Arkansas true Democrat., 1862-08-13
Speech of Hon. Ben Wood, of New York, in the U. ,. House of Representatives, on the State of the Country.

i'll the O -. EaCusS CI EepTcSeuLatlse3
 on the State of the Country.
 The Richmond Dispatch has obtained copy o
 a speech of the Hon. Ben " ood, former proprieto
 of the New ! ork News, Ia paper which was sus
 pen led on account of its bold stand in favor of tt
 South,) in the Federal House of Representatives
 on the state Of the country Believing that a ma
 jority of our readers would be grL,itied to uhder
 stand the position now occupied by Mir. " nd to
 wards the abolition party of the North we publish
 it entire. Mir Wood obtained the unanir us con
 sent of the House to have printed the following
 remarks:
 Mr Wood-Mr. Chairman, have hitherto
 avoided troubling this House. Content to be a
 listener, without any other participation in it's pro | ceedin@S than to oppose my solemn individual 1 negative against Treasures which my On-cience,
 aud my principles, would not approve, have sad
 nothing. Indeed, sir. have not had tle heaN 10 ! rise here and speak. glance at this hall of it < self, has been enough to prevent 1t. When look
 around and one third of the Union unrepse- ! sented here, and fnd myself in body, though
 purp0r1ng 10 be one branch Of the Congress of the 1 United States, really in fact, but iragmestary | part of 1t, my heart sinks within me. It appears
 to be sectional body-a gathering of the repre- sentatives of sectional party With these feet
 ings, and with this spirit, have, until now avoid ed participating in debate
 Besides sir during the earlier peiod of this ses-
 sion, disaster had accompanied the efforts Ot the
 r ederai arms. felt that the hour ot defeat was
 not it one in which to strive to awaken the great soul oi the North to peace; fen that something was due to the of modification, something
 to the natural desire to retrieve the shame of dts comfture. 1 hoped, too, that when victory had perch upon our banners, others than myse5f would seize the occasion to urge plea in behalf 0a peace able measures; and that this government itself, feeling secure *
 would take the lead and be the pioneer in opening
 tte path for q settlemenaof cur difficulties without further recourse to blOddshed
 l hoped in vain. The triumph came, long train of successes has relieved the N. Tth from is humiliation. The government claims now to stand as a rock, against which the tempest of opposition
 must waste itself in futile efforts The part;z IDS
 of the ultra party laugh 10 scon the ide, that any eiitctual res distance can be offered to the on
 ward march of our triumphant armies, and yet no single effort has been made in these congressional
 halls to stay the eiiusion of blood. It has been left tor me, powerless am. to speak the first conciliatory word in behalf of my suffering coun
 trlmen. And do 1t, sir, in the hope that others more capable, will not be too much expressed with the lust Of conquest and the pride of victory, to
 loilow my example.
 Sir, it is inetf.ceabie reproach 10 those either deluded or wicked men, who, in the North, by their unweared agitation or abolition schemes. have stirred Up the embers of this strife; 1t is eternal repoach to them that, through deleat and
 victory, through ut every phase Of this unhappy struggle, with the groanS of their distressed and tortured country smting Cp0n ihe!. ears, they have :lung, and snll cling, with uipitying pertinacity and even with terocity, 10 the doctrine which ha~ been the germ of all the ml,ch eff With the ii st
 exulting shout, of Federal victories, they set mp he eca0ing cry 0: emancipation. With all hr
 encr Y or fanatic sin, with all tle subtle arts ana 1 lntrlgues Of scheming demagogues, with all the app iinceS and cunning intellet and patronage their c0rnm md, even at this eyenttu crisis, when every American brtln should be at work to bring about far and honorable peace, they have no thought, h pc, no duty but to propagate their creed extending it. influence into every nook and corner of the land, and poisoning the atmosphere
 0t these sacred halls with its interminabe discus sion. Openly and in secret, by the agency of the
 prcss the pulpit and the pOlit4ca r0s:rum, in the camp. in the city, and in the open field they are -pre lking the contagion: they noculating the country wiih this moral pe>tiIcnce which has al ready brought where are, at the very brink Of the grave of our nationality.
