Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-10-21
SPEECH OF MR.. CHASE.

/ On Monday Secretary Chase reached
Cincinnati. aud in the evening addressed
the people as follows:
We are engaged in great struggle
| 1t is struggle brought upon US by no
fault of the people OF the United States,
and when say by no fault of the people
of the United States, l mean precisely
what | say The laboring masses, the
merchants, the manufacturers, the me-
chanics OF the North have had no part In
bringing on this war. The non-slayehol-
ders of the South have had no part in
| bringing on this strife. 1t is n strife
brought on by conspiracy of the few to
rule the many, and II is simply because
they were not willing To trust the people
with their cause that they went 10 arms
for the purpose of establishing domin-
ion where they could rule blacks and
whites separately from the Federal Gov
ernment. That Is all there Is of a rebel
] lion.
Now this conspiracy is not recent af-
fair. Wherever you find an sristOcracy
in the country, and that aristocracy finds
itself oppressed 10y the people, it goes to
war with the people. The difference be-
tween our aristocracy and the aristocra-
cies that have warred upon the people in
other countries, is that our aristocracy
1 happened 10 be established in certain
portions of the country. They occupied
certain States, and therefore it was that
when the time came for the aristocracy to
rebel against the democracy, they sue
ceeded first in carrying out of the Union
the most aristocratic of all the States
namely, South Carolina; and then South
| Carolina was followed by the other aristo-
cratic States in succession, until We be-
came involved in this terrible war.
Now, then, when the aristocracy wars
on the democracy, especially if that aris-
tocracy be a local aristocracy like ours,
there is nothing for it to do but to meet
the challenge which they have thrown
down. or submit to dismemberment. This
! is the challenge presented to US and you.
The question IN the West was, shall the
articracy rule the Mississippi; the ques-
ton in the East was, shall the aris-
! tocracy rule the whole seacoast down to
the Gulf, and the whole country pro-
nounced unanimously This shall not be.
And when they went to war to establish
A separate aristocratic Government like
the monarchial institutions of the Old
/ World, then we went to war too.
Now, then, the simple question before
US is, is this country worth a war Are
the hopes depending upon the prosperi-
~ of American institutions worth enough
to Justify US in going TO war! Look thro'
the history of man and tell me where you
can find a people involved in a struggle
for more noble object than that of pre-
serving a nations l1fe. We mean to pre-
serve the life of this nation and the integ-
rity of this nation, too; we mean to make
| it thoroughly impossible in times TO come
| that disatfected faction in any part of
the country can strike a deadly blow at
the vitality of the country. [Cheers. =
That is ali theIe is of 1t, and l have,
therefore no doubt about the issue of this
war. have thought the issue was GER
tain from the beginning: that 1t was SIM
Div a question of endurance 1t was a
! simple question, whether the great mass
rs of the people could continue to strug-
gle to enable the Government to subdue
the aristocratic portion and TO prevent
them from controlling the whole laboring
population Of the Southern States, white
and black. have no doubt about the
result We shall 60 on as we have gone
on. 1t may be we cannot go on as fast as
we desire. | should have been very glad
myself if we could have stricken this re-
bellion down in the first six onths.
Sometimes thought it might have been
done, but it has turned out that we could
not vet, and the war has gone on with va
rying successes until now. At last we
have the positions that are certain TO
bring success. / suppose all military men
will agree that the military occupation of
East Tennessee must necessarily control
the issue of the war If the rebels could
take possession of that great valley, and
hold it permanently, and send ont their
armies from that locality, then we could
not hope for success in the long run. It
is lust as certain, now that we have that
valley of East Tennessee, that great
mountain region, and hold it, just as GER
tain is it question of time whether this
rebellion shall be put down or not. We
shall just as certainly succeed as time
rolls on, because we have that great inter
nal fortress, and all we have to do IS to
send out our armies from it. Besides we
have the complete control of the Missis-
sippi river; the commercial possession of
the river, soon to become complete by the
advance of the army. Everybody can see
that the party that holds the control of
the Mississippi, holds the control of the
Mississippi Valley, and we hold to-day
virtually the control of that valley.
Now, what remains ? Gen. Gilmore,
one of Ohio's sons, is now constructing
his batteries in front of Charleston, and
that Charleston must fall is as certain as
that Fort Wagner was to fall before Gill
more. l consider, then, my fellow-citl-
zens, that this rebellion is virtually sub
dued-I know it is not actually subdued.
! They have large armies in the field, but
ours are vastly stronger. Everywhere our
armies are stronger than they are. There
fore | regard the rebellion as virtually
subdued. But think-though it is not
my business to speak confidently of these
things-I think with the very slender
lights l possess upon this subject, that
with energetic, resolute conduct, with the
whole head and the whole heart OF the
nation thrown into it, that this rebellion
will be brought to close tolerably quick
lly. Now, my fellow-citizens. l am not
going to make speech, but will go
over some of the heads that appear most
prominent to my view. | have shown
YOU what kind of war we have, | have
shown you where we stand in the war;
allow me to say another thing to you. 1t
was one of the most natural things IN the
world, that when the war began we should
want to get it through without disturb
i ing the institution of slavery. have Of
ten spoken to you in Cincinnati and you
all know what my feelings are, for am
lust the same now l was when spoke to
you ten years ago.
Itwas very simple and very plain, that
slavery depended for its existence out
1 .;dA of those etateS upon ths national