Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-10-02
GREAT Union SPEECH !
arN. WADE UPON THE STUMP
Humiliation Of the NOrEh--N0w Is this Time
of Her Redempti8R.
[coNCIUsION.l
ATTEMPTS AT ADJUSTMENT.


was a member of the Committee of
Thirteen. It was before Mr.. Sherman took
his seat in Congress. 1 was in that COM
mittee-room closeted day after day with
these seoundrels. There was JEFF. Davis,
Mr.. HanteT, Mr.. Benjamin, Mr.. Mason, Mr..
Slidell-all the most prominent leaders Of
the Southern Confeieracy. Nearly every
man that has figured in this Internal trea-
son was there.
The great question was, could we not
COMPROMISED asked myself, in Heavens
name, what is there to COMPROMISED was
willing to do right was anxious to un-
do anything by which we had injured them,
if they would but point it out. God knows
that would have rejoiced in correcting
any wrong against them. But could they
name anything in which redress could be
afforded. Not word could they say.
The resolutions were at lenpth brought
in, and we were told that they would hush
all the scord and give peace to a distract
ed country. will not stop TO read them,
but instead, they would have made you all
hewers of wood ard drawers of water TO
the overbesring, overriding, intrig guing
despots Of the South, and 1 would have seen
them in the lowest hell before would
have voted for them. Great and prolong-
ed applause. They had majority then
to pass them, but the rsscals themselves
would not vote. We asked them If these
compromises would satisfy them2 Well,
some Of them did not exactly know, while
others openly declared that nothing short
Of independence would suffice, and one of
them said that we're blank sheet ofpaper
presented u.s. we would not write the terms
on which we would remain in the Union.
Can any one of the Copperheads tell
what would have satisfied them2 You are
making such fuss about the Abolition
lists having caused the war, do tell us what
would satisfy them.
A voics-Bullets and lead.
Mr. Wade.-Yes, that is the only salts
faction that could be rendered, and our
soldiers are trying to give it to them
Laughter.
Thus did we exhaust the whole limit Of
concession and conciliation under the
threat of these tyrsnts. Such was the
degree of servility to which they were de-
termined to reduce us, that the modest Of
the Democratic party, with Douglas at
their head, saw clearly that their object
was to reduce TO absolute political slavery,
and they said, hold-enough. But thank
God, my heart is not tainted with the guilt
Of he nation in thus extending and sg-
grsndizing slavery, and bowing to the
yoke Of the slave power.
But with all that was done for them,
they did not long remain quiet. Scarcely
did the public mind become reconciled to
one eucroaehment upon the rights of the
North, than another scheme of humiliation
was concocted to try the patience and man
hood of the North.
In connection with the unparalleled out
rage in repeating the Missouri Compro-
mise which they had established, and vio-
lating the treaties with the Indians which
they had made, they demanded q more
stringent fugitive slave law. This was
designed more TO humilitate the North still
more deeply, than to protect slave proper
ty. They demanded a law more barbar-
Gus in its provisions than any act that ev-
er disgraeed the statute books Of any ma
tion on earth.
Personally, care but little about ibis
law or any other obnoxious act in behalf
of The South, for the progress of public
opinion has been such during few years
past that the bill can do no harm could
continue to show you to what profound
depth of humiliation we had descended to
crafty the slave oligarchs of the South,
But we need have no apprehension of be-
ing compelled to repeat these acts in the
future. Before the opening Of this won
derful era those members of Congress and
their constituents who talked so much
about human liberty, had no scruples
about passing an act that ignored all the
safeguards of liberty, and by summary
process before commissioner could
doom freeman to eternal bondage