The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1863-02-04

Old World, now, by some mysterious
transmigration, appeared incarnate IN the
New. Social relations were dissolved;
friendships broken up; the ties of family
and kindred snapped asunder. Stripes.
and hanging were every where threatened,
sometimes executed. Assassination was
invoked; slander sharpened his tooth,
falsehood crushed truth to the earth; rea-
SON fled; madness reigned. Not justice
only escaped to the skies, but, peace re-
turned to the bosom of God, whence she
came. The gospel of love perished; hate
sat enthroned, and the sacrifices of human
blood smoked upon every altar.
But the reign of the mob was inaugu-
rated only to be supplanted by the iron
domination of arbitrary powers. Consti-
tutional Limitation was broken down;
habeas corpus fell; liberty of the press, of
speech; of the person, of mails, OF travel,
| of ones own house, and of religion; the
right to bear arms. due process of law,
judicial trial by jury, trial at all; every
badge and muniment of freedom in repub-
lican government or kingly government
all went down at blow; the chief law
officer crown-I beg pardon, sir, but it is
easy to fall into this courtly language
the Attorney General, first of all men,
proclaimed in the United States the maxim
of Roman seryility: Whateoer plenses the
] President, that is laaoI Prisoners of State
were then first heard of here. Midnight
and arbitrary arrests commenced; travel
was interdicted; trade embargoed; pass.
ports demanded; Bastiles were introduced;
strange oaths invented; secret police or
ganized, s'piping'' began; informers null
tiplied; ;'spies now first appeared IN Amer
ica. The right to declare war, to raise
and support armies, and to provide and
maintain navy was usurped by the Ex-
ecutive; and in little more than two
months a naval and land force of over
three hundred thousand men was in the
field or upon the sea. An army of pub
lie plunderers followed, and corruption
struggled with power in friendly strife for
the mastery at home.
On the 4th of July Congress met, not
to seek peace; nor to rebuke usurpation
nor to restrain power; not certainly to de-
i liberate; not even to legislate, but to regis
late, but to register and ratify the edicts
and acts of the Executive; and in your
Language, sir, upon the first days of the
4 session, to invoke universal baptism OF
i fire and blood amid the roar Of cannon and
J the din of battle Free speech was had
only at the risk of a prison; possibly o.
!, life. Opposition was silenced by thu
) fierce clainor of adisloyalty." All busi
, ness not of war was voted out OF order
t Five hundred thousand men, an immenss
navy, aud two hundred and fifty millions
of money were speedily granted. L
: twenty, at most in sixty days, the rebel
t lion was to be crushed out. To doubt
: was treason. Abject submission was de
: manded. Lay down your arms, sue TO
e peace, surrender your leaders-forfeiture
|. death-this was the only language hear
: on this floor. The galleries responded
e the corridors echoed; and contractors an
J, plamen and other venal patriots every
t. where enashed upon the friends of peac
e as they passed by. In FIVE weeks seventy
! eight public and private acts and joir
S resolutions, with declaratery resolution
d in the Senate and House, quite as nj
\ merous, all full of slaughter, were burr
d ed through without delay and almost witt
IS lout debate.
e. Thus was CIVIL WAR inaugurated
l. America. Can any man to-day see tt
20 end of it2 0s
= Aad now pardon me, sir, if paus
~ here moment to define my own positio
II II at this time upon this great question.
nt Sir,I am one of that number who ha,
81 opposed Abolitionism, or the polite
,e development of the anti-slavery sentimel
r. Of the North and West, from the begin
er ming. In school, at college, at the ba
"a in public assemblies, in the Legislatur
u in Congress, boy and man, as priva
: citizen and in public life, in time of pea
"A and in time of war, at all times and at ev
v Try sacrifice, I have fought against it.
rn cost me ten years exclusion from off
= and honor, at the period of life VIII
nm honors are sweetest No matter; lear
N ed early to do right and to wait. SIR
IS lis but the development Of the spirit of i
eer termeddling, whose children are strife al
,st murder. Cain troubled himself about t
av sacrifices of Abel, and slew him. Most
N the wars and contentious and litigati
at and bloodshed, from the beginning of tin
h have been its fruits The spirit of no
I1DIGrNeutlUu 10 tuC NOI IL VI pCdCC Il
,xt concord. I do not believe that if slave
nd had never existed here we would have h
+bo no sectional controversies. This very ci
tbe war might have happened fifty, perhap
mr. hundred years later. Other and strong
ain causes of discomfort and of disunion,
md may be, have existed between other Sta
nd land sections, and are now being develol
nv every day into maturity. The spirit
n,a ma Intervention assumed the form of ABB
en- tionism, btcause slavery was odioes
arc. name and by association to the North
ere mind, and because it was that which m
eek obviously marks the different civilizati
the of the two sections. The South hers
rom In her early and later efforts to rid her
/ al of it, had exposed the weak and offenl
and Eparts of slavery to the world. Abolit
led intermeddling taught her at last to sea
orm.I for and defend the assumed social, ece
Jey- mic and political merit and value of
q it. institution. .ae.ftf
for But there never was an hour from
and beginning when it did not seem to m
the clear as the sun at broad noon, that
ion. agitation in any form in the North