Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-04-15
SPEECH OF How. w. r.. F,vcv

u. j. KENNY,
SPEECH OF How. w. e. FiNcK.
In the Senate of Ohio, upon his yesoIution in.
doTSihg the CTatenden Resolutions, and the
resolutions Of the Senator from Loyain Mr..
Monroe, indorsing The TrumbuH Emancipation
Bill -'''''
Inc question being on the report Of the COM
mittee on Federal Relations, recommending
tne postponement Of the further consideration
OF all these resolutionR, until next January, MI.
FINCK said:
Mr. PRESIDENT: am unable to agree with
that portion of the report of the committee on
Federal Relations which recommends the post
ponement, until next January, of the resolu.
lions which had the honor TO introduce, at the
early part OF this session, indorsing the Critten.
den resolutions. In my opinion theY should
nave been adopted unanimously by this Legis-
lature months ago. cannot therefore consent
to their further pOstponement. ~
On the other hand, am not only content,
but anxious, to postpone indefinitely that por-
ton OF the resolutions introduced by the Hon.
Senator from Lorain, indorsing the principles
contained In the bill introduced into the Senate
oil the United States by Mr.. Trumbull, known
as the Trumbull bill. Aud, as / apprehend q
majority Of this Senate will sustain the report
OF the committee on Federal Relations, deem
proper at this time, with the indulgence of the
Senate, to state as briefly as / can the reasons
Why Delieve the resolutions indorsing the
Crittenden resolutions should be adopted now,
and why that portion of the resolutions of the
Senator from Lorain indorsing the Trumbull
bill should be postponed And allow me to
say, Mr. President, that il is not without feel
ings deeply impressed with the grave nature of
the questions involved In this discussion, and Of
my want OF ability to present them In such
manner as they should be presented TO this
body and to the country, that | now proceed to
address the Senate. i. - ..sa.' III .s..i
l feel very Sensibly the unfortunate condition
OF our public affairs. The present unhappy
state OF the country seems to be almost without
o parallel in history. d. f-s- ..gts ls..- T..-
While on the one hand we witness marshalled
armies, composed of men who have been nurt.
pred, blessed and protected by the best and
most benetcent government upon the face ol
me earth, threatening the capifal of the nation
and madly attempting to disrupt the Union Of
these States, on the other hand, We behold
men In these tfes aud loyal StateS, although not
IN arms against the Constitution, yet urging
upon the Government policy which, II adopt
60, must eventually result in the overthrow OF
the Constitution, and the dissolution of the
Union OF these States. .a saI .,r
In this unfortunate condition of the country,
IL becomes the imperative duty of every good
Citizen, which cannot be safely avoided, TO raj
70 the support OF the Constitution and the
Union on the basis on which they were establish
ca Dy the good and wise men OF the revolution.
Ihat we shall be able to suppress this rebell-
Ion and restore the supremacy OF the Law in
l avery nE tha nant,hlia
less, indeed, the policy of the Government shall
be go changed as to give strength and vigor tc
the rebellion. 10 .tss7 ~ I
Sir: Against any such change of policy
today raise my voice, and propose TO submit
| some OF the reasons which impeI me to this DO
sltlon' Let US for moment examine what
has been the policy of the Administration in
regard to this unhappy war. Immediately upon
the attack made by the rebels on Fort Sumter
and its brave and gallant defenders, President
Lincoln, as was his duty, promptly issued his
proclamation, stating that combinations against
the execution of the laws too powerful 70 be
suppressed by the, ordinary course of judicial
proceedings, existed, and called upon the sew.
eral States for eeyenty-tive thousand men "tC
suppress said combinations and to cause th,
laws to be executed" This was the object apt
purpose in calling forth the military arm of tht
Government, "to suppress combinations aeains
the execution of the laws, and to cause the
laws to be executed" To this call the Iowa
men Of these States, without distinction oI
party, responded with unexampled and unpar.
alleled unanimity. In place of seventy.avs
thousand, over quarter of million OF. mer
| were promptly rendered the Government. i
any one had doubted whether there still re
mained deep devotion to the Union of these
States, those doubts were then removed. I
was in high and patriotic mission in which
these men came forward at the call of the gen
eral Government, to suppress armed resistanc,
to the execution of the laws, and to cause thes,
laws 70 be executed wherever they were resist
ed. Every manfelt the solemnity of the occa
sion and Of the mighty question involved
was no less than the preservation of the Con
sutution and the Union as our fathers had mad
them. 1900, o,L r. .-,,.4s-r -,,1-I 1
| Apolitical heFesy had been proclaimed on th,
part of certain Of the politicians Of some of thl
States, vis,a the claim to the right to Withdraw
their States from the Union, to deny further al
llegiance TO the9 Constitution, and to set one u,
In opposition to it. need not stop here to in
quire at lenght into this claim of the right o
secession, but will content myself by briefly ad
verting to 1t.
This government Ia not mere confederation
of States. 1t is something more and quite dill
ferent. cit is q government in which all tn
people are represented, which operates directl
lon she people Individually, not upon the States
they having retained all the power they did nc
Jgiant." Yet II is o governments OF Festricte
lpoNers, delegatedby the Constitution, ,detihitel
marked ont and specified, leaving the sewers
tata.es their reserved rights, With which the ger
IerAl government cannot interfere; but the fiPl
to secede is not one of the reserved rights
the States. ,ih yflri09A csli ,GF 1a
| The defects of the old system of confedert
ton we're 90 glariDg, that the wise men of Ii
revolution, almiHt as soon as they had achieve
peace and the Independence Of the States, &c
about preparing more perfect system of gov
ernment which happily resulted in the preser
; admirable Constitution. The confederation be
IprOTed weakand lneheotual andiwhoily mad
! quate for the purposes Of the government.
Under IL tho Federal GoVernment was q
mere creature Of the several HtateB, anti itu a
istence depended upon the0hediencs which eas
Eof the Stateslyielded 10 IL. lt hadno power
enforce its DEGREES, and dthe delinduencies Of n
Estates after the war was over, and the dang,