The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-07-22
Secretary Stewards Speech.

b
The following, in substance, is a correct
report of the speech made by Secretary
Seward in Washington, on the occasion of
the public rtjoicings over the fall Of vicks-
burg
When saw comniotion uprising to civil
strife thought it consistent with the duty
of a patriot and Christian to avert the civi
war if it was possible, and tried to do so.
If this was weakness, | found what SEEM
ed an instruction eXcusing it il the prayer
ef our Saviour, that the cup, the full bitter
ness of which was understood by himself
alone, might pass. But found, also, an
Instruction to duty in his resignation:-
Nevertheless not my will but thine be
done" When it was clear that without
fault on your part CT mine the civil war was
inevitable, then thought it consistent with
the duty Of patriot and Christian to
take care that the war should be begun not
by the friends Of the Union, but by its
cnemies-so that in maintaining the Union
we should not only maintain the cause of
our country, but should be maintaining it in
righteous self defense. Aggression, unjust
aggression, is in every case weakness
Self defense in righteous cause in the
strongest attitude that an individual or
nation can have The weakest nation may
resist powerful adversary, while it occu-
pies an attitude Of self defense. Powerful
nations have been ruined in max ng an I'M
provoked attack upon one infinitely weaker
than themselves.
thought, further, that it was consistent
with my duty as patriot and Chrstiln
to do what was in my power to render the
war as light in its calamitieS and as short
in its duration as possible. Therefore, |
proposed to retain on the side OF the loyal
States as many Of tn, States which were
disturbed by elements Of sedition as could
be retained by a course of calm ana judi
cious conduct I would have had, il pos
slbe, the insurrection c, ined to the seven
original so called seeding States. When
all these conditions had been secured, so
Car as was possible to secure them, thought
still further that it was consistent with my
duty, as patriot and Christian, 20 com.
bine the loyal States and consolidate them
into one party for the Union, because
knew that d:sunon had eifectually com
b:ned the people of the disloyrl States TO
overthrow the Union. thought that this
could be done only through the sacrifice Of
individual and State and sectional opinions,
interests, p1ejudiccs and ambitions.
A nation cannot be saved from death
whose individual citizens lack the virtue to
make these sacrifices. Unwilling to ask Of
my fellow citizens sacrifices had not tie
resolution to make myself, determined to
wait until should be called upon to make
them. said, give up myself, my family,
my friends, my party, all that have laid up
of character in the past, all the interests
that ] now possess. and all the future that
had thought was in store for me. take
for my associate and leader the first brave
ana disnterested man who leads the way.
and | follow his guidance and share his
fortunes. found a leader in Andrew John
son, ti Tennessee, a man who tolerated and
exercised, if he did not justify, slavery
AS openly as all the world knew that | then
abhorred and dc.ested it, God knows all
hor and detest it now. said the country
shall be saved by the Republican party if
it will, by the Democratic party If it choose,
without slavery if it is possible, with slave
~ if it must.
Once engaged in the contest, was pre-
pared to demand, as have demanded ever
since, that no treasure, no amount OF human
life necessary to save the nations life,
should be withheld thought that the war
might be ended in three nonths-:n six
months--in ycar-and labored to tina,
end. But, as you will all recollect, that it
was the people, and not only one man or
any combination of men, that could bring
it t. an end, then or ever, and the people
could only do it by showing so much zeal
determination and consistency, as would
not only keep enviouS, or interested, or
ambitious foreign nations aloof from the
battle, but should make it their obvious in
terest to frown upon and discourage the
commission We failed TO make that exhi
bltion. and so the war has been protracted
into its third year, through the encourage
ment and aid the instruction has received
from the fears or the lstlessness CT portions
Of our own people, and the influences Of the
enemies Of the Republic and of human
freedom throughout the world. 1t was
doubtless ordained that it should be so, and
therefore it may be believed that it was
best that it should be SO, although we may
be allowed to indulge our sorrows over the
augmented sum of miseries which the war
has inflicted upon the land.
| say il is perhaps best, because think
that this ought to be the last insurrection
in the United States-the last effort ever
made to dissolve the Union. The more
severe the suffering that attends this at
tempt, the less likely it is to be repeated.
But we have reached, think, the culmin
ating point at last we have ascertained the
amount Of sacrifice which is necessary to
save the Union, and country is prepared to
make it. The force of secession is exhaust
ed. There are no more States to go out in
out in the instruction. The nsurrectionary
States have no more soldiers 10 bring into
the conflict. On the other hand, in the
loyal States the plow has twice passed
through the ground, and each time it has
yielded the necessary harvest Of defenders
of the Union. The subsoi is deep, and is
as rich in the elements Of military strength
and virtue as that which has already been
twice furrowed 1t is for the disloyal citi
gems to decide whether they will give up
the contest now, or abide a further and
more conclusive trial.
--=se>s <-------
AN INDIGNANT GERMAN KNIGHT OF TIE
GOLDEN CIRCLE.-A correspondent of the
New York Tribune gets off the following