Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-25

been strongly in favor of the restoration of the
Union and 10 favor of that policy which was alone
bkely to bring It about; whilst at the same time,
the opposite party if not in fact opposed to the
accompIishmen Q. that object, have at least fol-
lowed a course of policy not likely to bring it
about. How much | would give TO see this in
famous rebellion put down, l cannot express. 1
believe would cheeriully give up all that I pos
sess on earth, and what little of hope | have for
the future-nay, more, 1 believe l would be will
ing to give my life itself, if might only have the
privilege of seeing my country where it once was.
And now. | want to ask the gentlemen of the
t~opposite school, those who tell Us that We should
do and say nothing that does not tend to put
down this rebellion, how the measures adopted
by the present Administration at Washington and
by Congress have helped to put down the rebel
lionf And in the first place, | would like to
know how il helps to put do~n the rebellion, to
set the negroes Tree in the District of Columbia
and compel you and me to pay taxes for that
purpose. When the plan is fully carried out
the negroes all set at liberty and sent forth 20 be-
come worthless vagabonds in our midst-I then
would know how that has helped to put down the
rebellion.
Another thing: The Republican Congress of
the United States saw proper in its wisdom to
pass a law recognizing the Republics of Hayti
and Liberia as independent Governments, equal
in dignity to the American Government, and
equally enutled to the respect of all nations.
They provided Ministers TO reside at the courts
of Hayti and Liberia, and made arrangements
also to receive, with becoming respect, the Min
listers who should be sent from those Governments
to represent them in the court at Washington.
All this costs us a great many thousand dollars.
IAN important item one might think, in times
likes these, but small indeed compared with what
contractors make now and them and when it is
all done-wheD we have sent some of these a bo-
lition gentlemen to represent the sovereignty of
the American people in the sable courts of Hayti
and Liberia, and received in return some good
looking regrOes to represent them in our capital,
and for our officers of Government to hold social,
friendly intercourse with-when all this is done
/ want to know how that helps to put down the
rebellion?
Another thing. They passed a law that the
Southern people should not be allowed to 90 in
to the Territories with their slave property. |
do not believe in that law and shall be in favor
of its repeal; for, | believe that in the acquisi
ton of that territory the Southern people had
the same lights the Northern people had. You
recollect how our national Territories were &C
qnired. They were acquired by the common
blood and treasure of both sections. The South
as well as the North furnished men and means
for the accomplishment of that object. The
blood of the Northern boy and of the Southern
boy mingled together on the sands OF Mexico.
they slept beneath the same tent, fought shout
der to shoulder upon the battle field and when
the conflict was over they were buried side by
side in the same grave. And in view of all this,
when at the close of the war the North said, we
will take all this territory for ourselves and tie
South shall have none OF il. | said that IL was
the act ofthe highwayman, and not of the honest,
Christian, patriotic man.
Let me try to bring this matter home to your
minds by means OF a simple illustration. Three
of my neiehbors buy a piece of land costing each
of them "A hundred dollars. They go to work to
improve the place and prepare it for cultivation.
They clear away the timber, build fences aud
erect buildings upon the land, and after three or
four years have been employed in this way, two
of the men begin TO find fault with the third; say
they do not like the kind of hands he employs TO
work on the farm, aud they will take the whole
thing entirely out OF his hands and manage it
themselves. What then would happen? This
third man who has been thus sum and un-
lawfully dispossessed of his rights would come
iuto the Temple of Justice and would there make
his pies to a jury composed of twelve OF you
honest men, and he would say TO you: Il helped
to clear that farm-l helped to build the fences
and to roll the logs and to prepare the land for
cultivatioD; - and if you twelve jurors did not
bring in n verdict restoring that man his just and
lawful rights, you would 60 out of that court
house twelve ~perjured, damned souls.
Now, gentlemen, if that is your verdict in a
case like that, why, upon the highest principles
of honor and conscience, would il not be the
same in regard to the rights of the thirty four
great States of this Republic, all equal and SOW.
ereign? You know it would. / do not believe,
therefore. i'm the justice of that law which pro-
hibits any portion of the people from going into
the Territories and taking their property along
with them. But waving all that, after that law
/ :. -.H.41 h@un ..f hn 1850 -
sense does that help to put Town the rebellion?
We, as Democrats, are willing to be tried by the
standard the Republicans have set up, but we
wish to put them to the same test and see If ey-
erything that they have done has helped Ito put
! down the rebellion"
The plain truth is that these unjust laws of
which ! have been speaking, this one sided poll
cy of the Administration has helped to strengthen
the rebellion. Mr.. Lincoln, in his first regular
message to Congress, said that in his opinion, in
all the Southern States except South Carolina
there was a Union majority Now ii that was
: so, was il not plainly the duty of the Administers
ton to endeavor to strengthen the hands of the
Union men in the South, and thus enable them
to bring the erring States back into the Union
again? The Administration, however, in its
wisdom, saw fit TO adopt a contrary line of poll
? cy, and what has been the resnltg Two years
ago if the Union man of the South and the hot
DlOO0CQ cCOCSSfObiot "a haRBtICA W hCCbs NuC1
/, would in all probability have had a lively dispute
! if not a serious controversy on the subject of the
: Union, aud tie Union nan would have had the
chances of success largely in his favor.
But now let the same argument come up be-
tween the same two men and the weapon in the
T hands of the Secessionist would be, why, don't
YOU see that this Administration has done all il
; possibly could do to take away our rights of
J PROPERTY" Two years ago, at the call of the
, President, five hundred thousand men leaped up
! as suddenly as did the clad warriors ON the Scot
' fish hills. as sung by the immortal poet.
. and taking their lives in their hands
e went to the South to fight. Ne they supposed, un
, der the Crittenden resolution. At that time
Jefferson Davis commanded All army not exceed
J lug, AT the utmost, three hundred thousand men,
c and he had done his best. Our army went on
; ward toward the South. and penetrated to the
very centre of some of the cotton States, and
I how were they received? They. themselves, tell
I US that at almost every other house they we're
met by a friend and treated in the kindest posi-
) BILE manner. Why was thisl 1t was because at
T that time almost every other man in the South
e was a Union man. Now all is changed. The
] Administration adopted a policy that united tie
D South. And, to day. instead of an army of three
hundred thousand, at every step we take we are
T confronted by JEFF. Davis, with an army of more
T theu six hundred thousand men. What do you
think of this policy? l do not like il. / find
e fault with il because il weakens the arm of nv
: Government.
1 Now if there is any man in this assembly who
I thinks the Democratic party is not right, he should
, not go with that party; but If there is any man
{ who thinks that the policy of the Democracy is
e the policy best adapted to restore the Union. then
~ - 49, LL 49,