Litchfield enquirer., 1863-03-12
politifal.
Col, HI. sC. Deming's Position

4pUAt&Ak4s
 Col. H. SC. Deming's Position.
 The Union men of Hartford held an i'm. menss meeting at Touro Hall, on Tuesday evening of last week. The principal speakers were Hon. Augustus Brandagee of New Lon don, and Hon. Herry C. Deming, late of the 18th Reg't Conn. Vols, and lifelong Demo- crat. Tho following is faint report of his eloquent remarks, which we hope will be read by every Democrat in the County :--
 COL. DEMING's SPEECH.
 Col. Deming thanked the large audience for their very kind reception, and replying to the introduction by the chairman, said 1t is true that have been among the rebels. But dur ing tho past few months my comm unications have been-thanks to General Batlsr-with the Union men of New Orleans. They have inspired in me greater respect and affection, if that were possible, for the federal Union. have learned from them what devotion to the Union means. If there ever was Q duty i'm posed upon single generation, it is to pre- serve the federal Union against foes within us well as foes without. If you could see how dear it is to those men who have suffered and risked their lives for it, you would say, with me, it is worth living for and it is worth dying for. All other considerations sink into insig- nifcance beside this paramount duty. As we have inherited it from the past, we must trans nit it unscathed.
 He pictured the glories of the American Union, as built by our fathers, and sketched, with graphic words, the physical and natural ties wkich bind this country as one and indi. visible under one government Shipping and manufactures are in the East, coal and iron in the middle section. foo l in the West, precious metals on ou, Pacific shores, aud great sta ples of trade and commerce at the South. God has made the rivers, and man the railroads and telegraphs, that vein the country like a net work, binding us together as one body. The government has allied itself with all these nat ural and artificial causes to consolidate these states, and we were fast being assimilated to g homogeneous people:
 Well, while you and I, and every true patri. ot, were rejoicing ill the prosperity of the land, we were aware that faction or party were cherishing g dangerous heresy. Secession hung over Us with threatening mein. The speaker instanced various times when the southern states had threatened to seeede, frox, the adoption of the consultation till, in 1856, they had the audacity to declare that if John c. Fremont should succeed, and be copstitu. tionally elected, they would secede. And in 1860, fearing that that party would be again unsuccessful, they broke up the convention, thus insuring defeat, and then used the same hypocritical pretext to carry out their damna- ble scheme of secession.
 He sketched the progress of secesslon-the seizure of forts, the robbing of hints and ar- senals, the destruction of U. property, the murders of Union men and women, the as- of a rebel congress who declared themselves independent usurped the functions of the government, sent out privateers, levied war, and bolsaguered the national capital and asked Tell me, Union man tell me, peace mau-tell me, war man-tell ne, white llvered n,an-tell me, you man who dreads a draft more than you do the devil, how the govern n,ent could save itself bat sy war :?
 At the first call of the President for troops las you all well know.) was opposed to tie war. l had labored for years to smooth sec tional animositiss, and prevent war-I had read the history of war, and foresaw its cad ful consequences-I counted the cost, then, but have not since. I was for peace when peace was possible; was for compromise when compromise was honorable; | was for ger whom war was inevitable, when peace or compromise could no longer be rendered with out treason.
 In June last. after the seven days fighting, every man was for war. parties were not spo ken of, all were united in devotion to the God of battles. Six short months have elapsed and return here to learn that the war was all wrong and that we were wrong who supported it-that there were but two righteous men left in Sodom Qaughter) and those two men who had not from the first furnished aid and com fort to the government. They fortunately will not be able to sustain any of our generals for the presidency, for they have been identified with the war. We are all particeps in this natter Te learn that our brave soldiers who have suffered for us on battle-6elds should be received with gibbets rather than cheers-that they are, in the choice language of certain our southern brethren"
 We learn, too, by the new pitch of the dem- ocratic pipe. that the only way to protect our. selves when beset by i've hundred legions of armed rebels is to cry peace, peace. That when they were ready to drop bombshells into the White House or let them crash through the dome of the capitol, the President of the United States ought to have clothed himself in white robe and gene out, leading fugi- tive slave with one hand and bearing com promise in the other and humbly cried, " Oh, don't l" and prostrated himself seven times to lick the dust at the feet of Jeff, Davis.
 Seriously. how can we talk of peaceg The ultirnatun on the part of the North is an un- conditional return to the Union on the part of the South, absolute independence. I have vet to learn that any intermediates ground is offered for negotiation. Then how futile and childish to arrest . war to play game, the only result of which would be to raise vain expectation in the minds of the people and de- moralize the army and loyal sentiment ot the country.
 As the gentleman has said before me, ! am fos