Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-04-15

7 Toombs, said in his place in the Senate
The Union, sir, is dissolved. That is al
accomplished fact in the path of this discus
sion that men may as well heed"
! These conspirators, who had acted with
the democratic party in the election O
, Mr.. Buchanan, had publicsly 10y then
acts, and declarations, given unmistake
/. able evidence, they would be satisfied
with no compromise, and that they would
forcibly break up the Government, if in
their power. Still their co-conspirators
in the democratic party, have the bold
ness to assert, with a view to deceive, IL.
norant honest people, that the republic,
ans caused the war, and that the Southern
traitors would have been satisfied with II
proper compromise, and they sometimes
refer to the defeat of the Crittenden COM
promise, as evidence upon that point, and
charge 1t all TO the abolitionists. a name
they now give TO all Union men
\ majority of republicans were oppos-
ed TO the Crittenden Compromise. | was
opposed to it. Some however were in
favor of it, under the delusive hope, as
think that it would prevent the rebellion.
This Crittenden Compromise proposed
to amend the Constitution, so as to legal
ize slavery, under the authority of the
General Government, and conceded to
the shareholders, what the Douglas De-
mocracy refused to concede 10 them, at
Charleston, aad Baltimore, for which rea-
son the Breckenridge Democracy seeded
from the Charleston Convention, and re-
fused to cooperate at Baltimore.
But as to the responsibility of the de-
feat of the Crittenden Compromise, will
call to the stand the testimony of loyal
democrats. Senator Latham of Caliior-
MIA, during the lst session of the 37th
Congress, made an able speech in defense
of the Union, to be found in Appendix to
Congressional Globe, OF that session, page
49, This speech contains much useful in
formation, and l wish every loyal demo-
crat would read it. | will read the fol
lowing extract:
Mr.. President, being last winter a care
| full eye witness of all that occurred. soon
became satisfied that it was deliberate,
wilful design, on the part of some Rep
resentatives of southern States. to seize
upon the election of Mr. Lincoln merely
as an excuse to precipitate this revolution
upon the country. One evidence to my
mind is the fact that South Carolina new
er sent her Senators here. An addition
al evidence is, that when gentlemen on
this floor, by their votes, could have con-
trolled legislation, they refused to cast
them, for fear that the very propositio IS
submitted to this body might have an in
fuence in changing the opinions of their
constituencies. Why, sir, when the resolu-
tions submitted by the Senator from New
Hampshire Mr.. CLARK were offered as
an amendment to the Crittenden PROPOSE
tions, for the manifest purpose of embar-
RAISING the latter and the vote taken on
the 10th of January, 1861, l ask, what did
we see? There were flfty-fiVe Senators at
that time upon this floor in person. The
Globe of the second session Thirty-Sixth
Congress, part one, page 400, shows that
upon the call of the yeas and nays imme-
diately proceeding the vote on the sub
stituting of Mr.. CLARK's amendment,
there were fifty-fve votes cast. will
read the vote, from the Globe:
"YEAs-Messrs. Anthony, Baker, Cam
eron, Chandler, clark, Collamer, Dixon,
Doolittle, Durkee, Fessenden, Foot, Fos-
ter, Grimes, Hale, Harlan, Kink, Seward,
Simmons. Summer, Ten Eyck, Trumbull,
Wade, Wilkinson. and Wilson,"
"NAYs-Messrs. Bayard, Benjamin, Big
ler, Bragg. Bright, Clingman, Crittenden.
Douglas, Fitch, Green, Gwin, Hemphill,
Hunter, lverson, johnson of Arkansas,
johnson of Tennessee, Kennedy, Lane,
Latham, Mason, Nicholson, Pearce, Polk,
Powell, Pugh, Rice, Salisbury, Sebastian.
Slidell, and Wigfall-30."
The vote being taken Immediately at
ter on the Clark proposition, was as fol-
lows: - -.- --
7"YEAs-AIessrs. Anthony, Baker. Bing-
ham, Cameron, Chandler. Clark. Collamer,
Dixon, Doolittle, Durkee, Fessenden,
Foot, Foster, Grimes, Hale, Halan, King,
Seward, Simmons, Sumner, Ten Eyck,
Trumbull, Wade, Wilkinson, and Will
son-25."
"NAYs-Messrs. Bayard, Bigler, Bragg,
Bright. CingmIn, Crittenden, Fitch,
Green, Gwin, Hunter of Tennessee, Ken
nedy, Lane Latham, NJ son, Nicholson,
Pearce, Polk, Powell, Pugh, Rice, Sauls-
bury, and Sebastian-23."
Six Senators retained their seats and
refused to vote, thus themselves allowing
the Clark proposition to supplant the
Crittenden resolution by the vote of p
to 23 Mr. Benjamin of Louisiana, Mr..
HemphilI and Wigfall of Texas, Mr.. Iver-
son, of Georgia, Mr.. johnson of Arkan-
sas, and Mr.. Slidell of Louisiana, were in
their. seats, but refused to cast their
votes"
81 believe more, Mr.. President, that
these gentlemen were acting in pursu-
ance of settled plan to break up and
destroy this Government. believe also, /
there has been scheme of those leading
politicians of the southern States fornear
" quarter of a century, who have been
constantly working with a view to destroy
the Government of the United States, in
order to form a government of their own,
the corner stone of which should be the |
Institution of slavery, as is alleged by the |
present vice president of the southern |
confederacy-thatt they have never ceas-
ed working, year in and year out, towards |
the consummation of their purpose"
The noble Andrew Johnson, of Tennes-
see, in a speech on the expulsion of Jesse
D. Bright. to be found on page 5S5, of
COMPRESSION Globe, I'd Session of 37th
Congress, speaking of this same vote, re-
ferred to by Senator Latham, used the fol- |
lowing language:
q sat right behind Mr.. Benjamin, and |
am not sure that my worthy friend was
not close by, when he refused to vote, and |
l said to him, ''Mr. Benjamin, why do
you not vote? Why not save this propo- |
SlllOn anu see IL We lue
country to it?" He gave me rather an |
abrupt answer, and said he would control
his own action without consulting me or
anybody else. Said /, ''vote, and show
yourself an honest man." As soon as the
vote was taken, he and others telegraph
ed South, 1--WE cannot get any compro-
mise" Here were six southern men re-
fusing to vote, when the amendment
would have been rejected by four majori-
ty if they had voted. Who, then, has
brought these evils on the country? Was
it Mr.. CLARK? He was acting out his own
policy; but with the help we had from
the other side Of the Chamber, if all those
on this side had been true to the Consti-
tuition and faithful to their constituents,
and had acted with fidelity to the coun-
try, the amendment of the Senator from
New Hampshire could have been voted
- of 1vbicb the Sapafor