Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-01-23
GRRAT SPEECH
HON. 9. /. VALLANDIGHAM
IT III D WA R
0sltversditAI Iths fi4ls4 80 lsaSe
tfvss OF the UniteA states ON
ths 18th January, lse3.


the grandest and most solemn problem Of states
uanship from the beginning Of time and to
the God Of Heaven, Hummer Of hearts and
minds, would humbly appeal for some meas
ure, at least of light and wisdom and strength
to explore and reveal the dark but possible
future Of this land,
cAS TEE UNION OF THESE STATES BE RESTORED
row SHALT IT BE DosEf
And Why not2 Is il historically mpossbeY
Sir, the frequent civil war and conflicts be-
tween the States Of Greece did not prevent
their cordial union TO resist the Persian in
yasion nor did even the thirty years Pelopo
nesian war springing in past from the alb
ducting Of slaves, aud embttered and disastrous
as it was-let Thucydides speak-wholly des.
troy the fellowship of those States The wise
Romans ended the three years social war,
ater many bloody battles, and much strocity
by admitting the States Of Italy to all the
rights and privileges OF Roman citizenship
the very object to secure which these States
had taken up arms The border wars between
Scotland and England, running through cen
turies did not prevent the hual union, in peace
and by adjustment, of the two kingdoms
under one monarch. Compromise did at
last what ages of coercion and attempted con
quest had failed to effect England kept the
crown, while Scotland gave the king to wear
it and the memories Of Wallace and the
Bruce of Bannockburn became part of the
glories of British history. pass by the
union Of Ireland with England-a union of
force which God and just men abhor; and yet
precisely "the Union as it should be" OF the
Abolitionists of America Sir, the rivalries
OF the houses OF York and Lancaster filed
all England with cruelty and slaughter yet
compromise and intermarriage ended the
strife at last, and the white rose and the red
were blended in one. Who dreamed month
before the death Of Cromwell that in two years
the people of England, after twenty years Of
civil war and usurpation, would with great
unanimity, restore the house of Stewart id the
person OF its most worthless prince, whose fa-
ther but eleven years before they had hehead-
ed2 And who could have foretold, in the be-
ginning of 1872, that within some three Years,
Napoleon would be in exile upon desert is
land, aud the Bourbons restored Armed
foreign Intervention did it but it is strange
history Or who then expected to see heph-
ew OF Napoleon thirty Eve years later with
the consent of the people supplant the Bour-
bon and reign Emperor of France Sir,
many States and people, once separate have
become united in the course of ages through
natural causes and without conquest; bat |
remember single instance only in history of
States or people once united, and speaking the
same language, who have been forced per-
Inanantly asunder by civil strife or war, unless
they were separated by distance or vast ma.
tural boundaries The secession of the Ten
Tribes is the exception these parted without
actual war; aud their subsequent history is
not encouraging to Secession. But when
Moses, the greatest of all statesmen, would
secure distinct nationality and government
to the Hebrews, he lett Egypt and establish
ed his people in distant country. In mod
ern times, the Netherlands, thres cent lries
ago. won their independence by the sword
bat France and the.English Channel separated
them from Spain So did our Thirteen Colo.
Mes but the Atlantic Ocean divorced as
from England So did Mexico and other
Spanish Colonies in America but the same
ocean divided them from Spain Cuba and
the Canadas still adhere to the parent Govern
ment and who now, North or South in
Europe or America, looking into history, shall
presumptuously say that because of civil war
the reunion Of these States is impossible
War, indeed, while it lasts, is lisunion and
If it lasts long enough, viii be final, eternal
separation first, and anarchy and despOtism
atterward Hence l would hasten peace now,
today, by every honorable appliance
Are there physical causes which render re.
union impractcable None Where other
causes do not control, rivers unite but noun.
tains, deserts and great bodies of waters
ocean, diss0ciGb biles-separste people Vast
forests originally and the lakes now nov also
divide us, not very widely OF wholly, from
Canada, though we speak the same lao guage
and are similar in manners, laws aud nstitu.
tons. Our chief navigable rivers run from
north to south Most of our bays and arms
of the sea take the same direeton Natural
causes all tend 10 union, except as between
the Pacific coast and the country east Of the
Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic. It is,
manifest destiny" Union is empire Hence,
hitherto we have continually extended our
territory, and the Union with it, sOnlh and
west The Louisiana purchase, Florida, and
Texas all at test it We passed desert and
forest, and scaled even the Rocky Mountains,
to extend the Union TO the Pacific Sir, there
is no natural boundary between the North
aud the South, and no line of latitude upon
"A which TO separate and if ever line of longi-
tude shall be established, it will be east of
the Mississippi Valley, The Alleghanies are
no longer a barrier Highways ascend them
everywhere. R0d the railroad now climbs
their submits and spans their ehasms, or
penetrates their rockiest sides The electric
Telegraph follows and, stretching its connec-
ting wires aloRg the clouds there minRles its
vocal hghthihes With the fires of heaven. ~
lI u But ii disunionists in the East will force a
separation Of any Of these States, and q
boundary line, purely and conventional, is at
last TO be marked out, it must and it will be
either from Lake Erie upon the shortest line
70 the Ohio River, or from Manhattan to. the
OanAdas. as iassf al4 sa.
~ And nov. .sir, ,iis there any difference of race