The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-03-13
"WAR IS DISUNiON."

WAR is DlSUNIoN."
The Great Anti- War Speech Of Hon. s.
A. Douglas, Of Illinois, IN the q. s.
Senate, on the 18th Of March, 1861,
tho lust one lie delivered IN the Halls Of
Congress, and the last official act Of his
life. Democrats and the admirers of
the glorious Douglas, read.
repeat it, it is time that the line of policy
was adopted and that the country knew it. In
my opinion, we must choose, and that promptly,
between one of the three lines Of policy:
/. The restoration and preservation of the
Union by such amendments to the Constitution
as will insure the domestic tranquility, safety
and equality of all the States, and thus restore
peace unity, and fraternity to the whole coun-
try.
Or, 2. A peaceful dissolution of the Union
by recognizing the independence of such States
as refuse to remain in the Union without such
constitutional amendments, and the establish
ment of liberal system of commercial and so
cial intercourse with them by treaties of COM
merce and amity.
Or, 3. War, with view to subjugation and
military occupation of those States which have
seeded or may secede from the Union.
repeat that, in my opinion, you must adopt
and pursue one of these three lines of policy.
The sooner you choose between them, and pro-
claim your choice to the country, the better for
you, the better for u.s. the better for every friend
Of liberty and constitutional government through
ont the world In my opinion, the first prcpo-
sit,on is the best, and tie last is the oorst.
am in favor of such amendments to the
Constitution as will take the question out of
Congress, and restore peace to the country
That may be done by non-intervention-5y
popular sovereignty, as it is called, or by the
Crttenden amendment, making an equitable
partition of the territory between the two sec
tions, with self-execnting clause prohibiting it
on the one side and protecting it on the other
Il may be done in various wars. prefer such
an amicebe settlement to a peaccable disunion;
and prefer it thousand times TO civil war
If We can adopt such amendments as will be
satisfactory TO Virginia, Nol1h Carolina, Ten
nessoe, and the border States, the same plan OF
paciticstion which will satisfy them will create
Union party in the Cotton States, which will
soon embrace a large majority of the people in
those States, and bring them back Of their own
free will and accord, and thus restore, strength
en- and perpetuatc the glorious old Union for
ever. l repeat, whatever guarantees will sat
isfy Maryland and the border States (thc States
now in the Union) will create Union party in
the seeded States that viii bring them back by
the voluntary action Of their own people You
can restore and preserve the Union in that mode.
You can do it IN no other iody.
War is disunion-a final separation of the
Union. Hence, disguise it as You may, every
Union man in America must advocate such a
mendments to the Constitution as will preserve
peace and restore Union; while every disunion-
ist, whether secretly or openly plotting its de-
struction, is an advocate of secession or of war,
as the surest means of rendering reunion and
reconstruction impossible. ] have too much re-
spect for his intellect to believe, for one mo-
ment, that there is man fer war who is not
disunionist per- SC. Hence, do not mean, if l
can prevent it, that the enemies of the Union
men plotting to destroy it, shall drag this coun.
try into war under pretcxt OF protecting the
public property, and enforcing the laws, and
collecting the revenue, when their object is dis
union and war, the means Of accomplishing a
cherished purpose. ,..~-
The disunionists, therefore, are divided into
two classes the one open, the other secret dis
unionist. The one is in favor Of peaceful Sc
cession and q recognition of independence; the
other is in faror Of ,car, as the surest means Of
accomplishing the object, and Of making the
separation final, eternal. ! am Union man,
and hence against the war But we are told,
and we hear it repeated everywhere, that we
must find out if we have government. 'Have
we a government" is the question; and we are
told we must test that question by using the mil
itary power to put down all discontented spirits.
Sir, this question, SHAVE we government
has been pronounced by every tyrant who has
tried to keep his feet on the neck Of the people
since the world began. s,l. .ta.
When the Barons demanded Magma Charsa
from King John At Runnymede. he exclaimed,
"Have we q government" and called for his
army to put down the discontinued Barons.-|
When Charles ], attempted to collect the ship
money in violation of the Constitution of Eng
land, and in disregard of the rights Of the peo-
pie, he exclaimed "Have we q government!
We, cannot treat with rebels; put down the
traitors; we must show that we have govern
ment!" When james II was driven from the-l
throne Of England for tampering with the liber
ties of the people, he called for his army, and !
exclaimed, '.Let us show that we have gov
ernment!" When George III called upon his
army to put down the rebellion in America, |
Lord North cried Justly, 'tNo compromise with |
traitors; let us demonstrate that we have a gov
ernment." When, in lS4S,, the people rose up
on their tyrants all over Europe, and demanded
guarantees for their rights, every crowned head
exclaimed, slave we a government" and APP
pealed to the army to vindicate their authority
and to enforce the law,
Sir, the history Of the world does not fail TO
condemn the folly, weakness, wickedncss of thas
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