The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-10-03
THE VIEWS OF MR.. DOUGLAS.

livered in the United States Senate on the
18th of March, Just before Mr.. Douglas left
the Senate chamber never again to enter it.
81 prefer such an aaaicadte settlement to
peaceable disunion; and | prefer 1t a thou
sand times to civl aoar. If we can adopt
such amendments as will be satisfactory to
Virginia North Carolina, Tennessee and the
other Border States, the same plan of paci-
fication which will satisfy them will create a
Union party in the cotton states which will
soon embrace large majority of the people
in those states, and bring them back of their
own free will and accord; and thus restore,
strengthen and perpetuate the glorious old
Union forever. | repeat, whatever guaran-
tees will satisfy Maryland and the border
states (the States now in the Union) will
create Union party in the seeded states.
that will bring them back by the voluntary
action of their own people. You can re-
store and preserve the government i'll that
mode. You can do 1t IN no other.
"WAR is DIsUNIoN, WAR IS FINAL, E.
TERNAL SEPARATION. Hence disguise it as
you may, every Union man in America must
advocate such amendments to the Constitu-
ton as will preserve peace and restore the
Union; aohile eoegy disunsonist, whether
openly or secretly plotting its destruction is
the advocate of peaceful secession or Of eoar,
as the sllrest means Of rendering reunion
and reconstruction impossible. L haze too
mach respect for has intellect TO believe for
a moment, that there as q man for aoar that
IS not a disunionist perse. Hence [ do not
mean, if I can prevent it, that the enemies
of the Union-men plotting to destroy it
shall drag this country into war, under the
pretext of protecting the public property,
and enforcing the laws and collecting reve-
nues, when their object is disunion, and war
the means Of accomplishing cherished pur-
pose.
"The disunionists, therefore, arc divided
into two classes-the one open, the other a
secret disunionist. The one is in favor of
peaceruI secession and a recognition OF indie
pendence; the other IS IN .faOor Of eoar, as
tie surest means Of accomplishing the ob-
ject, and Of making the separation .1S''al
and eternal. I am q Union man, and
hence agaiast aoa,; but if the Union must
be temporarily broken by revolution, and
the establishment of a de .facto government
by some of the states, let no act be done
that will prevent the restoration and future
preservation. Peace is the only policy that
can lead to that result.
s'But we are told, and we hear 1T repeat
ed everywhere, that we must find out whe-
ther we have got government. slave we
got government is the question, and we
are told we must test the question by using
the military power to put down all discon-
tented spirits. Sir, this question, Have
we govemment?' p has been propounded by
every tyrant who has tried to keep his feet
on the necks of the people since the world
began. When the barons demanded the
Magma Charta from King John at Runny-
mede, he exclaimed, Have we Govern
ment9' and called for his army to put down
the discontented barons. When Charles
the First attempted to collect the ships mon
ey in violation of the Constitution of Eng
land, and in disregard to the rights of the
people, and was resisted by them, he ex-
claimed, Have we Government We can
not treat with rebels; put down the traitors;
we must show that we have Government ;
When James III was driven from the throne
of England for trampling on the liberties of
the people, he called for his army, and ex-
claimed, Let us show that we have Gov
,ernment!' When George III called upon
his army to put down rebellion in America,
Lord North cried out Justify, No compro-
mise with traitors; let us demonstrate that
we have Government When in 1S4S,
the people rose upon their tyrants all over
Europe, and demanded guarantees for tteir
rights, every crowned head exclaimed, sHave
we Govenment?' and appealed to the ar
my to vindicate their authority and enforce
the laws.
"IHe Var has had many motives for its
commencement; Il can haze but one result,
whether it lasts one year or fifty years,
final, eternal separation, disunion. As
for the conquest and subjugation of the
South Iaoi1 not inspeach the Intelligence of
any man among yow By assuming that you
dream Of itasA AT ANY TINE OR IN ANY WAY
POSSIBLE. Remember the warning of Lord
Chatham to the British Parliament: My
Lords, you cannot conquer America A
public debt of hundreds of millions weigh
ing us and our posterity down for genera
tions, we cannot escape. Fortunate shall
we be if we escape with our iberties.--
indeed it is no longer so much question
of war with the South, as whether we our
selves are to have constitutions and repub-
lican form of government hereafter in the
North and West.
'Sir, the history of the world does not
fail to condemn the folly, weakness and wick