Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-02-20
Ohio 9tatesnram
> SPEECTI OF
HON. EDSON B. OLDS.

,
Delivered in the Ohio House of Representatives.
on Friday and Wednesday, January 23d anG
2sth, 1868, on the Cause and Conduct of h'
War.
[Continued,l
Mr.. Speaker, Wendell Phillips in his lecture
10 Cincinnati, since the commencement Of this
rebellion, boabted that he had labored for
seventeen years to take sixteen States out oi
this Union. Was he arrested for the utterance
of such reasonable sentiments? No, sir; on
the contrary, when, afterward, he Visited the
Senate OF the United States, Vice-Pfesldent
Hamlin left the chair of the presiding officer
and came down upon the floor of the Senate in
order to extend cordial welcome, almost an
embrace, to this bold and fearless proclaimel
OF treason.
General Banks could also proclaim in thii
language: "I am oilLing in certain stat'
6f circumstances, TO LET THE UNION sLIDE.'
Mr.. Burlingame could proclaim that "th'
times demand, and psmust haoe an anti sLauerl
Constitution, AN ANTr-sLAvERY BIBLE, AND AN
ANTI-SLAVERY GOD"
Sir, / hardly know how to treat such blasphe
mous--such ti-American-such reasonable
declarations.
Why, Mr.. Speaker, can any zane man expect
for moment, that II the Constitution left III
by our fathers is destroyed. We can ever haV'
another like it7 The good Lord in his wisdom
never brought into existence but one set OF mer
who could make such Constitution as ours-
there never was but one period 10 the histor.
of the world, when even those men could hav,
made such q Constitution. These men hat
lust been purified in the fires of the Revolution
hey we're patriotic, self-sacri6cing men
men who had endured and suffered too much
to lose all by giving way to local prejudices
aud unhallowed ambition. Des roy this, anC
1--WE shall me- 'er look upon the like again"
Not only the Constitution is TO be destroyed
but the Bible also must succumb to the fanat
ism OF these men.
Wby, sir, what fault 10 to be found with thii
blessed old Bible7 suppose, perhaps, it is no
anti-savery enough to suit these mad Aboli
tonists. Old Paul sent Onesiuus, the runawa,
slave, back to Philemon, his master This,
suppose, smacks too much Of fugitive slav'
law, and consequently the Bible itself must bt
struck down before the wild, desolatiDg fury o.
these mad Abolitonists.
But, says Burlingame, we must not only have
an anti-slavery Constitution, and an anti-slav
cry Bible; but We must have an anti-slaverN
God
Why, cir, what lie the matter with the God
Abraham--the God of Isaae-and the God o
Jacob-our fathers God, and our God, that h
must be dethroned in order to set up an anti
slavery God for the worship of these Abolition
ists2 Why, sir, Christ was here upon earth
amid the splendor of the Roman Empire; a
the time when the Romans held millions o
slaves, white men too, In bondage more abjec
than the slaves of the United States. Ye
Christ did not tell the Jews that they mus
over throw the Roman Empire, aud set the bond
men free. No, cir, when the old Abolitionist
gathered around him, and tempted him, an,
seked him If it was lawful 10 give tribute t
Cwsar7 see what divine example he set TO
the political preachers Of our oountry-witl
/ what God-like wisdom he confounded them
"Render unto Cesar the things with are Ce
sar's, and unto God the thiDga which are Gods.
Sir, | remember to have read in some gooC
book, long time ago, of an old Abolitionist
who thought that god must be dethroned In or
der that he himself might be God The yer.
last of that account was, that Michael hurle
this traitor from the high battlements Of Heav
en-, and he went sinking down forever and for
ever into the bottomlesa pit; and If he eve
reaches the bottom, in my humble judgment
he will find two Bnrlingames there.
Mr.. Speaker, have one other abolition gen
timent to notice before quit this branch of m
subject: refer to the great docttine of tn
''irrepressible conflict"
know, sir, that the paternity of this doc
trne has usually been given to Mr.. Seward
but we are commended to give even the devi
his due, and consequently must give Mr.. Lin
coin the credit of having first promulgated thi
sentiment. Mr.. Lincoln proclaimed in hi
Freeport debate with Senator Douglas, tha
"this country muet become either all free, o
all slave" Ii was not more than sixty day
afterWard, that Mr., Seward in his Rocheste
speech, declared that either the "negr0es mus
raise cane in Illinois and Indiana, or else th
white man must grow rice and cotton in Sout
Carolina and Georgia." The declaration wa
nothing more nor less than an exterminatin
war upon the institution of slavery. This ser
timent emsnatug from such a source has ha
much to do in producing the present unhapp
condition of our country.
Sir, there are two mon who have just bee
re- eected to the Senate Of the United State
who will have fearful account to settle wit
the people OF this country some day. Whe
the future historian shall write down the name
Of the guilty instigators of this bloody, th
desolsting war, he will dip his pen in blood o
| he feCOIub bu6 uhtucb Va ouDIhmiu w huc, 7
Ohio, and z. Chandler, Of Michigan.
For more than seven years Mr.. Wade ha
openly and repeatedly proclaimed tisunion SCI
tments. have already given you o .sho
disupion extract from his Portland speec
made as long ago as 1855. In addition to thi
10 is q we'll known fact that Mr.. Wade d
everything in his power to prevent the settl
ment of our war difficulties, by the Peace Col
gress that assembled In washington City
February, 1861. MIR. Wade voted against th
Crittenden, and all other resolutions taat locke
toward settlement or comprmise of the the
existing difficulties. This Peace Congrel
was the last hope of the friends Of peace through
ont the whole land. Such men as Chandl,
and Wade had determind to make this peat
measure failure. Mr.. Chandler's letter |
the Governor of Michigan let us into the 81
cret of the means which they employed.
Mr.. Speaker, ask your particular attentiC
to this letter; for being written by professe
4 disunionist to his disunion friend-being writ
ten to one to whom he could without resery
unbosom himself, it lets us fully into their m,
tiyes and designs. IL was written at the tim
that this Peace Congress was in session. | wi
read it:
wAsHMsroS, Feb. H. 1861
/ MI DEAR GovERNoR-Governor Bingham and myst
teegraphed you on Saturday, at the request Of Mass
chusetts and New York. to send delegates to the Pea
or Compromise Congress. They admit that rigf
and they are wrong; that no Republican State shou
have sent delegates; but they are here and can't 3
away. Ohio, Indiana and Rhode Isanc are Gazing 1
and there is danger Of Illinois; and they beg
Gods sake to come to their rescue, and SAGE tho Repa
: Ncdp party from a rupture. HOPE YOU WILL sR
sTWY BACKED MEN OR NONE. The whole thing was
| mp against my judgment and advice, aud will end
thick smoke; still hope as matter Of courtesy to
OF our errng brethren that you will send the delegate
t1N Truly your friend,