Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-10-07

nlnaIS. w u Lille
Statss from chains and slavery WIZ they
whoos Iivcs are now too precious to be im,
neril.d in bohalf of their country, and who VIII
not now shed for it ono drop OF pioou' eHpo'
the con1ueror when his nanacle IL aoous 'lel,
limbs Never, sir. If they VIII mol 10"
;oin onr ranks, when evory naniy arm ~ uP.
raised in the struggle, they Will not u" =
when these brave hearts have perlsheu uPoL
the field of battle. Now Is the TIM: 10 ni ~
mr. ranka and strike the blow which fror'
drncs seems to have designed to
r. We are wise we will not frittor away thlf
,oIden nour, which may determine 4 nations
destinv. hold, sir, that every soldier no"
,r,tbbeld from the service necessary to drive
hact the invader, is the salue in effect rs
thoueh a,,ch soldier 80 withheld was trans
ferred and voted directly into the ranks of The
enemy.
RI the enelny increase his effective force in
the field, and We fail or refuse to increase
ours, so as to resist successfully this increased
force. it will be virtually surrcndrring the
contest, and will be- the same in result AZ
though this Congress ha,i conspired with the
enemy and lesislstcd directly tor their.htneiis.
To do this even by s,Iti.rance, nr n failure Or
refusal to do what We could and ought to
have done to avert the misfrrtunea TINT must
in that event heIall our arms, ] hold VIII b1
perfdy to our cduSe, and treason to our com.
mon country; hecausc,ny lndlrectloii, II %oula
be /" giving aid and comfort" to the euelny-
and thiI the Constitution defines To be trea-
son.
Sir, this charge shall never be made against
me. nor shsli any rebuke from the cory hold,
where 81 many Of our brave couutrymeI'
have fallen struggling against unequal and
oyerpowerine numbers, ever penetrate my
soul with that singing rem0rse, which must
aurrire the Recollection, that here ne lad, ~
snt(.rsnrr snd Shameless sopfIistry, betray ed
fir country and our cnuntrymrn INTO the
hands OF the enemy. Here, sir, in the Senate
and before the w,Tld, | nvow my determina-
tinn To vote, If necessary, for q successful dp-
Tense 10 this war the last man and tho last
dollar within the limits Of the Cnnird-
eracy. This ls a struggle involving tic
liberties of all-un issue of life ur death,
Chains and Imprisonment 10 every son oG tho
republic; and lI.,s being So, aye ahou'd all
stand Together, or, If nerds lie, fall Together;
but with this high resolve We cannot fall,
liu;t being our helper in Il cause 40 just. AM!
Just here / Lake. occasion To say thnt | am not
une Of those 50 s~uperhuInah III piwrl n: Ia
pretond that am above that law Of n~h,.esSsity
Lhas shapes alike the destiny Of men and
empires. Its influence is felt by everything
~n,atn-ili that moves or hiss being.
We breathe from the necessities of life: We
nat our daily bread from the necessities Of
the body We walk, nave and perform all So
cisl duties under, tv some extent, the pressure
of this same inexoraulc law. And yet, sir,
the Senator from Alabama scents the plea,
ind delivers himself o! an idea upon the sub
ject col1red, enlarged and made mnns.rouahY
a:iiectives, single and compound, Of t~errlal'
signitic ,l.ce. observation-disclosures, liner
t~y-despriling necessity -exaiaiIns the Sqnat'r
from Alshama.
Mr.. President, it is Astounding to see how
SO many words nj high s,rkding and terrible
import may he piled one upon another to
Conceal, rather than reveal, the real motives oi
men. Let Inc ask the Senator from Alabama
a plain question, and 1t him answer frankly,
and tic Senate will see how very SOM all
this wOrdg eSsencu will oOze from his excl
ted nerves. | ask the Senator why he voted
for the two Cnnscript bills that pas>~t this
body. Did no do it for mere grandeur:
Did he do it in order to display the little lief
authorize" With which he is clothed, or did he
do it under the pressure Of this sarne "blood-
covered. liberty-despoiling necessity If he
did not do it from his convictions of the ne
cessity Of this force in the field, he stands
guilty and chargsble with the outrage olhar-
Ing forced every man in the State Of Alabama
bo,wrtE the ages OF Is and - years
away from their homes and families into The
army for three years. When the SENATOR,
constituents shall inquire Of him, What
of the night" upon this subject, will nc
not be seeking shelter under this terrible
plea Of necessity. gave these votes: | con
frss,. from nac1;s,tF-a solemn ard Inevitable
nrcessit7-a necessity that involved the very
existence and liberties Of my country.
But, sir, to leave Inc Senator to reinforce his
faculties ior ano;hGr light upon this 'plond-
covered necessity" return tn In. real
question at issuc iu this dnhsLo. Wha1 is the
plea made Ivy the Senator 10 justification of
this orerstrained effort on his part to weaken
ar lhia time our means Cf resistance In the
foe, BY Withholding from the army the men
whose services in the field may save the Re
publici 1t is this: He declares if you under
take to cnnscribe into the military service n
Justice Of the peace, you assert the power W
conscribe State legislators, Governors.
! Judges. members nf Congress; and if this h'
done, these high turct'nnar'es ri'l he de-
privtd nj The power IL perform tn" duties de-
vol red upon them BY the Constitution. In
that event h. says there will hn no State Ley
isiuturcs TO prescribe the qualification IF W.
ters for members If Congress. Congress
cannot meet once a year-can not pro-
fer charges Of impeachment against Gov
errnc:,t cficials-can not originate bills
pf rcvenur-lhat there sill be NJ Senate To
try inpcanhmentS, to ratify treaties o. con-
firm appnintmentsi And when all Of this
has heen done, rha Senator dcspondingIy OK
claims, "thst there will he an Executive With
out the check of legislative power, with
out the fear III 9 high court If impca@h-
ment; IN Executive To raise money ut Will,
to put up and put down al will" and
10 a rreat mang nther things the Sen
ator, in the closing part OF his SreaGh. he
clared he would not do. And. sI', ns ,iI"ngh
This was not enough 10 over @helm the Senate,
the Senator draws upnn his fancy for another
and more sublime effort. tie declares, when
all this shall he done, the vitality. the essence
of our republican system will. in every parti-
cular, have been entirely crushed: AMI when.
in snch an event, the citlzen-nnt then, but
once the cirizen-nf a free government, shall
seek the sacred placas where his State soycr-
eighty war cnsiirin-f. and shsli bind the ESect-
tive chair vacant, the rulrc ii Executive att
thori,y broken: Shen he shall stray still
further into the La'nples Of Sta re JUSTICE, aud
find the bench Of ~jnstis+' no Longer occupied,
and the sacred rmIne torn and traupled
under the feet OF Confederate soldlcry, the
verv altar Of his liberties deaecrated and cast
Down. pray tell me. sir, what il will be 10 hlin
to tell hiIu that y'u did it from Necessity, To
nreserve the national lifr.sa, Now, sir, ad-
nit it will I've cruel to spoil all this handsome
defamation by r plain statement Of the
truth. No one here has ever proposed /"
conscribe into the military service any mslh-
,-f Sto,n u,rislutnre oDU EnyprlInF of a