The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864, 1863-02-18
vALLANDIGHAM's SPEECH.

VALLANDIGHAM'S SPEECH.
We have paper before us containing a full
report of the speech sf this geftleman recent
y made in the United States Congress. We
extract a few paragraphs, which We have new
er seen repuIished in this section;
Sir, my Judgment was made up and express.
ed from the Grst. ! learned it from Chatham:
l"My Lords, you cannot conquer America
And you have not conquered the South. You
never will 1t is not in the nature of things
possible; much less under your auspices But
money you have expended without limit, and
blood poured out like water Defeat, debt
taxation sepulchres, these arc your trophies
In vain the people gave you treasure, and the
soldier yielded up his1ife. Fight tax, eman
lcpate-et these" said the gentleman from
Maine CSlr. Park at the last session "be the
trinity Of sur salvation" Sir, they have be-
come the trinity of your deep damnation. The
war for the Union is. in your hands, a most
bloody and costly failure. The President con.
fsssed it Oh the 23d of September, solomny,
Officially, and under the broad seal Of the
United States. And he has now repeated the
confession. The Priests and Rabbis of Aboli
such n cause. Warrior the Union was aban,
doned; war forthe negro openly begun, and
with stronger battalions than before. With
what success? Let the dead at Fredericks,
burg and Vicksburg answer.
And now, sir, can this war continued
WhenceN the neney to carry it on? Where the
men? Can you borrow? From whom2 Can
you tax more? Will the people bear it? Wait
till you have collected what is already levied
How many millions more of illegal I-tender"--
to-day forty4one per cent below the par Of
gold-can you noat2 Will men enlist now at
any price? All, sir it is easier to die at home
i beg pardon; but trust am not "diEcOur-
aging eniistmsnts,7 ifI ann, then, first arrest
Lincoln, Stanton and Halleck, and some of your
other Generals, and will retract; yes will
recant. But can you draft again? Ask New
England-New York. Ask MASSACHUSETTS,.
Where are the nine hundred thousand? Ask
riot Ohio the Northwest She thought you
were in earnest, and gave you ALL all-mSre
than you demanded,
"The wife whose babe first smiled tkat day,
The fair, fond bride Of yester evS
And aged sire and matron gray,
Saw the lsVed warriors haste away,
And deemed it sin to grieve,"
Sir, in blood she has atoned for her creduli-
ty and now there is mourning in every hSuse :,
distress ana sadness in every heart Shall ske
give you any morc2
But ought this war to continue? | answer
Ao-pot q day not AN hour. What then?
Shall we separate? Again | answer no. no, no!
What then? And new, sir, come to the grand
est and most solemn problem Of statesmanship
4. Nct 10 o. sfl
Heaven, Hummer of hearts and nnads, would
humbly appeal for some measure, at Least Of
light and wisdom and strength TO explore and
reveal the dark but possible future Of this
land.
Sir, this war, horrible as it is, has taught us
all some Of the most important and salutary
lessons which ever people earned1
Frst--it has annihlated in twenty months.
all tho false and pernioious theories and teach
inEs of AbSlitionism for thirty years and
which mere appeal to facts and ARGUMENT
could not have untaught in half contury
We have learned that the South is not weak
dependent, uneutcrprising, or corrupted by
slavery luxury and idlenesA but powerful,
earnest warlike, enduring, sSlfsupporting, full
Of energy, and inexhaustjblo ia resources. We
have been taught and now confess ii openly
that African slavery, instead Of being scarce
sf weakness to the South, is one Of her maiH
elements Of strength; and hence the "nilitary
necessity" we dre tsdyof aboliBhing slavery
in order to suppress the rebellion We have
learned also, that the nen.slavehSlding white
mOn of the South, millions in number, are im-
movably attached to the institution and are
its chief support; and Abetionists have found
out, to their initiate surprise and disgust, that
the slave is not "psptng for freedom, Hor
pining in silent but revengeful grief over cru
city and oppression inflicted upon him, bat
happy oontented attached deeply to his mas
tor, and.unwilling least eager--to accept
the precious boon Of freedom which they have
proiIered him. appeal to the President for
the prSof. | appeal TO the fact that fewer
slaves have escaped, even frsm Virginia, in |
now nearly two years, than Arnold and Corn,
walls carried away in six months Of invasion
in 1881. Finally, sir, we have learned, and
the South too what tho history bffthe world
ages ago, and our own history might have
taught US, that seryIe ingurreclion is the least
OF The dangers to which she is exposed. llenca,
ia my deliberate judgment, African slavery,
rs an institution will come out Of this conflict
hly.iold stronger than whOn the war began.
----O~-.----.---