Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-03-05


the power of parliament to impose taxes
upon the latter without their consent, the
circumstances of the ablest English
statesmen were treated by the advocates
of power as the utterance of sedition. 1t
was then that the noble Chatham thus
spoke:
"Sorrv | am to hear the liberty Of
speech in this House imputed as a crime.
Bat the imputation shall not discourage
me. 1t is a liberty mean to exercise.
No gentleman ought to be afraid to exer-
else it. 1t is liberty by which the gen.
,leman who calumniates it might have
profted."
1t has been frequently said upon this
floor, since the commencement OF this m
natural war, that we are making history.
Sir, we are but repeating it. Repeating
it's iollies. it's madness, its wckedness,
instead of avoiding them, being instruct
ed bv it's examples. 1hey who would
afmoni,h us by those examples, and who
would have II. profit by them, are. by the
advocates Of power and the tools Of fac
ton, charged, like Chatham, with being
seditious, diooyal, and as being sympa
thizers with rebellion We'll, sir, thi, is
not strange. Great popular connections,
great civil revolutions, Away, hling to
the surface Of society class of men too
= wise in their own conccts but really too
g ignorant and too dcbascd to be instructed
hv the lessons Of history. Thrown by
revolutionary force into unnatural posi-.
tiuus and true to their native instincts,
they crawl around the feet Of temporary
power, and seek their own greatness in
the dctraction of those who would have
wisdom in counsel and moderation in ac-
u ton. Such men glory in nothing sc
much rs in writing the name of Arietide'
on the she'll
r. In his annual message transmitted tt
Congress on the first day Of the session
the President thus spcaAs:
ave OF thi- Congress and this Admin
iotration viii be remembered in spite oI
ourselves. No personal Significance OF
insignifcance can spare one or another OF
us. The fiery trial through which we
, pass will light Us down with honor or
di,honor to the latest generation"
a moments lunacy after eighteen
, months Of madness! A flash of reason
n at the conclusion Of an hours incoherent
laviugl What will the future think o
me" How shal, and my Administra
RE- ton live in history? II such questions
,t had constantly presented themselves tt
IN the Executive, and had he honestly an
uniformly acted in reference tc the iuge
ment OF impartial history, how diIclen
, would haze been his and our situation
". now. But, sir, party not country, ven
nGd gcan"c, not justice, have been tie object
most dear to the Administration; and th
evidence of this fact which they have an
will continue to furnish, will light hin
down in "dishonor to the latest generI
Rt ton" | know this language may /
'' considered harsh. The question may /
asked as it has often been asked hereto
fore, why dcrouncc the Administration
WHY not dcnuuncc tho rebels ] ~
swcr, sir, that the rebels, as they are cal
ed, are not to be affected 10y denunciatio
n or praise from You or me, They hay
gone ont from among us, and are not
be brought back by dcnuncation, but |
} wisdom in council rather than by bravel
- in the field. That there may be wjsdol
in council, both for the purpose of reun
ting discovered country, and for II
still greater and nohler purpose of presc
!, wing civil a. constitutional liberty, | ha'
right to speak my honest conviction
in reference to :hc Executive action; AM
having the right, | shall be governed
w. its exercise by no other considerable
Y. than that of the public good.
A tbn rnunmnutnnnuT n tha no ~ vnn
it may he well to review the polite
I. chart by which our action has been go,
erned, that thereby we may in future ,
volt the errors OF :he past.
@. we of this Congress and this Admin
istration says the Presi ent) will be II
I, mcmbcred it spite of ourselves, No pc
sonal significance or mSlgnIdcuncc ca
spare one or another OF us
Since then. sir. we are each to be 'Hgh
- ed down in honor or dishonor to the i
test gene,ation, it is but right that ca,
make his own appeal to the awful uih
a nal OF history. and vindicate his acti'
- in this national catastrophe. even bet"
the latest generation But where is Il
re-, necessity, in making ones own delrnS
OF condcmning the action OF others 2
y Inv find fault with that which You en-
not control, aud for which YOU arc II
responsible? My answer is plain. Son
=. of us bele can only act upon measures
publ policy submitted to us by Other
No efforts OF ours to give proper dire
En- tion to public affairs by propositions
legislation or tender of advice can ava
W. An Administration policy, supported
a majority of Congress, is submitted
efol approval or rejection. If we appro
well. If we reject, then, as the dog'
sought to be enforced is that the Adm
istration is the Government and the G,
ySt &c. ernment is the Administration, we are
rate bo charged with being opposed to
d Of Government and in favor of rebellion,
n'," ama The questions, then, upon which hst'
ya.t is to decide are simply these: Is this !
s"d ministration right or wrong Are
measures, as means for the restoration
the Union aud the preservation of
hleh Constitution, wise or unwise, proper
n improper; and should they OF should Il
not receive the support OF the represen
tives Of the States and OF the people
Car REVIEW OF THE PAST.
,,s, we Riohtfully 20 determine these duest