, 1862-09-05
fENATOR WADE ON THE WAR.
Plain Truths P.aIuly Uttered.

The following letter from Senator Wade
was written in response to an Invitation to |
address the Union Congressional Convention
Of the 2ad instant: ...
GENTLEMEN Your letter inviting me to
address Convention at your place on the sd
instant is received, aud, were in q condition
to comply with your request, nothing would
give me grra,tr pteasue tDan to do So Some
been impaired, 80 that it wss with greas dill
Guilty ctuld be in my place in the Senate.
Since my return it has failed rlther than 1H-
proTea, until have been obliged to keep my
bed must Of the time, with slow, nervous
fever, which has reduced me SO much that
cannot hope to speak at your Convention.
The gigantic and sublime efforts which the
1,eop)t made, to offend their institutions and
TO trample this atcursed rebellion under foot,
have been paTalyZed, aud in great measure
1tndered abortiVe, by the oser-cautious, ,timid
ard vacillating course Of the administration
up to this time.
This policy Is the fruit Of that cursed
slave idosa11y that has brought this nation to
the verge OF ruin; it is tnfs that, whenever
our armies have reached the dominions Of
those arietocrats who have brought this troll
BILE upon us, instead Of reducing them to ruin
and desolatior, has INDUCED our officers in
every inktance TO weaken onr own force and
degrade tte proud northern soldier, who went
tht to fight ard conquer rebellion, to be-
come the guardian Of the hen:roost, the pig
e15, or Tie apple orchard OF this lordlinz,
who, with all Lis available force, was absent
in the rebel army, meditating the murder Of
our troops. 1t is this tnat has compelled our
soldiers, under the scorchipg, burning sun Of
the south, to die In the -malaEioas trenches,
Of excessive toll, rather than use the sturdy
negroes who were Injured to the climate, and
apAious1y sought to do this same work, and
re1ieye our men from the hardEhips and its
pe1ils. Il is this that has degraded our brave
men {instead Of acting the soldier) to become
tie hound for catching slaves for southern
rebe]s. and returning them TO masters who
this that divested all efforts to conquer, On
our side, of the dignity Of war, and has com
PEELED US to stand before the civilized world,
| apparently, without policy and without
| motive.
| But aN this is now changed. The repre-
ee1tatives Of the people, 10 longer forgetting
their dignity, sue at The foot Of the throne for
| more energetic policy. 1t does not belong
| 10 the president to devise policy Tor the
| country, his duties are we'll performed when
he has caused the laws to be faithfully execut-
ed. No matter whether he thugs it polite or
1mpolitic, he has but one simple duty to par
form toward it, that Is, to see that it is faith
fn]}y executed. Therefore, it Geyolves upon
Congress, {under our constitution, tae great
representative Of the power and dignity Of the
people, to devise policy. They who
nave the power to decllse war, to provide
armies and payieE, and to disband them at
pleasure, have also the power, when war is de-
elared, 10 determine on what principles it
e5all be conducted. And well and faithfully
have the last Congress performed their dutE
man who is anxious to assist the government
in It's hour tf peril, 90 boldly forth to the
Held; ro danger that he will have his life
worked out in malarious swamps, while accli-
mate d negroes are on hand ready to perform
that labor. Such help will no longer be re-
fused LEST such employ meot Of It should he
dist56te}ui to the southern aristocracy. H.
need no longer fear that his noble calling a.
soldier wil! oe degraded to the catching Of ne
geoes for nabobs, that they may with greater
SECURITY devote themselves to fighting us in
the field. The property Of these aristocrat:
Iow stands condemned and forfeited to the
United States.
These things, now, are put under the sterr
guardianship Of Legislation, and they are tix=6
laws Of the land, no longer subject to be no
| difed By generals or president. Also, tn:
same class of men are BY the same high powe
decreed to be free, Therefore, at length VT
Lave policy that there is no power snort o
that OF Congress can set aside. I have nt
1oubt it y Ill be the pleasure Of the president
IS il wilt be his stern duty, to see that thes
it is his plsaku,e OF not, there is no dispeasin!
power under our Institutions, and every III y
: istTate who is charged with the execution Q
tic law must answer at his peril.
W:r, then, is now to commence in earnest
and 1t will be found that the rebellion will r
down before the stern power Of the generl
; government, now having policy and ben
6 upon the destruction Of is adversary, like lu
, fantcy in the hands Of g. giant. One thin
more We may be compelled 10 before the cor
troyersy shall finally end, the announcement
OF the great truth whose moral power woul
be greater tlsn that of 800, 900 men, and hop
| 1t NAY be borne upon the b1yonets of our sol
dlcrE hs they march, and constitute their bal
t1e-cry when they encounter the foe, that i:
t'Liberty and protection to all men who sa:
tain the institutions Of Washington and tn
fathers OF the constitution, 8nd death aud dt
, struc1iop to all who seek their overthrow"
- Therefore, with one accord, let us "prs
i clam liberty throughout the land, to all tn
c ltya] Inhabitants thereof and thus, hayin
: placed the Almighty unmistakably upon ou
:, | side, let US go lorth to execute severe an
Il speedy Judgment on all those mtscreauts wh
T would destroy the only free and couisab
l. government on the face OF the earth, that the
may erect frighdul despotism upon il
1ulns, and then let Us have shar
L Eye for the s5mpathisirg despots abroa
3 who have shown that Our safety ca
10 consist only in their ruiu. The governme,
,, will surt II triumph over all its foes, and, d
!" vested Of all that weight Of ini1uity which h:
C. been our humiliation at home and scaud
n abroad, vi rise from their troubles, like tt
m tabled PnHni1 q thousand times morc po,
- eTtu1 and glorious than before Whatey
7s young Eian shall fail to participate actively
at tbs controversy will lave cause to regret
4. 10 the last day Of his life, as such oppoftur
- tics only come with centuries.
se Very truly yours, B.F. WADE.