Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-07-11

OF each State: and no impartial publicist m the
world Will deny that the right 10 put down I'll mil
itary other residence 20 the exercise of those
powers rests upon = just and perfect title a.
plau-r. This title i founded ON a public grant.
But when you come 10 the idea OF acquiring
other and further ;9wers by the exercise Of force.
you come To a very different question. You then
have 10 consider whether a people whose civil
polity is founded on the title given by consent
who have never known admitted any other
rule OF action than that expressed IN the maxim
that governments derive their just powers from
the consent of the gOverned"-can proceed 20
found any new political powers on a military
conquest over a rebellion, without changing the
whole character of their institutions For nv
own part. with the best reflection have been able
To give this momentous subject, have never
been able TO see how a m jority Of the American
people can proceed to acquire by military subju
CATION. or by military means. mlxims. any new
authority over the people or institutions or any
State or class of States without falling back
upon the same kind of title. as that by which
William OF Normandy aud his de-cendants ac-
quired ard held the throne OF England. That
title was founded on the sword.
Perhaps there are some who will say, If this is
10 be the issue let il come. i can have no argu-
ment with trOse who are pre- Jared to accept. or
who wish for, this issue All that know or ex-
Dect IN this world, OF what IN " be called civil hap
can constitutional freedom. Applause 10th
prepared to yield il; ifothers are willing to
barter 1t for the doubly hazardous experiment of
obtaining control over the destiny of race not
now subject 10 our sway, or dependent on our
spous'bIlity; If Others ready TO change the
foundation OF our Unon from free public char
tiers to new authorities obtained by military sub
jugatiOn-l cannot follow them. Applause !
| shall bear that result, if it comes. with such
-.
will paLdon me, fellow citizens, il, with my hum
BILE efforts, / yet endeavor To sustain those, be
they MANY or few, who faithfully seek TO carry
Us TO the end of these great perls with the whole
system OF our civil liberties unimpa red. Long
continued applause and cries of 'Good"l You
will still, trust, give every honest the free
dom TO struggle to the last for that inestimable
principle. on which the very authority OF your
government To demand the obedience of all its
citizens was founded by those who created it.
Applause
The object for which we are urged by some to
put at imminent hazard the foundation principle
OF our Federal system j., emancipation OF the
slaves OF the South. No one can be less dis
posed than myself to undervalue the capacity of
my couutrymen to do II great many thngs-and
TO do them successfully. One would suppose.
however. that proposition TO effect Il sweeping
change in the condition of four millions of the
.
and To do il in almost total ignorance of the
methods in which that particular race can be
safely dealt with. so rs to produce any good.
would be "A proposition upon which self
conf ence would be likely to pause One would
suppose that such an idea might suggest an in
curry into the limits of human responsibility. liz
is not allowed among sound morasts. that there
/, any rule which authorizes statesman to undo
an original wron;, Al re imm nent hazIrd of d.
H. am ar az AZ A anal l.a.a
is rue of moral obligation for astatesman that
is no. applicable the incu t OF a peoI le.
Setting aside, then, Tor "a moment, all idea OF
constitutional restraint, let me put il to lch one
of you to ask m>elt how miny persons there
are in all the North. whose judy ment YOU
would rely for reasonably safe determination a.
to what ought to he done with slavery. having a
single view to the welfare of that race? OF
course do speak OF dispoSing of a few hun
dred individuals, but of general measures or
movements affecting four millions of your fellow
creatures. 1t has been my fortune. in the course
of lite, to know a few truly great statesmen in
this our Northern latitude, and to know many
other persons, for whose general opinions on
what concerns the welfare OF the human race |
should have profound respect. But | have never
seen the man. born, educated and living away
from contact with slavery AS il exists in the
South. whom | could regard as competent to de-
termne what radical changes ought to be made
III the condition OF n race. OF whom all that we
yet know evuce their present ncapacity to he
come selI-susiaiIirg and self dependent. Long
continued applause and some Kisses In such "A
Gaze. it appears to me very plain moral propo-
stion. that our Maker has not cast upon Us the
responsibility of becoming his agent in the prem
ises. Applause and Kisses But it further ap
pears to me that, in this case. he has surrounded
INV moral responsibility with other limitations
which cannot transcend II the order of civil
society in which am placed imposes on me an
obligation to refrain from acting the aft airs of
Others; il | cannot break that obligation without
destroying the principle of benehcent govern
ment aud overturning the foundations of proper
ty; II | cannot use means which am tempted To
employ, without danger or unspe kabe wrong /;
or il the utter inefticacy of those means is app.
rent 10 me and 10 all men-what is nv duty to
Him who sets the moral bounds of all my actions
IL is to use those means, and those only, against
which he has raised no such gigantic and nsuper.
able moral obstacles. That any valuable mill
tary allies can be found among the negroes of
the South; that any description of Government
custody or charge of them can become more
than a change of masters. and that nything but
weakness to the national cause results from pro
jects that look to the acquisition OF national
power over their cOndition.--Ire truths on which
the public mind appears TO he rapidly approaching
settle conviction Applause
/ add one word more upon this topic; and do
il for the purpose OF saying in the presence of
this community that any project for arming the
blacks against their masters deserves the in1g
nant rebuke OF every Christian in the land
Cheers aud Kisses When the descendants of
those whom Chatham protected against miIiste
rial employment OF the Indian scalping knife so
forgot the civilization OF the age and their own
manhood as To sanction greater 9ntrocity. we
my hang our heads in shame before the nations
of the earth.
But there l. another aspect Of this matter,
which il would he entirely wrong to overlook.
The great army which has rallied with such ex
traordinary vigor and alacrity To the defense of
the Union and the preservation of the Constitu
tion-whIch has endured so much. and has ex-
hibited such heroic qualities-is not standing
army OF hired mercenaries. Ii is an army of
volunteers. OF citizen soldiers who have left their
homes aud entered the service OF their country,
for special purpose which they distinctly under
stand. Permit me 10 say that you are bound To
remember s.or rather let me east aside the
language OF exhortatioJ, aud assert, IN your
name. that YOU remember IL. with pride and ex
ultttion. The purpose Tor which these men were
asked To enter the public service was the protec
ton OF the existing Union and the existing Con
sttution from attempts to overthrow or change
them by organized violence; and that purpose is
the most important element in their relation TO
the Government. No other army ia the world
ever entered the service OF any power. with an
understanding so distinct. so peculiar. 30 crcum.
scrbed in respect 10 the objects for which il was
to be used; so directly addressed 70 the moral