Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-06-19
speech of Mr.. Roeback.


Sheffield oil Tuesday May 2Gth. t.ronsilcr
the advisableness''of inemoliallsihg ll,. Gov
ernnient to ',use is good Offices ID procure
a Suspension of hostili;ics hesace;. the
North and South. with view to an arrange.
neot Of the difference between tsenr.- =
The meeting was called III psrsiiailte Of 3
requisition by the N.'yn., and was attended
i by about 10 coo persons.
i Mr. Roebnrk, III the course Of asiiay,s
and Characteristic speech, said Thea ,Ts
ton which we have come here to dIss..A..s
so far as | am concerned, is an c;sEiFsiv
( Eng lsh Question What | have 10 ecns,
Esider Is what is for tic interest Of Eng lafit'
/ What is fer her interest be ieve to be for
the interest Of the worl. We hold such
. position ihatseyery step taken by Eng
/ land as a cetsntry revelleiates through
rout tie Shole world, and influences the
4 happiness Of every nation. Hear, hear.
and loud voice No" follow by shouts Of
'tTarn him OUT and confusion Many
years ago England planted colonies il
America. They raised themselves up to
great height. They became three millions
4 Of people and then they dcter,;ii;cl to
Separate from England. They declared
that they lad right t. seperate when they
tbought fit 70 Do 50. They supported that
Ijudgen1ens of theirs BY arms. They fought
England they beat England = they de-
clared themselves independent. The cen
sequence Of it is thai they established this
great principle among mankind that when
a people arc determined 10 throw off yoke,
whatever that yoke may be they have the
right 10 do SO Cheers, and mo, no.
England resisted these people. Then came
France to aid them. France entered into
an alliance with our revolted colonies -
/ Thereupon we declared var against France.
! We carried on that war. We were again
beaten. We yielded the independence Of
America, and we made peace with France.
Then again we established another great
principle, that when people are fighting
for theif liberty, it is in the power Of any
other Stats AMY heutral PoWer-to ally
themselves with the SO called lighting body
| They have right to do so, and if they
have the power to maintain themselves,
they are justified in doing So Now, after
about 50 years Of alliance, the United
States Of America have separated in two.
4 A large body of these States, calling them
selves the Confederate States, declared that
they would no longer be allied to these
! United States, but would make themselves
independent. Hear, hear They are
[exactly in the position of the American
Colonies with regard to England in the
year lit No, no They Separated
They had future before them such as no
people ever lad before, They had wond
srfully fertile country, intefsectcd with
great rivers. They began free people
They continued free people. They had
English law, the English language, Eng
lish literature; and they were placed in a
/ position such as was never occupied before
Their career for eightyyears was one OF I'M
paralleled lvosperlty. Bu, between them
there has grown up a Of feeling antagou-
ism. The South were determined to sopa-
rate. They did separate; and mon in
England nlourned that separation, and no
one more than myself, because / believed
that If they did separate, a great check
would be given to the advancement ofman.
kind The North was separated from the
South, and the North began to act. Aud
here begins the lesson [ want to read to
you. say | mourn at that separation
But the North themselves, from the very
commencement, were so cruel, so deter
mined on empire hear. hear, and 10, mol
that they forget charity, they forgot Chris
1 tianity; they made themselves spectacle
to tie world Of cruelty, corruption and
horror. The South stood up, like the rear
descendants, as they are, Of Eng'isHuian
/ Hear, hear. They said. ''We will vim
dictate to ourselves the right to govern our
selves; we will fight to the death for our
indeFeIdente +" And they have fought to
the death Cheers. voice: Slavery"
They nave conquered the North Hear,
dear, and cheers, and cries No, no And
now ask myself if the time has come when
surrounding nations shall do what We ought
to do now acknowledge tie Sou 1 as an In
dependent nation. Cheers and cries of
Never aud Slavery L am about to
come to the question Of slavery The South
ern States cf America hate slavery; but
there Is one thing they hate still uors. and
that Is the slave. Tiey lave deciafed in
their public documents their termination not
| merely to conquer the South but to foot out
the slave. President Lincoln has very Pc
culiar notions about slavery. Hc issued
proclamation declaring all the slaves free in
chose seeded States, srd be maintained
slavery wherever his power extended.
say, can England. BY allowing this horrible
war to go on, can she, as she has donc-
being thoroughly neutral between the two
can she, if she can prevent it in hei own
conscience. allow these horrible atrocities to
continue? Oh, am met with the cry II
have heard it here Slavery But villa:
is slavery in the South as cols.pafea with the
blacks mans conaitioil i; Tie North: N,
nan looks upon slavery with gsoater horror
than do, and if | could ben tit the slaves
If could Dc anything for tueir condition
BY at once making tf:tra free rbof|y-!
should be prepared, as far IS MY lluni.,it.
powers goes, to confer ,::yerty upon tfci.i
[tlear, leae,) 81. We Ill tl}..t ai:syts:::
smaller body Of bias..ll;, lnn,jie III tie Vast
lndies. We pais. "a ti;ein. anil, rs !. I. 4
land has always behaved il: Su i eases, W
dealt literally not only BY ttis.>I,7e Net -
slie shareholder. lear ileaa Gan lt,sl
DO that III .Americi1 Sou ca,iaot. ile
millions Of slave III sascrica " u,>i ;iSailaw
up all tie money II he North aud il t.e
South to buy their ifeenonl Eat Ii, con