Daily union appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1862-186?, 1862-08-13
Another Sterling speech from SEN
ator Wright, Of Indiana.

Indianapolis August 3D. 49,
Whenever those who are in power cease to
execute the laws, how very sooR the same
spirit gets down in the lowest divisions OF so
ciety; and on the other hand, how ready all
classes of people are to submit, and how easy
it is to overcome all opposition and secure
cheerful obedience, whenever the laws arc
promptly executed. You all recollect the
Clay county war" which threatened the
peace of our own State few years ago. be-
hevs single company Of men was sent
promptly Is the spot, to enforce the observance
of law and order, and the insurrection was at
once arrested. The Erie difficulties are yet
fresh in the minds of the people. The Cover
nor in that Stste was s man who had not the
nerve to do mis- duty. His duty was to have
sent q thousand men if necessary, and fifty
cannon, to put a stop to the proceedings of the
mob, and if he had done so it would not have
been said to the disgrace of the State that for
weeks together passengers going east and west
were conveyed in hacks for distance of sew
eral miles in consequence of the destruction of
the railroad track by lawless mob. This
spirit of mob law is undermining all society,
and we shall never have peace until we exc
cute the laws and bring all rebels to punish
ment.
Now, while all that is true, what say these
men who addressed the Convention that as
" We want to restore the Government and the
Constitution Who does not !? / wonld like
to ask these gentlemen one questf,n-who de-
cares war, according TO the Constitution
Congress. Very well; has Congress declared
war? 1t has. Now, men who are SO anxious
to restore the Constitution should not attempt
to defeat the success Of war which has been
constitutionally inaugurated by Congress for
the defense and maintenance of the Constltu-
ton itself by harping upon the expenses of
the war, and EdiscouragiRg the prompt pay
meat of the taxes which are invariably levied
for the support of the war. And yet they say
the Constitution must be restored. They ap-
peal to your ignorance when they would
make YOU believe that. for one will Judge
them by their acts and not by their words.
The talk about obeying the laws. No man
has obedience to the laws in his heart unless
he heartily supports this war, the sole object
of which is to maintain the supremacy of the
laws and Constitution.
Another fact was forcibly struck with
the statement contained in the speech of one
of these men, published ia one of your morn
ing papers, that if the Government had
adopted conciLiGtory policy towards the rebels
there would have been no rebel army in the
6eld at the present time. What does he mean
BY that? Does he mean that the past policy
of the Administration has not been concllis-
toryP Does he mean that 1t has been too
severe2 Why, the truth is that if the army of
the Union, instead of being made to stand
guard over the property of men who have
sons in the rebel army, had been snbslsted
upon the property of rebels, then 1t Is possible
there would have been no such thing as q re-
belion abroad in the land tonight. And yet
these men win talk of conciliatory policy.
| No conciliatory policy should beshown to men
| In arms for the destruction of their Govern
ment. Let Us crush the rebellion first and
when this is done and well done, then it will
| be time enough to call conventions to talk
about 'concihation." [Cheers.
These men talk about the legislation Of
| Congress looking toward the liberation of the
| slaves. If they mean the confscation bill, /
| will remind them that that bill does not even
| touch the slave property, or any other prop
erty, real or personal, of single individual
| in the South, with the exception of five classes
| of persons, commencing with JEFF. Davis and
| ending with ieutenants in the rebel army
| There is first the President of the rebel gov
eminent, then the members of the Confed-
crate Congress and of the Legislatures of the
| Confederate States, and so on down to the
field and company officers in the rebel army.
| But the bill does not propose to touch a single
dollars worth of property belonging to a pri-
vate in the army or private citizen of any OF
the seeded States. The property of these
FIVE classes of persons may be seized by the
| President, and used in aid of the war. Now
it did not need an act Of Congress 30 give the
President that right. If the President had
exercised the rights already belonging to him
| by virtue Of his Office, he could have eonfs
Gated the property of armed rebels without
any legislation of Congress upon the subject
be had a right, if it was necessary for putting
down the rebellion, to liberate the slaves O
rebels without particle of legislation.
Let me give you an idea of the extent Il
which some of these men carry their view
upon the negro question;
On the 25Lh day of April at the hour o
midnight, a negro man named Small captured
vessel and seven guns below Charleston, ane
brought his prize into loyal port. Now
Small, You see, was not citizen, and hene
under the law he could get nothing for this
Had be been white man he would have beer
entitled to salvage. He had captured priz
worth perhaps $40, 900, and the salvage woult
have amounted TO upward of $4,000. AM
yet, when the proposition was brought for
wa-d in Congress, TO allow that man salyag
upon his prize, Mr.. Voorhees,, one of the gen
tlemen who made speeches at the Convention
on last Wednesday, went so far as to refuse t
. vote for it. In the Senate every man vote'
for it, and but thirteen gentlemen voted wit
VOORHEES, in the House. Now, if that is nc
carrying the negro question little farthe
than duty to the country requires or commo
sense dictates, then l am greatly mistaken
But the most absurd feature of the case il
that that man should come forward and clair
to be Union man after refusing to vote CON
pensation to the man who had rendered 5
signal service to the country as the capiuT
: of vessel and nine guns.
Another thing in summing M the action {
$ Congress, and in INDUCING as usual their di
: position to find fault with everything the Coy
: eminent has done, these men are always SUI
5 to refer 10 the recognition of the GoyerameI
y of Hayti. Now, as far as that is concernet
. the recognition of Hayti was a selfish intere
e TO US as q people. Mr. Clay said more tho
thirty-tipe gears ago that Hayti ought to be a
e kaosote1ged. Il was purely commercial que
# ton. and not question in any way eonnecte