Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-02-22

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down, to provoke hostilities.
Thus was ended oil our visions of "peaceabl
settlement" and desolating war was precipi
tated upon us.
Mr.. Speaker, will not charge, as did th,
gentleman from Lucas Mr.. Myersl the othe
day, that "Mr. LineoIn 10 weak, uaeillatins
old nsIn;" but will say, that neither he, mol
his advisers, comprehended the vastness, thu
magnitude, Of the war, which they had preolpi
tated upon US. They thought, and said, that
It would be an easy matter TO subdue the South
In consequence Of this fatal mistake, all theil
efforts have been humiliatiDg failures.
If war, and nothing but war, would appeast
the morbid appetites of such men as Wade
and Chandler, If "toiihout Iatls blood LettinS
this Uaion wDuld not be ooYfh q rush" human
ity required that such an effort should at once
be made as would bring the war to a speedy
close.
Instead of sending seventy FIVE thousand men
an army of at least half million should have
been sent forward at once. And tbeo, respect
ing the yishis and the property Of our southern
brethren, We should, after each victory, have
held out the OLIVE BRANCH OF PEACE Such q
policy would have brought every Union man OF
the South to our standard, men, women and
children would have focked to us for support
and protection, and We ehould In ninety days
have ended the rebellion, and restored the
Union and the Constitution. Civiliz alton, hu-
manity and christianity, as we'll as good policy,
demanded that such should have been our treat
ment Of our erring brethren. Then we should
have had the sy ympathy Of the whole world, then
we should have maintained our honor and self
respect.
But the gentleman from Logan (Mr. West)
charges that the Democracy are responsible for
this war, because they failed in electiug q
Democratic President at the late Presidential
election. Nay more, sir, he blames the defeat
of the Democracy to the Douglas portion OF
that party. The gentleman says, that Sat the
Charleston Convention, the fire-eaters of the
South offered the Northern Democracy either
the platform or the candidate. If the North
would give the South the candidate, the North
might make the platform, or, the South would
give the North the candidate. If they would
permit the South to make the Platform Then,
asks the gentleman, "why did you not agree
to accept Breckinridge as your candidste7'-
His election, says the gentleman, would have
satlffed the South, and there would have been
no war.
Sir, the gentleman is mistaken, sadly mista-
ken, We were threatened with war from the
North as we'll as the South. What means the
Massachusetts resolution but wsr2 "TheTe
fore tce sive ourselues TO the u0Yk of 'anauLiing
this covenant ,oith death, as essential to our own
innOeency, and the speedy and everlasting Over-
hroto Of the slaus system.''
What meant the Wisconsin resolution but
war:
"ResoEoed, TadtG is the duty of the North, In case
thev tai Sn eleottn0 President and Congress that
,Ofn rsstore freedom to Kansas to reooiutontse ne
Government"
What meant Horace Greeley but war when
he said: ave urge resistance to the last
Better that confusion should come-belter that
discofd should reign in the National Councils--
better that Congress should break up Ia Wild
disorder--nay, better that the Capitol itself
should blaze by the torch of the incendiary or
fall and bury all its inmates beneath its crum-
bling ruins, than this perfdy should be finally
accomplished"
What meant Senator Chandler but war when
he wrote that, "W,thout Hnie blood letting
this Union toiH not, in my estimation, be toOrth
rush."
But need not multiply evidence. The truth
is, sir, that we were threatened with disunion
and war by the Aboltionists of the North quite
as strongly and quite as alarmingly az by the
fire eaters OF the South.
The Breokinridge party was a sectional par
ty as we'll az the Lincoln party. 1t was against
all sectional parties, South as we'll ss North,
that Washington and Jackson and the Fathers
warned us. The country had iust as much
reason to fear the Northern Abolitiohists as
they had to fear the Southern fire eaters.
But the gentleman, in his attempt 20 stigma
tize the Douglas Democracy, has made an ad-
mission that fixes lasting condemnation upon
his own party. Ii ls an admission that the
election Of Mr.. Lincoln, and the success OF bis
party, was what caused the war, and the conse.
auent destruction of the Union.
think I have shown beyond doub. thai
the election of Mr.. Breckinridge could moi
have prevented q war. Ii would only have
changed the commencement of boatllitios from
the South to the North.
But, sir, the election of Mr.. Douglas would
have been as coil upon the troubled waters q
He and bis party stood upon a national platform
They stood as great breakwater between the
two sectional organizations, ready to roll back
both the dark wave Of Abolltionism from the
North, and the surging billows of Ssoessionism
| from the South.
Now, cir, will turn upon the gentleman from
Logan, and, by his own admissions, will con.
vict him. He and the conservative Republi
cans of the North are responsible for this war
For, had they joined with the Douglas men
the national, conservative Democratic party o.
the country--Douglas would have been elected
and then there would have been no war. W.
invited them kindly and affectionately TO joir
us. Nay, more, cir, we implored them with
PRAYERS and tears to help US in our mighty ef-
| fort to save the Constitution and the Union.-
And as the waters of Jordan rolled back to the
right and left, as Aaron and the people of ls
rael pressed forward with the "Ark OF the
Covenant" go, with the help Of the conserva.
tive men Of the Republican party, Douglas and
the Democracy could have borne forward OuI
political "Ark," the ark of safety, containing
the Constitution and the Union; and in our on.
ward march the black waves OF Ab0litionism
and the surgiDg billows Of Ssces,lonism, would
have rolled back to the North and TO the South,
and we should have passed over upon dry land
| And then to-day We should not be mourning
over the destruction of the "faiTest fabric o
human government that sosT rose 10 animate III
hopes of civilized man."
| Sir, il may not be too late yet to save th
government. / pray God that in His infinit,
mercy, he may give such wisdom and courage
to the conservative men Of this country, as vii
enable them to preserve for us and our children
the blessipgs of civil liberty.
| The Republicans have shown their incompe
tency and inability to save the government =
Let me tell them that they are mistaken in thi
admission-:hat they still have 1t In their powe
to save the country. Let them beseech th
President, and those acting under him, to mani
| fest their patriotism and love Of country, b.
resigning the offices which they acknowledg
themselves incompetent to fill. Let them de
yove their power into the hands of the part