The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-03-14
VOL. XXlII---NO. so,
Senator Richardson on the Censcrtu,jop
Rij.

Senator Richardson On the Ccnscriutiop.
~ Biii. -- ~
| We publish, in connection with tbs Cob
scription bill to-day, the following ge.
marks of Senator Richardson on the till.
during its pendency in the L. S Senate
"But, Mr. President. have been drawn
off to this episode by the discussion, from
the main points IN this bill, 10 which /
wish to return. Sir, | repeat agaia, dis
| guise all this as you may, enaeayor 10
) throw around it whatever yeTbiage you
! will, this is an attempt by congress 10
confer upon the president unlimited power,
| to place the entire militia OF the couEtTy
at his command By this bill you may
draft a man. and, before you r1usler nina
! in the service, you make Eln subject to
the rules and articles Vf war; you can
try him at the head of n drum court mar
tial and shoot him for disobedieuce of o.
ders, when he may not know that ho is
in the service at ali. You place DO Inn
tation on the power OF the pres.Gsut OF
the United States. Sir, l would not con-
! Ter this power upon any man in America.
/ know no man in whom | would place,
sufficient confidence to repase thu, pswer
that b claimed for the President in this
bill S6s Z ss9=-s = =, s.,.,,ss.s, ! ssri-
M. President, when, look at the
measures that are proposed here, when
see the deep interest that is felt in the
section OF country from which J come,
cannot torbear saying To the senate of the
United States, and 10 the country, II you
pass this bill, if you pass the CiIi you haa
under consideration the other day 70 ap-.
propriate money to purchase slaves, ard
the bill to bring into your armies side by
side with our white race, an inferior race,
the negro, fear You VIII plunge the
country into 81 civil war. / ask YOU II
consider ] ask you to reflect ! VIII not
discuss the question as 10 whether t..is
feeling, 80 deep and fearful, Is right or
wrong. ! know il eAie,s, aaG a. lsssla
tors II Is our duty 10 treat OF facts IS they
are. 1t is our duty to remember tA4t cur
fellow citizens have passions which RAY
dethronc reason, Ana sometimes cause
I them to act preClp:tat"iy. ....d hastily.
| God knows do not wish 70 ~ .lH5rt thl5
feeling, already excited enough l Asvea
right to call upon the An.oricau senate 10
forbear before passing acts thai may ~
volve US i'll further trouble, lu disaster,
and it may be, III ciyi! war Whenever
you have called on that section ct the
country for volunteers, you have got Them.
Whenever you have asked fOr them, they
have come. If, III other sections Of tho
country, they have mol cpa. . procptiy
as they have from that, i there nothing
less than 10 give absolute, extreme. t,aii-
gerous power To- the RresIQvAl - III. up
your army
Il fear repeat it-l fear that II ycu
hurry these things through during this
Congress, feeling that your power vii soon
be gone ii you will take advauta oi
! your present majority, against iuc popular
will, 10 pass measures that vii! ae very
! distas tetul 10 your people you will plunge
them into difficulty with this got-rnnleut.
4 There Is no man here Oh elsewhere who
will deplore IL NOR. tnaa shat, but, sir,
cannot help it. know the ISIS TO ex-
ist. mi-ht set n1r>e.. up 49, Il victim to
be sacrificed hy the popular viii, tut /
could accomplish no good. Au',. that
gentlemen here, and geI.i.eI4-. elsewhere,
think that ! am IA very extreme man ia
many OF my views. Sir, th-y regard ma
at home a laggard. as behind public
oplalon. not ready to fesIs. :arse a.Eres-
slonS and assertions oi power IA Violation
OF the constitution, "H.sA ..gr sought ~
be fixed upon the people. may lie 4
little slow. | desire 10 he STOW. viii
not willingly, II | can ayC.U il. help to
plunge the country ia.o a.y w0rs, colai~
ton than 1t is in now. ,soI knows, s.r,
We have troubles euough on our hands.
Many things that YOU have done ara
very d!stasteiu! 10 ou. people. Inc proc
lamatouS issued BY ,he pcrsIen. haya
fired the hearts OF the people wl,G desire
to resist these aggress ions upon the con-
stitution Of the United States Sir. our
people care nothing about slavery, bat
tell you what they DO care about. The
gentleman form kausa, has oecu pleased 10
say that he is not Of those who wor-
ship the negro Nor am !. Our people
in ISIS, 10y ma jority Of thousands. placed
in their constitution "a tt4.Ih.t.On o.. the
immigration OF negrOts T. t-E slate. ! =
1862 by vote ofovev 4 hundred thousand
ajority, when we amended the constItu- FL
ton, We placed provision more stringent
there again and | will say - the gvntie-
man from Kansas that or entire army
with scarcely an exception, voted To place
that provision III the constitution. \ cry
few voted against 1t. either at nome or IN
the army but there were les votes against
it in the army, in proportion, than there
were at home The majority wus some
where about one hundred thousand, and
] do not know but that il was more do
not undertake to state the exact lgnres
Sir, our people are determined that the
constitution shall not be OyerruIs1 ana
violated You have sought through Your
Secretary of War, your President, and the
administration OF the goVerLmeE To
violate that clause IN our State CoIS titUuon,
it has excited great deal OF Indignation
and great deal OF bad feeling IN tho
minds of our people. very much fear
the consequences when you te,i them
that each one OF then! Is liable u the or
der and command of Mr. Lincoln, that
he can bring them into the army any day
he pleases, and have them before : court
martial before they are mustered into the
service; when you tell the 81 tney must ba
taxed to pay for negroes ana 10 bring them
into the state; whom you tell them that that
inferior race whom they will not permit to
live in their midst are 10 be soidlets on
terms Of equality by their size, and here
after when the war = Oyer they are To-
stand as their equals everywhere; for [
assume. if you make soldier OF negro
you will confer upon aim The right or
citizenship aud the ri4nt To vote. NC nan
need tell me, here or elsewhere, that he
is willing to make 4 soldier o. the negro,
and not make citizen o.! hInl. will not
discuss that subject further now ! anl
only stating some OF the reasons aud the
cause OF excitement among our people.
have deemed it my juty 10 do so. ! now
deem it my duty to resist, with whatever
power have, the passage OF th,s bill and
the other bills to wEIch / have referred.
fear their passage will LEAD 10 cousequen.
ces that all of Us woIi! greatly dsp.orc.' %
Not long ago, a wit Older ia vii than in
wisdom after being catecniSed concerning
the power of Nature, replied:
Now, | think there's one thing Nature
can't do"
what is it, nay chidg'
"Why, Nature cant make Bill Smiths