The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-11-20
WAR AND PEACE.
Speech Of Secretary Seward
at Auburn.
No Peace Until Abraham Lincoln
is President of the Whole
United States.
SLAVERY TO PERISH WITH THE
INSURRECTION.
The Doors Always Open to the
Prodigal Son, but No Invita-
tons to be Sent After Him.


Secretary SEWARD, being at his home
at Auburn the evening before the election,
addressed public meeting there, as
sembled in Corning Hall. He spoke as
follows:
MY FRlENps-I am sad and anxious tonight
for cause that you we'll understand too sad
and anxious, indeed, to be able to express
az could wish the gratitude feel for the well
come you have given ME, certainly too much
oppressed with private solicitude to speak ac-
ceptably upon public questions. | am here by
accident and not by design. Ihave persist.
emily declined, as you know, to enter political
canvasses as debater. l have had two rea-
sons for this-First, wanted the internal as
well as the foreign enemies OF the United
States to see that this administration could
stand of its own strength without resorting to
popular arts of selfdefence. Secondly,
Thought that an administration that could not
stand without speaking for ITSELF must fall even
if all its members should engage in its vindica-
ton. Nevertheless, being here unexpectedly,
/ feel that it would seem ehurlish to refuse to
show that the friends of the country have the
sympathies and the gratitude of the admins
tratiOn of the country. What, then, shall
say and do? will forget myself as well as
can while utter some sentiments of cheerful
ness and hope concerning the condition of our
country and its cause: l do not forget that
cheerfulness and hopefulness, habitual cheer
fulness and hopefulness, give offence in certain
quarters. We have class Of patriots who de-
ride them, who insist upon having the political
skies obscured and the political moon through
out all her changes presented under eclipse. l
do believe in cheerfulness and hOpefulness. AS
in religion so in pOlitics-it is faith and not de-
spOndency that OvercOmes mountains and
scales the heavens. The General who, ha-
ranguing his army on the eve of battle, should
express fears Of defeat, would be sure to be de-
feated. The statesman who apprehends that
disunion is inevitable. would be sure to produce
dissolution. The Christian who believes that
he has committed the objectionable sin will
never work out his salvation. He who impa-
tiently rejects the councils of hoTe in political
action because he does not see all his eXpecta-
tons Immediately realized, is as bad citizen
as he is q bad Christian who waivers in his
faith because a hundred generations have
passed away, and all ''these things" are not yet
fulfilled"
A PROPHECY THAT HAS BEEN FULFILLED.
You will succeed my friends, tomorrow. 1
know you will succeed, by signs other than
those which excite your own hopes of success
The country is in danger-it is to be rescued
by the government. You will succeed because
you vote for the government in voting to sus-
tain the administration. Your opponents COM
divide the administration from the government
and support the one and discard the other.
No man can serve two masters. Consider this
point for moment. 1t is only through the
administration that the country can put forth
the effort necessary for its rescue. If you dis
card this administration of the government by
your votes, you bring no new or better one in
its place. You then have practically an inter-
regnum from this time to the 4th of March,
1865. An interregnum of sixteen months in
the very crisis of rebellion. You would repeat
even in more dangerous way the great though
then unavoidable, misfortune of the interreg-
mum which was produced by the election of
Abraham Lincoln in 1860, leaving James Bu-
chanan in the Presidency until the 18th of
March, 1861. During all that period the ship
of State necessarily and unavOidably drifted
and dashed itself against the rocks of 4 lee
shore. The American people are not going
to commit SO great an error at this juncture.
HIS OPINION ABOUT SEYMOUR AND vAILAN
DIGHAM.
Our opponents do not see this They do not
see it, because they have surrendered them
selves up to faction. But I will show them
how they can see it. There are two hundred
thousand American citizens in arms in the
Southern States against their country. They
look to the election Of tomorrow with more
sOlicitude than they do to the defence of Charles
ton or the siege Of Chattanooga. Ifyou could
pass the ballot box though their camps every
man of them would vote for the administration
of this government by HoratiO Seymour or
Vallandigham aud against the administration
of Abraham Lincoln. You have enemies in GER
tain classes OF society all over Europe. They
are fitting out a navy and privateers for the
American insurgents. If the ballot boxes could
be opened at Laird's shipyard in Liverpool or
in John SIidelrs house in Paris, there would be
an unanimous vote for Seymour and Vallandig-
ham, and new iron clads would escape under
srn
ray innumerable, and you would have super
added to this terrible struggle upon land a more
tremendous contest than the world has ever
seen upon the high seas. The instinct of ene-
mics is infalliblc. You have friends in arms at
home defending the government and the coun-
tie knows what he is fighting for. He is fight
ing for the country. Pass the ballot box
through the Union camps, or give the soldier
pass to reach the ballot box at his home, and
he votes as he fights, for his country and tor
the administration, which he sees is identified
with his country. You have friends in Europe.
The great mass of society on the Continent,
from the White Sea to the Mediterranean, from
the Atlantic to the Black Sea- are the friends
of the United States. The great mass of sOcie-
ty in America, from the Rio Grande to Cape
Horn, are the friends of the United States.
Send the ballot box through all those regions,
and the votes would be counted ten thousand
to one for Lincoln and against Seymour
and Vallandigham. The instinct of dspassiOn-
ed, disinterested friends is infallible.
RIGHT OF SOLDIERS TO VOTE.
But must not forget that our opponents OBJ
ject to allowing soldiers to 90 home to vote
The objection is dslOyal as well as ungrateful,
and is therefore crime. If the soldier ought
not to be allowed furlough to reach tue bal
lot-boX, why did Governor Seymour refuse to
allow the ballot-box to 60 into the camp? He
answers that it is unconstitutional Why then
object to the soldiers going home to vote !?
That is not unconstitutional They do not
mean to quarrel with the manner Of the SOL
dier's voting; they seek to deprive him of his
fight for his country, because they cannot help
| it, but they seek to deprive him of the priv
lege of voting for it, because by clamor they
think they can prevent it. Who are these sol
diers that have come home to vote? Every
man OF them is citizen and an elector. There