St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-07-10

i agemenC OF LllS war, ana quite palnSCakl1lg
in ais effort to show the magnitude, Of the
debt it is creating. He would do well to
remember that when Mr.. Chase took
charge of the Treasury, the Government
could only borrow money by paying one
per cent. per month, while United States
six per cent. bonds arc now at two per
cent. premiums lover American gold. Il As
to tho immense burden which this war is
4 heaping upon us, it has been chiefly caus-
ed by the mistaken policy of Tenderness
towards the rebels, and immunity for. their
Epet institution; and this policy has been
steadily and strenuously urged by my col
leagne and bis Democratic associates, It
has been far less the fault of the Admin
istration than of some of our commanding
generals, and of conservative gentlemen
in both Houses of Congress, who have
sought by every means in their power to
accommodate the war policy Of the Gov
eminent to the equivocal loyalty Of the
border States. Many precious lives and
many millions of money were sacrificed by
the military policy which neither allowed
the army OF the Potomac to march against
the enemy, nor go inro winter; quarters,
during the dreary months which preceded
the order of the President directing
combined movement on the 22d Of Fcbru-
ary last. The policy of delay, which has
also sought to spare slavery, was neve,
accepted by the President of his own
choice, but under the influence of those
both in and out of the army in whom he
reposed confidence at the time.
I rejoice now to find events all drifting
in a different direction, I believe rebals
and outlaws are to be dealt with according
to their character. A. trust slavery is not
much. longer to be spared Congress has
already sanctioned the policy Of gradual
abolition, as recommended by the Pres1-
dent, who himself recognises slavery as
the grand obstacle to peace. We have
abolished slavery in this District, and thus
branded it with nationalreprobation. We
have prohibited it in all national territory,
now owned or hereafter to be acquired.
We have enacted a new article of war,
prohibiting our army frou aiding in the
recapture Of fugitives, and I trnst we shall
promptly repeal the fugitive slave law Of
1850, or at least suspend its operation
during the rebellion. We have given
freedom to multitudes of slaves through
our coniscation act of last July, and by
receiving them into our camps and retain
ing them in our service. We have enact
ed the homestead bill, which at once re-
cognises the inaGenable rights of the
people and the dignity of labor, and thus
brands the slave power as no act of the
nation ever did before. Since that power
has ceased to dominate in Congress we are
perfectiug, and shall soon pass a bill for
the construction of Pacific railroad, and
another for the abolition of polygamy in
Utah Our watchwords are now-Free-
dom, Progress. =
Those patriotic gentlemen who have been
anxious to hang" abolitionists," as equally
guilty with the rebels. are changing their
tune. We are reconsidering the folly of
dealing with rebels as misguided breth-
rem, who must not be exasperated, and
while we shall not initiate their barbarities
we are learning to apply to their case the
gospel of " an eye for an eye, and a tooth
for tooth" We are waging war in earn
est; we are beginning to love freedom al
most as dearly as the rebels love slavery;
we are animated by a measure of that re-
sentiment which the rebellion demanded
in the very beginning, and has constantly
invoked during the progress of the war
and when these troubles are passed the
people will honor most those who have
sought to crush the rebellion by the quick
est and most desperate blows, and who,
in the language Of Governor Andrew, Of
Massachusetts, have been willing to. Gre
cognise aN men, even black men, as le-
gally capable of that loyalty the blacks
) are waiting to manifest, and let them fight
with God and nature on their side." The
proclamation of General Fremont, giving
freedom to the slaves of rebels in Mis-
souri,, has done more to make his name a
household word than could all the military
glory Of the war and I rejoice that, while
the President saw fit to revoke the recent
sweeping order of General Hunter, he
took pains to couple that revocation with
words Of earnest warning, which have
neither meaning or application if they do
not recognise the authority of the Execu-
tive, in his militory discretion, to give
freedom to the slaves: Thai this author
ity will be executed, at no very distant
momont, / believe most firmly. The Ian
guage Of the President obviously implies
it, and foreshadows it among the thick
coming events Of the future. Conserva-
tives and towards may recoil from it, and
seek to postpone it; but to resist it. unless
Congress shall assume it, will be to wrestle
with destiny. =: 5>*'" ~: -: 4" 5*''3s
Mr., Speaker, I shall support the two meas
ures Of confscation and liberation now before
us, for the same reason which led me to sup.