Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-05-07
A Sensible Speech.

We are glad that Massachusetts had one
man of common sense in the last Congress
Judge Thomas, though a Republican fre-
quently gives utterance to reasonable and
conservative views. We make the fol-
lowing extract from his speech on the ne
gro soldier bill:
Mr.. Speaker, let me now turn to anoth-
er feature of this bill, the term of enlist
ment. 1t provides for the enlistment of
men for u period of fire years. Whyf tee
years? ! think there is moro Significance
in that word Give" in this bill than all in
other words written in it, Its possible
objects are not written. DO you mean
to say to the country that it is your ex-
pectation, your reasonable expectation to
make enistments for your army, that this
war is to continue for a period of i've years
longer? Doyou mean to say o the country
that on this first scale on which the war is
prosecuted, and at the epense of treasure
and life at which it is prosecuted, you ex-
pect to carry it on for five years more? II
such be your expectation. it just and
manlyto say so. If such be not your ex-
pectation ,ipray add nothing to the anxiety
and alarm of tho people,
MIR. Speaker, if the object Of this war
is restoration, that involves state of
things, present or future, which will soon
be developed and felt. A war for the
restoration proceeds upon the ground
that you will find in the rebel States, as
your army advances and protection is
made possible men who are ready to raj
ly again under the blessed flag of the Tn,
ion and to return TO their allegiance to
tho national Government. If that feel
ing exists and is developed certainly it
will DO developed before thelapse OF
five years; never by this instrument
lay, never. But if the object Of this war
is not restoration; if the purpose and
object Of this war areas sometimes de-
clared in the heart and brilliant rhetoric
gentlemen on your left-subjugation, ex-
termination, the e.colonization of the
whole rebel territory, then your term of
enlistment is altogether too short-alto-
gether too short.
If, Mr.. Speaker, the object Of the cx-
termination, there is not one Of these
pages, snatched prematurely from his
mothers arms or cradle, who will live to
see the end. You have been waging the
war two years, and yet the number Of in.
habitants in tho robel States to-day is
larges than it was when the war begun.
You cannot, probably, if you would, and
You would not if You could, carry on a
war with ferceness and severity that would
destroy life as rapidly as it terminates.
Men, in war even, will marry and wo.
men be given in marriage; children will
be born to them, and mothers will hold
them to their flowing breast as the storm
sweeps by, The angel of life will triumph
owes the angel of death. Such is the bless
ed economy Of God. The determination
of eight millions of people, with the Use
of all our power and all our resources, is
moral and physical imposSibility, OI
this war, if it ID carried on for extermina.
ton. neither you nor |, Mr., Speaker, may
hope to sec its close but in one way. tC
us the way of deepest humiliation the
intervention of other nations, TO stay it,
ravages. Who talks Of war of extermi
nation is simply mad"