And
today they demand of us, their ambassadors
and representatives, TO tell them how this
great work is to be accomplished"
And yet further, in a card to the Enquirer,
dated February IA, 1861, | said:
my proposition looked solely to the resto-
ration and maintenance of the Union forever,
by suggesting a mode of voting in the United
States Senate and the Electoral Colleges, by
which the causes which have led to our pre-
sent troubles, may in the future be guarded
against without Secession and disunion; and
also the agitation of the slavery. question as
an element, in our National politics, be forev
err hereafter arrested. My ~objeet-the sole
motive by which | have been guided from the
beginning of this most fatal revolution-is tc
maintain the Union and not destroy it"
Such was the proposition which submitted
: just previous to the inauguration of this most
unnatural and ruinous civil war, and at a time
Il -" n ! ~ H. -