Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-07-24
A WAR SPEECH,
BY
GENERAL DUMoNT OF INDIANA
Delirered at indianapolis on Saturday
Erening. July IL. 1862.

4
priety of putting forth at once every posi-
ble effortto fill up the recent proclamation
of the Governor calling for additional
troops in pursuance of the requisition oi
the Chief Executive officer Of the Govern.
ment. induced by recent transactions in the
vicinity of Richmond. believe with the
Governor. that the time is now come when
no man who has the physical strength to
enable him to do any service in this war,
should hesitate for a single moment to cast
himself willing sacrifice upon the altar
of his country That is my view Of the
case exactly. For what can there be that
is Of any value to us If our country is 10
be ruined in this manner? What is prop
erty or ease at home-nay. indeed! what
is life itself worth to any man under such
circumstances. To be sure he may be
making money or winning fame, but what
is money good for? What is fame when
the liberties of our country arc taken away.
and our very National existence destroyed
by this dark and terrible desolation.
believe it was General jackson who
said Liberty and Union. now and forever,
one and inseperable." / have no doubt
that liberty and Union are really inseper-
able upon the American continent. / be-
lieye that should the South IN their attempt
to gain what they are pleased TO call their
undergraduates" that Independence would
be neither more nor less than the inepend-
encc Of dark and terrible despotism.-
When the widow President Polk was
visited by number of officers belonging
to the Federal army. who paid her that
compliment on account of her relation to
one who had formerly been the Chief Mag
istrate Of the nation. although her feelings
were known to be with the other party, she
said to them: "Gentlemep. If you will on
ly acknowledge our Independence this un-
happy dispute will he settled forever--the
two nations will be friends again. and al
though no longer belonging TO the same
Government, yet this terrible, soul bar
rowing strife will he ended"
One OF the gentlemen responded: Mad
avn you have no independence to acknowl-
edge" The North and South are bound
together 10y the same cords-they have one
common interest. oie common history
their union Is cemen'ed by the same blood
anil bcqueathed by the same glorious an
cestry.- The North has no independence
Of the South and the South no independ-
enco OF the North. At the time of this
conversation Mrs. Polk was bitter Sc
cessionist II was not long afterward that
her brother WAS arrested for some hir;al
ast of diAlnyalfy- l~rr--.-I to La a.s
ing rs High Constable in Nashville about
that time Mrs. Polk came to see me TO
intercede for her brother. She said her
brother hal taken no active part in the re-
bellion-that he was no public mah--had
never held an Office in his life-that he cul-
tivated his farm in quiet way. and had
no disposition to be troublesome or obtru-
sive; at the same time. however. she could
not deny tina, he had been somewhat af
fected with the prerailing sentiment IF III.
eeenfry."
"Nla,lam." said |. II am aware that no,
only your brother. but also yourself, ar,
somewhat affected by the prevailing senti
ment of'the country 1 heard it in yonl
own mansion the other day. Your hus
band was once the honored head of th,
American Republic. You are to-day un
der greater obligations to be devoted ant
loyal to your country than any other wo
man under heaven
There was another lady present during
the Interview neighbor Of Mrs. Polk
and she seized upon the opportunity to g.
E OF into what the boys sometimes call tn
"highstiikes." Mrs. Polk. however. di,
not lose her. self-control, but straightwa,
began TO explain-she had been unfortu
nate in expressing herself, and she hoped
would overlook il. then took up tn
same strain. and explained and ap, logize
as profusely as she had done And so j
went on--she taking all the blame to her
: self. and fixing it all to myself. unit
everything was most satisfactorily arrang
ed. and the lady took her leave. She wen
home, and in less than an hour had tb
glorious privilege Of looking upon the star
and stripes of the Republic floating proud
ly above the dome Of her dwelling. Sh
has been q Ataunch Union woman eve
since. Loud cheers
l have been travelling for upwards G
fourteen months in the South; first in th
new portion Of the Cid Dominion, thel
upon the ozark and bloody ground o
Old Kentucky and for the last four or fiv
months in Tennessee. and call Heaven {
witness that In all that time I have no
met with single man. woman or child
Iwho if they had been asked this question
"DM yoa ever, prior to the commencement
: OF the rebellion. suffer any wrong whateve
from the Government" would have bee
sble to answer il in the Affirmative. ]
such Government ms that worth iightin
Tor! Is it worth putting down treaso
q ior2fl Is it.not worth enough to Justify I'll
;; best man in this Republic in barring hi
bosom to the shafts OF its enemies?
1 believe this meeting is called for tn
a purpose Of recruiting volunteers to fll q
the requisition of the Executive Now
thereiare more ways to kill dog than b
choking him to death with bread and but
ter, and there arc often more ways tha
s one of, convincing man Of bis error pro
!. v'ded hers willingto be convinced The,
are many arguments that are frequentl
called political arguments. and men some
times say they have . right t. take which
ever side their jndgment-leads them I
choose.
Now, this At first blush seems to be res
sonsble enough in the abstract. but asser
tons ths. this is an unholy aggressive an
: abolition. war. and Arguments that the re