Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-05-20

Nnoh sley "e8oo Nioient war against 10
when they made use Of those very slaves q
the tulorum By which 10 Overturn the Oon.
Satution OF TIE country, lost ell my vensr.
ation-no, not veneration, for l never bad
any venerAtion for slavers. ro3qIiua H..
ideai but 1t absolved me from all nv sense
OF duty In that regard, and allowed me- o
give full scope 70 my sense Of Justice In deal
ing With slaves and their masters. Tbev
have repudisted me; they have repudisted
you they have used these very slaves 10
murder your brethren and mine, and 10 ron
Us Of our property. Being now withdraw
from oil obligation IN their behalf I saw n
every traitor who holds a slave. Giso IA az
my hand can reach that slave is free. and a
much better man than you. Every traitor
ought to thank God II be escape The gal
lows Bis slave is remitted to his rights y
am little astonished ct the doctrines Of
these Border State gentlemen, n0tWithstand.
ing ! know they have strong influences
J pleading in their behalf Just as we on tbis
side have pleading In our behalf They were
nurtured in the Institution. Il had bean In
their States from time immemorial. at least
TO them. All their relations, and all the
great men they have had among them. had
practiced this system of slavery. OF course.
they DO not view It as we do; and make ali
dne allowances upon that subject. But air.
| wonder that gentlemen, as sagscious AZ
they are, men Of great capacity and Of gen
erous impulses, fall to see the absurditv of
attempting longer 70 maintain an institution
Of that kind. l admit that, In the progress
Of nations from barbarlsm to civilization,
there Is and has been time In every nation
Of which | know anything, when slavery
was not only permitted, but formed an insti-
tuition among men. II you look back to the
institutions Of antiquity, you will and it
there; If you look at the middle ages Won
frd IL there; but you End IL in times Of iR-
norsnce, when the arts and sciences had ad-
vanced hardly bey end barbarism. Then,
cir, your institution Of slavery was In har-
mOny with the other institutions but do Won
not sss that in the progress of nation from
a baIbarous state to q high dearee Of oivilf-
cation you will reach time when slavery
becomes utterly impossible7
Why, sir, do you not see thst It has euas.,
culated you; that Il has laid you almost
prostrate ct the feet Of a power scarcely
greater than your own2 During one year
Of this Accurssd War-and take some pride
in saying it-no hostile loot has yet invaded
the territory Of free State. How is thstf
Il is not because you Southern men are not
brave; 1t Is not because you are not enter
prising; but you have leaned upon this ac-
cursed institution until you are as weak as
infancy in the grasp Of freemen, and to day
you are tenants ct will, tenants at sufferance.
to the masculine principles and the manly
attributes OF free communities. I wonder
that you are not more snxions than We are
to do away with an institution that makes
you tenants at will to rs for your liberties.
l talk plainly, but 1t is-eVen 90.
We have been complained of BY some gen.
tlemen on this floor that this war was prose.
cuted In a spirit oi severity and intolerance
towards traitors They have harped upon it
from day to day. Sir, from the earliest Pc
riod of the history OF mankind to the pres
emit you will find no war, much less any re-
belliOn, that has beenoharactsriEsd with the /
forbearanoe, the lenityl bordering on imbec- |
ility, with which this one has been prosecu.
ted. II, with the aid and assistance OF all
your slaysA brought into your camps to build
your forti6cstions, to do all yOvr manual |
service to cultivate all the agricultural pro
ductions on which you feed, you have &C.
oomplishtd 90 little against Us, / ask ynu.
suppose we had appealed to your bondmen
to come on our side, where in Gods name
would you have beento-dsy2 Do you not
see that It is owing to our forbearance to use
the power the Almighty has put in our hands
that you traitors breathe the breath of life
tO-dsys l wonder, sig, that honorable men,
statesmen-
Mr. HENDERSON. VIII the Senator per-
NIT ne to interrupt him for a momentl
Mr.. WADE. Certainly.
Mr.. HENDERSON. / appreciate the kind
ness Of the Senator IN his allusion to the
Border State men; but desire to ask him if
Il AH 4esie~hl~ - - uW-y With tha fustftsi-t
ton of slavery entirely throughout these
Ststes; If he has perfectly satisfied his mind
that his course will accomplish 1t sooner than
the course Of the border State men.
MR WADE. Mr.. President, I am not per
mitted 70 choose my course; and this
leads me to another observation that I
will make on a point which has been / ,
very much argued here: what is the Oh
ect Of this war; For what is It prosecu- I
ted2 Is it for the purpose of abolition and /
Gentlemen have sometimes !
charged that this war was commenced and {
prosecuted with that view. So far from It I
We had no choics in the matter. The war .
vas commenced upon US, and ell there was Q
or Us TO 40 was purely the right Of sslf de- {
ence. We had no other alternative. a
Mr.. HREDsRsoN. The Senator will ex H
use me for saying certainly made no such
Mr.. WADI. did not say the gentleman !
I'D. ] excuse him, and know that among q
II the most sagacious men in the South be d
5 among the most liberal He cannot belp d
eeing that's great many things have said 4
ers to-day are true. 4
Sir, if you are not able to make head o
gainst "a In the field, 1t is not because You b
re not. equally brave and entsrprisine; Il Is b
ot even tor the lack of numbers; out It Is b
ecause slavery has impoverished YOU. euas. b
ulatsd you, and now without appealing to Il
be force you feel would be most potent TO ul
at treason down, yog are still on the de- Il
lining hde. do not Invoke it; but when ! d,
see black regiments put forward 70 shoot in
own my sons who are in the war and your ii
slatVes, when | see these black ehsttels
lrust forth in front Of the chivaIrous own ed
% to shoot down, murder, and destroy our pV
len who have gone 10 the field only in de- to
nse Of our glorious institutions. I am 81
rOngly tempted to make the appeal and re
y to your bondsmen: Stand forth invested W
! the rights whereVith God Almighty hath as
othed you: come to onr side; help to Sight hs
le battle of freedom, and you shall Be free. de
would only be righteous retribution to th
loSe who have held them against common -
ght Suppose We should do Il what To-
Ould become Of this rebellIon9 Wbers do
Ould trsitoFs be2 Talk to rs Of pFoSeeu. th
ng the war in . YindictiVs spirit / They Sc
az thank your God that We have been as II
r6earing as We have. WI
But sir, was diverted from the course w
arsunent intended 20 pursue. / say sci
ese reflections Gil me With wonder that "a De,
ciousI honorable men Of the Southern tri
stes do not Of their own accord arise and sal
It down an institution that 50 Wsakens and th,