 ! Sir to these apostles of abotionism will be traced hereafter, whatever Of evil has beiaen, CT may bcfail country. They are building its
 seuulchre u ih the bones of their slaughtered coun 1 ttymen. do believe there gentleman within | my vision now, whose sworn purpose. whose fir 1 desire paramount even t0 the preservation of re-
 publicaI'ism. is emancipation. They and their dis ciples first threw the apple of disco.d. They frs.
 apDlied the torch and are TOW more busy tham ever { witn throwing mesh mel tO the fllme oiouid Ills i tory ever trace, Nhch God forbid, the record Of
 this untry's ruin, that page will seem he s;:ane-
 est to those that read, which shall tell oi the mad
 ness and wickedness of the arch fanatics of aboi- i tionism. In the dark recesses of the temple of
 nfamy the gloosniest inches will bear the inscEip ! ton of their names.
 ST. I counsel none but moral interference with 1 the work of these mischief makers. would not | have even fanatSm depriv of the right of free speech, nor would !, in any emergency, advocate tie slightest infringement by the gUyei nmept upon I the liberty Of ;he press Let them SOW the seeds
 of their infamous duc!rne br0adc st over the ani. ! Whatever may be the anger, Wiii not counte- ] nance the greater danger of establishing dicta- ! orship over the thoughts Of my fellow country 1 men.
 l But if the abominable theme must be brought | into the council chambers of the nation, for the
 Ike of decencY. If not of justice, let t be at a
 more seasonabe time. If there remains one Union man at the South, let us remember that he is ull-
 represented here; that the subject of slavery par 1 tculary concerns him, and that it is unGenerOus and unjust if not cowartily, to take advantage of
 his ab ence of representation to push forward Enea-
 Sures in regard tO the local institutions Of his sec { tion--measures against which, were he present. he would give his earnest opposition. It will quench whatever remains Of DaOn feeling in the South, ! il it has not already done 90. l. will destroy the ! last hope of reconstruction of the | aion on a
 friendly basis. It will prove what has been so often ! nmated. that the first idea of the dominant par : tv in the North is active and unwavering antago 1 nism to slavery, and fixed purpose leeislate it
 out of the land at all hazards. Is it with that the i ory adrancel that weare to conquer peace? Sir,
 we are iHging away the last chanres of iec3nciia-
 ton ns Feck esly madmen cast their treasure into i the sea. l he agitation Of the subject has been
 the country's bane at every period of its histor
 ts discussion this crisis s desperate setdestrnc- ! tion.
 Is 1t while the magazine IS beneath us and about
 uA, bursting with the agencies of ruin, that must l choose to sport with :he fning torch of the in- 1 cendiary! sir, until believe country shall be 1 sayei, he word f manc patton" sE2nld, by com l mon colgent be banishcd from the language Q!
 debate in thiJ assenlbage. It is spell which has I wrought enough already of da5oia:ion. IT. IS hel l tieh formula of incarnation, which has o0tlred Up ! the fiends of dscUrd aLd evil tendencies as now, ] ahea it is being passed, like the breath of the
 plague. from .auuih to mouth, in the council cham l bers of the country it has ruined. It shou be { >ooktn in whisper, and with a prayer lnked to
 it, a, ihug that br ngs curse and spreads pes 1 tilence. desp. .iP ot my country despair ot 1 ever living once more in b.es, ed Union Of fra ! ,erna States when hear ail around me the ut CT ance of that ruin breeding word " emancipation, :" n.ingling with the shouts of battle rlc fierce hur rhso triamph over fallen brothers, and the groans of our dsing countrymen.
 SIr 1t Is not my purpose to @e!t reproaches even where believe them best deserved. 1 haTe risen
 to enter my protest against the discussion, in this