Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-02-22
5PEECH OF
HON. EDSON B. OLDS.

| 49, " Az - ~ ~ ~ ~ " ~ ~ ~ q
Delivered In the Ohio House of Representatives
on Friday and Wednesday, January 23d an
28th, 1863, on the Cause and Conduct Of ii
War.
lConcuded.l
Gentlemen have invoked the great name Q
Gen. Jackson, as establishing precedents 70
Mr.. Lincoln in bis exercise Of despotic power
Not one Of which, however, 10 my humbl
Judgment, Notwithstanding all their misrepre
sentations and perversions, furnishes the eas
pretext for Mr.. Lincoln, In bis utter disregsr,
OF all the checks and barriers of the Constitu
tion. But, sir, General Jackson has left OF
record for us, the convictions Of his great mind
90 to what must be the inevitable result O
such war as the one in which we are now en-
gagged.
suppose the struggle once begun" say.
Gen. Jackson In bis Farewell Address, Iand The
cltizens OF one section of the country arrayed
In arms against those of another in doubtful
conflict; let the battle result as It NAV, they,
tolH be an snd OF the Union; and with it an enc
OF freedom The victory of the Injured woult
not secure the blessings Of liberty. Ii woult
aVenge their wrongs, but they themselves
would be swallowed up in the common ruin
TIE Conaitution cannot be maintained, nor th
Union pTeserued in opposition to public feeling
6y the mere coereiue pO,osys cOnfded to the Coz
eTnment"
Would to Sod, Mr.. Speaker, that such words
OF wisdom might sink deep into our hearts, ant
that We might yet be enabled to repair the ev
We have brought upon US by dlsregarding th,
counsel Of this great and good man.
Judge Douglas bas also been 80 often refer
red to, as sustaining Mr.. Lincoln in his wal
policy, that In justice to his memory | must bt
permitted to give bis views as to the certain aut
unmistakable results Of the war, if once com
menced.
With the permission of the House, l will
read letter from Senator Douglas to his friend
and neghbor, Mr.. Hayes, of Chicago IL wal
lately made public by Mr.. Hayes, in a speech
at Springfield, Illinois:
WARRINGTON, December 90, 1860.
My DEAR SIR: You will have received my
proposed amendments to the Constitution before you re-
ceive this The South aoold take nly proposition 1,
the Republicans soould agree TO 1t. But the extremes
country into revolution aud civil war.
While can do no act which recognizes or countenan-
ces the doctrine Of secession, my policy Is peace and
will not consider the question Of until every effort
has been made for peace, and all hope shall have van
ished When that time comes, II unfortunately IL shall
come, will then do what II becomes an American een
ator to do on the then state Of facts. Many of The Re
gs.Ss!can tsaa.rs desire dtssolEtfon q ne Union
while Others are Union men In good faith. We have
now reached point where compromise on the basis Of
mutual concession, or disunion and war are inevitable
prefer a fair and Just compromise. shall make a
speech in q few days
Yours truly,
8. A. DOUGLAS,
8. 8. HAYrs Esq.
ALLOW me also to read an extract from q
speech of Judge Douglas, made In the Senate oil
the United States in March, 1861. This speech
you will observe, gives the views entertained
by Me- Douglae, thee months later than those
expreeaed in his letter to Mr. Hayes. These
are his views at time that all hope of any
compromise by Congress bad failed-they are
the views be entertained after he had seen the
efforts Of the Peace Congress frustrated BY the
Vaccinations Of such bloody minded and Union.
hating men as Wade and Chandler: they are
his vleTs as expressed after be had seen seven
States secede from the Union, and when civil
war was about to become q stern reality:
III don't understand" )" says Mr. Douglas, chow
Q man eau clam to be q friend of the Union,
and Jet be 10 favor OF a war upon ten millions
Of PEOPLE in the Union. You can 40. cover il
up much longer under the pretext of love fol-
the Union." "WAR 10 DIsUNIoN
CERTAIN, INEVITABLE, FINAL AND IRREPARABLE y
Sir, must be- permitted to read the opinion
OF another great man and eminent statesman
IL is a shott extract from the letter of Ed
ward Everett accepting the nominstion for tn,
Vice Presidency rendered him by the Uniol
parry 10 1860 Mr.. Everett ssys:
The suggestion that the Union can be main tanned b.
the numerical predomipance and military prowess o
section excited to coerce the other into submission
m INDIGNANT. q, Jorc
ous IL comes loaded with the death SMELL from field
wet with brothers blood II the vital principle Of al
republican governments is the consent OF the governed
much more does Union OF coequal sovereign State
| require as Its basis the harmony Of Its member.
and their voluntary CO operation In its organic func
lions.
But, Mr., Speaker, upon this point have tn
authority Of two names, which, with our Re
publican friends, ought to be final and concIu
sive. On the 10Th of April, 1861, Mr.. Seward
Secretary of State, in an official dispatch to MI
Adams, our Minister in England, thus express
ed the views of Mr.. Lincoln and his Admins
tration. He said:
For these reasons he 1.-The PRESIDENT would not be di
posed to reject cardinal doctrine Of theirs-namel,
that the Federal could not reduce the
ed sta,es to obedience by conquest, even although
/ were disposed to question that proposition.
But in fact, the President willingly accepts It as true
Only an imperial or despotic government could subj,
gate thoroughly dsaected and nsurrectionary memhe
Of the State.
10 the face of such testimony-in oppositio
to the opinions of such suthority-in utter dir
regard of ell the warnings of Washington an
Jackson and the Fathers, We rushed madly int
this war; and now when II is too late, we ar
made to see, just what we should have seen be
fore the war was commenced
IL is no use attempting any longer disguise
the fact may as well be admitted; the Abolition
lists led us on step by step, to their support In o
their schemes Of Abolitonism; unfolding theI
cautiously, and one by one, under the plea q
military necessity, until they had, as they sur
posed, prepared the public mind for the recep
tlon of the grand doeunlent-the proclamation
universal emancipation to all the slaves in tt
country. And yet, after having thus deceive
us; after having stricken down one by one a
the barriers of the Constitution; after havin
subjected the whole country to military de
potism gentlemen have the efffontery to tell ,
that without the aid of the Northern Democri
cy, the Administration is utterly unable to car
on this war.
Sir, how does Mr.. Lincoln propose to con
mand the support OF the Democratic party ,whit
his friends acknowledge is 90 necessary to hin
Is be to gain it by arfesting and imprisonir
Northern Democrats In violation of the EXPIRE
guarantees Of the Constitution2 Is he to ga
, |it by violating the most solemn pledges give
10 bis inaugural, to not war upon the local i
stiiutions Of any Stste2 Is he to gain ii
striking down the only conservative pledges 81
en- by bis party in their Chicago Platform2 Is
to be done by suppresaing Democratic pape
, and i'm nPiaoninO Damocrntie edit0ra7