Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-01-13
WHOLE NO. 1,175.

Hon. John G. Davis. in the absence Of the
Committee on Resolutions. was called upon to
address the Convention. he said be felt hOnOred
by being thus invited sy his fellow citizens. but
il he was unequal TO the task Of doing justice TO
the subject, perhaps the inability might arise be
cause Of his recent visit to Richmond. Va. by
way Of Hopkinsville, Ky. [Laughter.l II he
had known beforehand that he was about TO take
that trip, he would have been happy 20 have been
bearer Of dispatches from Democrats of the
North to their friends in the South. [Cheers and
laughter Ii he had made that trip, he proba.
bly, would have il in his power TO state that his
old personal friend, eff Davis, in good health,
and sent his kind regards 70 bis many friends in
Indiana, whose names perhaps il would not be
prudent TO mention. Cor be did not want them
hung The worthy President of the Convention
might be one. and we could not spare so valuable
a spoke from the whsel Of Democracy
he Mr. Davis) had been abused by the press
his life threatened by the black abolition party.
He de6ed them. There were hut two parties in
the country the Conservatives and the Abolition
lists. The battle now being waged was between
the friends of the Constitution and the Union on
the one side, and the AbolitiOnists on the other.
Threats could not intimidate him. he intended
20 speak his sentiments. They might burn his
property, might take him to the blOck-he would
ascend tie scaffold with firm step-but in de-
hance Of them all he would express his opinions
on mateere selative tn the good Of the country.
He was charged with being secessionist because,
forsooth, he was not an AbOlitioHist. The stan
dard bv which the Republicans judged man was
this; Ii you were friend Of Old Abe and his Ad-
ministration YOU were a good Union man, but ii
you sought to maintain the Constitution and the
Union, you were a SecessiOnist The Southern
men we're much to blame in this controversy
They had done many things which had tended to
bring upon the country this dire calamity. But
the blame did not all rest with them. The ground
taken by the Abolition party Of the North was the
corner stone of all our difficulties. If they had
let this slavery question alone the sun would to-
day have risen on tree, prosperous and united
people. This party, last winter in Congress,
could have settled our difficulties il they had been
disposed. They weighed the Chicago platform
and the Union one against the other. and cOnclu
ded to take the Chicago platform and let the
Union slide.
Every one of the peace propositions coming
from the South was voted down by a solid Re
publican vote in both branches in Congress. In
view of the dangers which stared us then in the
face, with civil war in prospect, these Republ
cans came up and voted solidly against compCo-
mise, against concession, against agreement with
brothers Dissolution ofthe Union was the con
sequence and all the dire calamties of dissolution
are now upon US.
He had said in some Of his speeches during the
summer that this war would cost $500 ,OOO,0 600
per annum. For that he had been branded as
demagogue. He now believed il would cost
more than 81 ,000. 900 900 per annum. Who
pays the Government this money! IL comes
out Of the hard earnings of the taxpayers The
interest alone this sum would, at 10 per cent,
be $40, 600 per annum. After exhausting
all the other resources Of the Government there
would remain Of this immense sum 81 .OO0, ,O00,-
000,) 40,0000 900 to be raised by direct taxa
ton. Indiana's share Of this would be some
81 900 600, to be raised, he repeated, by direct
taxation. How is it to be paid, looking at the
depreciation of propertyl-of the value Of horses,
corn, wheat, lands Does not this thing, with this
enormous depreciation of property look like com
ing down with a crushing weight upon usf
He had predicted war with England when our
troubles began. For this he had been denounced
as a demagOgue. If it had not heen for the cow
ardice of those controlling the Government we
would now be involved in war with England.
The capture of Mason and Slidell had been in
dorsed by the Republicans everywhere. Yet in
face of this, in face OF solemn vote in Congress
indorsing Commander Wilkes, when the Bri-
tsh lion roared this miserable, crouchng, corrupt
Administration quailed-backed down.
He was no advocate of the recognition of the
Southern COnfederacy, but the surrender of Ma
son and Slidell was more bumulatng than would
be such recognition. These Abolitionists are
brave at a distance; brave about hanging honest
men and mobbing printing presses; but when the
British lion roared they crouched
What did these Abolitionists recommend
What did Camerons report, before modified by
the President, recommendf The arming Of the
slaves for the slaughter of their masters And
vet this man was retained by Lincoln in his Cabi-
net. Oh! for one hour of General jackson at
Washington. Tremendous applause Wouldn't
there be rattling of dry bones among the pick
ers and steaers and punderers OF the people there
congregatedf
Not one-half of the money poured into the
public treasury by the people goes to defray the
expenses of the war. Ii is stolen by the cormo-
rants at Washington. Would jackson have tol-
Grated these thievesa Would jackson for one
hour permit man to remain member of his
Cabinet who had recommended the rising of the
slave TO cut bis masters throat John Coch-
rane, who holds a commission under the Secre-
tary of War, had avowed like atrocious senti-
ments. Neither he nor Cameron, nor any other
malignant abolitionist, was removed by the Presi-
dent; and all these things proved conNlusively
that the ultimate intention of the Republican
party was the Liberation OF the slaves of the
South. He predicted the success Of the Democ-
racy if the right kind of platform was adopted.
He would vote for no platform endorsing this Ad-
ministration. He would vote for no platform
which would pledge the people 70 an sRooHdi-
tonGl prosecution of this war. He never intend
ed to endorse anything which came ont of that
miserable Nazareth, this Republican Administra-
ton. You might talk to him about the honesty
of Abe Lincoln-about his conservatism on the
slavery question. He was as corrupt as those
who surround him, and, unfortunately, the small
est toad in the puddle He was, although at the
time he might be polite, as corrupt as Simon
Cameron, who ought to have been hung when he
was little boyi They might talk about hang
ing him (Davis) for expressing these sentiments,
but let them first 20 and hang the editors Of their
own papers who had said the same thing.
He would Law down bis life for the restoration
of peace and prosperity TO the country. he would
lay it down on this spot. But be did not believe
the Union could be preserved by coerciOn-by
force. He was for preserving the Union by prop
ositons of peace. He stood in this regard on
Andrew Jackson's ground. But they said there
was nobody to compromise South. Lincoln had
said majority Of the people there we're Union
men, If the Crittenden COMPROMISE had been
adopted there would to-day have been no such
thing as secession in the South. Virginia. Ten.
nessee and North Carolina had all voted TO STAY
in the Union, but after the rejection Of the Crit
tenden Compromise their votes were reversed
That all the Border States not loyal 70 day
was owing solely to the action Of the Republican
party.
He Davis had been charged with being
member of a secret society-of the Nj. p. s., by
living Republican editors. There was not one
word Of truth in the charges brought against hira
in this connection. He never vas member of n
secret political association. There was no secret
political association among the Democracy Of In
diana. Yet this charge came from uaen whose
garments we're dripping with the couuptiOns Of
Know Notaingism. II there we're secret political
organizations in Indiana they existed among the
Abolition Republicans themselves
But these gentry raised the cry Of no party