The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1862-10-16

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point.
On the Sd Of January, in the course of an
elaborate speech. Mr.. Douglas used the fol-.
loving language:
"1f you of the Republican side are not
willing to accept this nor the proposition of
the Senator from Kentucky, pIay tell us
what you will do? address the inquiry to
the Republicans alone. for the reason that in
the Committee of Thirteen, a few davs ago,
every member from the South. including
those from the Cotton States, (Messrs Davis
and Toombs,) expressed their readiness to
accept the proposition of my venerable
friend from Kentucky. as final settlement
of the controversy. if rendered and sustain ed
by the Republican members. Hence the sole
responsibility of our disagreement, and the
only difficulty ia the way of an amicable
adjustment is with the Republican party"
These remarks were made, as we'll as I re-
member, before very full Senate, in the
presence of nearly. if not quite all. the Re-
publican and Southern Sen ators, and no one
dare to dispute the facts stated
Mr.. Pugh, on the I'd day of March, in the
course Of very able speech, remarked:
"But suppose that Senator does promise
me vote on the Crittenden propositions;
have followed him for three months; have
followed my honorable friend from Ken
tucky (Mr. Crttenden) for three months; I
have followed my friend, the Senator from
Pennsylvania, (Mr. Bigler) for three months;
have voted with them on all these propo-
sitons at time when there were twelve
other Senators in this chamber on whose
votes we could rely; and what came of it
all! Did we ever get vote on the Critteu-
den propositions? Never. Did we ever get
vote on the peace conference propositions?
~ I
introduced hy the Senator from Pennsyl-
vauia, (Mr. Bigler) TO submit these PROPOSE
tons to vote of the people? Never. They
were not strong enough to displace the Pa
ci6c Railroad Bill, which stood here and
defied them in the Senate for moro than
month. They were not strong enough to
set aside this plunder bill you call tariff.
They were not strong enough to beat pen
sion bill one morning. For three long
months have 1 followed the Senator and
Others begging for vote on these ques-
tions; never can we get it-never; and now
l ana to be deluded no further: and use
tha. word deluson certainly in no unkind
sense to my friend.
'The Crittenden proposition has been in
dorsed bv the almost unanimous vote of the
Legislature of Kentucky. 1t has been in
dorsed by the Legislature Of the noble old
Commonwealth of Virginia. 1t has been
pettioned for by larger number of electors
of the United States than any proposition
.hat was ever before Congress. believe in
my heart, to-day, that it would carry an
overwhelming majority of the people Of my
state; aye, sir. and of nearly every other
State in the Union. Before the Senators
from the State of Mississippi left this cham
ber heard one Of them. who now assumes,
at least. to be President Of the Southern
Confederacy, propose to accept it and to
maintain the Union if that proposition could
receive the vote it ought to receive from th
other side of the chamber. Therefore, of
all your propositions, of all your amend
ments knowing as l do, and knowing that
the historian will write it down, at any time
before the 1st of January, two-thirds vote
for the Crittenden resolutions in this cham
Der would have saved every State in the
Union but South Carolina. Georgia would
be here by her presentatives, and Louisiana
also-those two great States. which at least,
would have broken the whole column Of
Secession"
Mr.. Douglas, at the same time said in re-
ply II can confirm the Senator's declara-
ton that Senator Davis himself, when on
the Committee of Thirteen, was ready at all
times to compromise on the Crittenden
proposition, will go further and say that
Mr.. Toombs was also ready to do 500
But if this testimony were not in exist
ence at all, do we not all know that the
great State of Virginia indorsed this propo
sition aud submitted it to the other States as
a basis Of final adjustment and permanent
peace? 1t was this basis on which that
State called for the Peace Conference which
assembled soon thereafter.
1t was also indorsed by almost the unani-
r I l. Il
and subsequently by those of Tennessee and
North Carolina. But it is useless to add
testimony. The Republican members of the
ton, and the radicals of that body were
against any and every adjustment. When
the Peace Conference had assembled. and
there was some hope of satisfactory settle
ment. it is we'll known that Mr.. Chandler,
Mr.. Harlin and others urged their respective
Governors to send on impractcable fanatics
as Commissioners il order to defeat COM
promise.
In what have said have not intended to
extenuate or excuse the wickedness of the
Secessionists. Bad and impolite as was the
the policy Of the Northern radicals, it fur
nished no sufficient reason for Secession, re-
rebellion and war; but believed most sim
cerely then. as I do now, that the acceptance
of Mr.. Crittenden's proposition by one-third
of the Republicans in Congress. at the right
time, would have broken down Secession i'll
nearly all the States now claiming to be out
Of the Union; and it might have been ac-
cepted without any sacrifice of honor or
principle So far as the common territory
of the United States was concerned, it pro-
posed an equitable partition, giving the
North about 100000 square miles and the
South about 100000. No umpire that could
have been selected would have given the
North more. If. then, it was material in
terest and value we were contendipg for, it
gave US our full share; if it was the appli-