True Democrat., 1863-03-11

But even within the first ten years after the anolng of the Pilgrims, more enlarged and toerating civilization was introduced. Roger Williams, not of the May Flower, though Puritan himself, and thoroughly mbued with aA its peeuliarites of cant and creed and form of worship, seems yet to have had naturally more liberal sprit and, first per haps of all men, some tasee more years before "the Ark and the Dove" touched the shores of the St. Mary's in Maryland, taught the sublime doctrine of toleration of opinion and practice in religion. Threatened first with banlshment to England, so as to "reInove as far as possible the infection of his principles ;' and afterward actually banished beyond the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, because, in the language of the sentence of the general court, Che broached and divulged divers new and strange doctrines against the authority of magistrates" over the religious opinions of men, thereby disturbing the pesee of the colony. He be- came the founder of Rhode Island, and, indeed, of a large part of New England society. And, whether from his teaching and example, and in the persons of his descendants and those of his asso- ciates, or from other causes and another stock, there has always been largo infusion throughout New England of what may be called the Roger Williams clement, as distinguished from the treme Puritan or May Fiacer and Plymouth Rock .tyn0of the New Engander; and it's influence, till late years, has always been powerful.
 Sir, would not deny or disparage the austere virtues of the old Puritans of England or America But do believe that in the very nature of things, no community could exist long in peace, and no government endure long alone, or become great where that element in it's earliest its more re- cent form hold supreme control. And it is my sol emn conviction that there can be no possible or durable reunion of these States until it shall have been again subordinated to other and more liberal and conservative elem ente. and, above an, until its worst and most mischeiyous development, abo litonisIn, has been utterly extingushed. Sir, the peace of the Union and of this continent smands it. But, fortunately, taase very elements exist ir. I k look with confidence to secure to them the mastery within her limits. Ill fact, sir, the true voice of New England, for some years past has been rarely heard hereor elsewhere in public affairs. Men now control her politics and nre in high places, state and federal, who, twenty yeies ago, could not have been chosen selectmen Massachusetts. But let her remember at last her ancient renown; let her return from vain-glorious admiration of the stone monuments of her heroes and patriots of former age, to generous emulation of the noble and manly virtues which they designed to commemorate Let us hear less of he Pilgrim Fathers and the May Flower, and of Plymouth Rock, and more of Roger Williams and his com patriots, and his tolerati0n. Let her banish now and forever her dreamers and her sophists and her fanatics, and call back again into her State admin istration and into the national councils " her of might, her. grand ia soul"-some of them still alive, and she will yet escape the dangers which now threaten her with isolation
 Then, sir, while am inexor,bly hostile to Pu- rtan domination in religion of literature politics l am not in favor of the proposed exclusion Of New England I woh!d have the Onion ss it was and first, New England as she But if New England will have no union with shareholders: if she is not content with ," the Union .s it was" then upon her own Tread be the responsibility for seces son And there will be 10 more coercion now I, at least, will be exactly consistent.
 And now, sir, can the Central States, New York New Jersey and Pennsylvania, consent to separa- |. ton? Can New orl ctyl Sir, the trade of. the South made her largely wlIat she is. She was the factor and banker of the South-cotton filled her harbor with shipping and her banks with gold. But in an evil hour the foolish will not say bad "lnen of Gotharn,' persuaded her merchant princes against her frat lesson in bssiness-that she could retain or force back the Southern trade by war; War, indeed, has given her, just now, new business and trade more profitable than the old. But with disunion, that, too, must perish. And let not Wall street, or any other great interest, mercantile, manufacturing or commercial, imagine that it shall have powT enough to stand in the way of reunion through peace. Let them learn, one and all, that public man who has the people as his support, is stronger than they, though he may not be worth 6 million, even one dollar. A little while ago the banks said they were king. but President Jackson speedily taught them their mis take. Next, railroads assumed to be king; and cotton once vaunted largely his kingship. Sir, these are only of the royal amily-prnees of the blood. There IS but che k+,g earth. Politics is king.
 But to return: New Jersey, too, is bound closely to the South, and the South to her; and more and longer than any other State, she remembered both her duty to the constitution and her interest 10 the Union. And Pennsy ylvania sort of middle ground, just between the North and the South, and ex- tending also to the West, is united by nearer, if not stronger ties, to every section than any other one State unless it be Ohio. She was--she is vet
 Il, Ea,. ;,, arch of the Union. She is border State; and, more than that, she has less within her of the ana- tcal or disturbing element than any of the States. Tine people of Pennsy ivania are quiet, peaceable, practical and enterprslng, without being aggres- sive. They have more of the honest old English and German thrift than any other. No people mind more diligently their own business. They have but one idiosyncrasy or speciaiy-the tariff; and even that is really far more matter bf tradi- ton than of substantial interest The industry en terprise and thrift of Pennsylvania are abundantly able to take care of themselves against any com petiuon.- In any event, the Union is of more val ue many times, to her thany local interest.
 But other ties also bind those States-Pennsyl- vania and New Jersey, especially-to the South, and the South to them. Only an imaginary line separates the former frOm De aware and Marvland The Delaware river, common to both Penns yivania and New Jersey, flows into Delaware Bay. The Susquehanna empGes its waters, through Penn eylvanla and Maryland Into the Chesapeake. A nd that great watershed itself, extending to Norfolk and, therefore, almost to the North Carolina line does belong, and must ever belong, in common to the Central and Southern States, under one gov ernment or else the lisc of separation will be the Potomac to its head waters. A II of Delaware and Maryland and the counties of Accomac and North ampton, in Virginia, would, in that event, follow the fortunes of the Northern Confederacy. In fact, sir, disagree as the idea may be to many within their limits on both sides, no man who looks at the map and then're6ects upon history and the force of natural causes and considers the present actual and the future probable position of the hos tile armies and naves at the end of this war, ght for moment to doubt taat either the states and counties which have named must go with the North, or Pennsyvania and New Jersey with the South. Military force on either side can not con trol the destiny of the States lying between the mouth of the Chesapeake and Hudson. And if that bay were itself made the line, Delaware, and the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia, would belong to the North; .sisps- Norfolk, the oniJ ca pacious harbor the south eastern coast, must be commanded by the guns of some new fortress upon Cape Charles; and Baltimore, the now queeny city, seated then upon the very boundary oi two rival, ves hostile Confcderacie es, would rapidly fall into decay.
 And now, sir will rot ask whether the North west can consent to separation from the South.- Never Nature forbts. We are only part O the great valley of the Mississippi. There is nc line of latitude upon winch to separate. The South would not desire the old line of 36 deg. 3( min or both sides of the river: and there is nc natural boundary east snd west. The nearest tc ;t ara the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. But tha