The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-02-20
SPEECH OF JOHN VAN BUREN,.
Secession Leaders I'm the WrOng..The
War Must be Prosecuted.
No MediatiOn-.Die
First, &c.

No MediatiOn--Die
First, &c.
JOHN VAN BUREN made speech in New
York on Tuesday evening last, before the
Democratic Union Association. He said :
And now as to the condition of the coun-
try, he did not believe that Slavery was
the cause of the war. Slavery had exist
ed for eighty years legally in the United
states, during which the country had been
prosperous and happy. He believed that
the chief cause lay in the deep corruption
of the officers of the Government, and
that we must get them out before the
country could be restored to an honorable
peace. [Great applause They had had
tor years party alleging itself with every
agitation and discontent-with anything
in order to keep itself known. But it had
never succeeded in gaining any influence
in the United States until now; and
he did not believe that it would have
done so now, had there been a particle of
sense among our once Southern brethren
At Charleston and at Baltimore they had
refused to enter into any arrangement by
which the success of the Republican party
could have been rendered impossible, and
the result was, Lincoln was elected re-
suit which did not afford a sufficient rea-
son for dissolvlng the Union. We had
been fighting each other ever since, and
the result at present was draw game,
with the Sonth as defiant as ever He
had said when war was commenced, de-
claring for the restoration of the Constitu-
ton and Union as it was, the war should
be prosecuted with vigor. So said ALL
The President said we should have no par
ty but to support the Government, and
everybody said Amen. Gen. Mcclellan
three cheers) was then in command of the
army. But since then General Mcclellan
had been turned out, and Burnside had
been put in his place then General Burn
side resigned, and now we had General
Hooker, who, he was told by officers of ex-
perience, was an able General, and he
hoped he might be ABLE to do something
for the restoration of peace.
He, the speaker, had proposed some
time ago, that after we had taken Rich
mOnd we should hold Convention and see
what could be done, but that was stoutly
opposed by the Tribune at the time, and
also by the Southern Press and the South
ern leaders. The South would not hear
of a Convention until after their indepen-
dence had been recognized; and never
while he lived should that recognition take
place, if he could help it. They had re-
fused to go into Convention to remodel
the Constitution, while if they had favored
it, a new election for President might have
taken place in sixty days. [Great ap-
plause. He had never doubted that
Davis and the other Southern leaders in
this rebellion were opposed to reunion,
and therefore, until the South can put
down the men who led her into rebellion,
the war must 60 on. He was utterly OPP
posed to accepting mediation from any
quarter. We must settle the question our
selves, or we had better die at once. The
whole loyal portion of the country had
been in favar of prosecuting the war, for
the objects first declared, and as the Presi-
dent desired, there were no party opposed
it. The President did not want opposing
parties. But it was true that now
there was divisions at the North And why?
Because the declaration now was that this
was war for abolition. The President
had issued his proclamation to that effect.
Now, a proclamation was legally no more
than the announcement of an accomplished
fact. President Lincoln had no power to
proclaim any change in the laws of the
nation until they had been changed by
Congress-; and, therefore, the slaves were
now legally just as much slaves as before
the proclamation was issued; and still it
had created division at the North. He did
not believe the President could incite a
negro insurrection by it, and if he could,
he believed the Union soldiers would put
it down. He would have the President
stand by the original declared object of
the war, or if not that, the House should
refuse to vote another dollar for it's sup
port. [Applause.] He would also have the
President stick to his no-party platform
not to dismiss a gallant soldier like Fitz
John Porter. [cheers for Porter, and re-
store Tom Ford. Misses for Ford He
would not say anything to bring the Gov
eminent into contempt, for that was an in
dictable offence, and he considered it mi
raculous how Mr.. Lincoln had escaped it so
long.