Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-03-19
Speech
Hon. ISAACWELSH, ,ofBcImont,

Hon. ISAACWELSH, ,OfBclmont,
Delivered In the Senate Of Ohio. n arc b
I'D, fseS, on the following Joint Re -
lutfons Submitted by himself
WHEREAS, A republican form Of government 4. he
hesed 70 resi- largely upon Ie Of thu governed
snd can Oiy be lainained when war is waged for its
oesfHeuo, " heHny corporation Of the oyai peo-
WnEEEAs, fbe Consolation Of the United states
founded BY the wisdom and patriotism Of our fathers
sey wIsey pfoydes Tor government Of legisiauYe.
yuicisI aud executive departments, with power believed
20 he ample To defend the rights oi people, maintain
,e we suhohiy oi The yoverent and execute the
WHEREAS. An unholy warfare is now wazed by
certain states against the authority OF the legally coi.
su,oea Government Of the country, aa provision
ns1e by ihe Consultation for the suppression Of re.
beoi aud the enforc Of the laws Il,
the e ssy constituted authorities Of conniry aud as
me execution OF the laws, iu republican denDe
nrm o. government depends largely upon tie 10y ally
ana patriotism Of the people, therefore,
resolved by the Gen.ra Assembly Of the Slate Of
Ohio Ili we deem proper rs the representatives. Of
e people TO renew our pledges Ia the nan- Of the pe
PIC ol ihe state To the General Government to render il
n the mid wlibin power both morally and nlv,icsl
y ~ IT'S lsudable efforts To put dow the rebellion pre-.
serve the Constitution aud restore the Union
resolved, That II Is with pain and norEc alton that
we near Oi the propositions OF either persons or pares
~ the North TO divide the loyal States with h. ultimate
uesSn OF attaching any portion Of those States 10 the so
e"lei Souibeh Cohicderaey and that DO 10 the
hue VI ue people OF the state %; Ono most y
protest against such heresy believing that il NOT only
proposes TIE de irlcton Of the Constitution and OF the
Uhi0n but would, II encouraged result finally In the
probable overthrow OF our civil brrtie. - ~
Resolved, That any altsnh By persons or parties in
e Noh 10 divide the territory Of the Union. while the
seheia 5oyernchl ~ waing war Tor iis preservation
Is a act oi disloyaltygIying aid and comfo In the
enemies OF the country-and is deserving the
'elIsheisioi aud condemnation OF all loyal men and
Resolved That the Governor be requested 10 forward
cope, OF The foregoing preamble and resolutions to the
President OF the United States and 10 each OF our Sena
'ors and Representative, in Congress.
Mr.. Welsh said
Mr., PRESIDENT The author of the
resolutions under consideration, in drafting
them, made an honest effort, at least, TO pre
sent the naked questions of loyalty and dis
loyalty to the Senate. He studiouslv avoid.
cd bringing in the dogmas of any political
party. We cannot afford in such times as
tnese 10 waste our strength in either get
ting up or discussing side issues A war is
6eing waged, fierce and terrible, against our
government, against our free institutions,
against our national existence. All our
power, our energy, our strength must be
Drought into active requisition to subdue
the rebelilon; and to make our success reas.
onably certain we must have the united
action OF all the loyal men of the North.-
Inc resolutions propose to renew our pledges
oil loyalty to the Constitution, to the main
tenance OF the Government through its
legally constituted authorities, its constitu-
tionally appointed agents. Is there any
better way, Is there any other way to save
the GovernmJnt than through its legally
constituted authorities? l know of none,
have heard Of none; even those Senators
who take exceptions to these resolutions
have suggested nons. The Ssas.or from
Ashland, Nr. kenney,) moved to strike
out from the pledge we propose to make to
sustain the General Government, and pre-.
serve the Constitution, the words, both
morally and physically, in its laudable" and
insert in lieu thereof, ''in all Constitution,
al, so that it would read, Sin all Constu-
tional efforts to put down the rebellion" f"
The object Of this amendment is quite
apparent. The Senator, am sure, will
not take it as unkind in me to intimate that
be is q true disciple of the Vallandigham
school OF politics; cardinal doctrine of
which IS opposition to nearly all the efforts
OF the Government to put down the rebel.
lion, and that opposition based largely upon
assumed constitutional grounds. "In all
constitutional efforts sounds plausible, but
IN this connection it is deceptious, the re-
bells urged the same doctrine while plotting
treason in the Cabinet and after they had
taken up arm against the Government.
Those who sympathized in any degree
with the rebellion in the North we're loud
IN their denunciation OF the President for
his executive usurpations in the prosecution
of the war. Hear what Mr.. Vallandigham
says in his late speech in Congress on this
subject 1.-The right to declare war, to raise
and support armies, and to provide and
maintain navy, was usnped by the Ex-
ecutive; and in little more than two
months land and naval force of over three
hundred thousand men was in the field or
upon the sea-" \ ** IL could not,
with my convictions, vote men and money
for this war, and | would not as a repre-
sentative vote against them"
But | have denounced from the beginning
the usurpati0ns and the infractions one and
all, of law and constitution, by the Presi.
dent and those under him their repeated
and persistent arbitrary arrests, the sus-
pension OF habeds corpus, the violation Of
freedom OF the mails OF the private house,
OF the press and Of speech, and all the 9TH
er multiplied wrongs and outrages upon
public liberty and private right, which have
made this country one Of the worst despot-
isms on earth for the past twenty months"
These are the doctrines, apprehend, Of
the party which seeks to be accommodated
by the proposed amendment. No support
to the Government in its constitutional acts;
they themselves being the judges of what is
constitutional. The amendment proposes
to strike out morally aud physically. y
Physically may be harsh word to a party
holding the doctrine that we have no con-
stitutional power to coerce State, or that
the military authorities have no power to
punish rebel sympathizers in the North for
giving aid and comfort to the enemy; but {
know Of no better way to put down an arm
ed rebellion than by armed force. The Sem
ator from ClGrmont says, in substance, take
the Constitution and present it to the South,
show them its beauties, explain to them
their rights under the Constitution, with
draw the proclamation and revoke offensive
orders, &C., and then ask them to come
back. This would not only pacify the South
but unite the North. The Senator from
Miami here proposed the following question
m"What is the present policy of the Dem
oeratic party on the prosecution of the
war p g4o. b.. g',a ,-,..5....,. b
Mr.. johnson said ''the reply was easy I"
'the resolution of j. j. Crittenden adopted
by Congress ip July, 1861, was the shorter
catechism Of the Democratic church."