Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-09-24

actions. ! was present at all those de.
bntes, and in all those conferences, and
daily and hourly did hear my colleague,
who then was Benjamin +. Wade, and
others Of his party, declare that they
had no compromise to offer and none to
accept. Not merely did they reject the
Crittenden proposition, but every propo-
sition Of every sort. and when my la.
mented friend Stephen A. Douglas rose
and asked them to make a proposition,
they refused to make any pr1 position OF
their own. Now. these Representatives
say that the Crittcnden proposition
would lave been dishOnorable if it
would have been dishonorable they ought
not to have accepted Il. But let us first,
in order to know that, ascertain what
was the material point oil it. The only
point in regard to which there was any
controversy, was the subjec, of slavery
in the territories, torestore the Missouri
Compromise line, end provide that all
North OF that line, 36 deg. 80 min, sla-
very should not be tolerated, but in ter.
rtory forming States South of that line,
it might be tolerated. Was that dshon-
orable, my Republican friends? ICries
Of "No." l need not go back to the
fact that it was the original policy Of the
Government, that by the ordinance OF
1887, slavery was excluded from the
territories North Of the Ohio, and by
leaving out. the slavery clause, slavery
was tolerated South of it, and so the
States came into the Union, Ohio, Indi
ana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin
as non.Slaveholding States, and Ken
tucky, Tennessee. Alabama and Mssis
sirpi as saveholdng States and when
we acquired the territory from France
by what is known as the Louisiana pur.
chase, in 1920, that line was extended tc
the westermost border of this possession
by virtue of which Arkansas, Texas AM
Missouri came in as slave States, anC
Iowa as non slaveholding State.
pass from that and come to the fact that
in the year 1854, when this self.styled
Republican party was established, that
the excuse given for breaking up the
Wing party. the excuse for seeding
from the Democratic party, was that in
the Kansas Nebraska act. the Missouri
Compromise had been violated, that the
solemn plighted faith between North and
South has been set aside. Now, / am
not here to argue that question; it j,
among the dead issues OF the past. lie
me grant all that was said against us
let me give our Republican friends tn
advantage of all the argument on tha
subject for the present, and what then
Why, in 1860, when the Missouri Com
promis e-was offered back, did they accep
it? Dshonorable to accept it in 1860
Then it was dishonorable to complain o
its abrogation in 1854. If the Cri;ten
den proposition was dish on orable prop
sition then, then the Republican party
was dishonorable party from the be-
ginning; SO they may take either horr
of the dilemma. While they would dc
nothing in the way of Compromise. tht
South continued in a state of alarm
and violent men assumed the lead o
Southern opinion, and led many o
these States, and finally most of them
into mad career of secession and dis
union
ABoLITIoNIsTs AND sEcEssIoNIsTs.
Now, l do not think there is any diff
ference between an Abolitionist and 6
Secessionist, except geographically
| (Cheers.) think that the men who, il
the non-slaveholding States. would &C
about preaching crusade against slavery
would, if he lived in sltveholdine
State, be Secessionist, and there he
would. in like manner, preach a crusade
against the -slaveholding States. If
the Abolitionist lived at the South, he
would be Secessionist, and if the Seces
sionist lived at the North he would be
an Abolitionist, and it is mere ques
tion as to where the man happened to be
at the time. and which he thought was
the most popular side.
However, as l said, Mr. Lincoln wen
into Office, not by the votes of the ma
jority of the people, but by the forms o
the Constitutions; and SO; refusing al
compromise, neither accepting any offer
cd by the South, nor offering any himsel
or by his friends, we drifted into this hor
ribe war; we driied, do not say Lin
COlu ht!uCh tue III OF ulOW' aui NV hSi
to accuse the Republican party of NOR
sins than they have rightly to answer fo'
But they provoke it (; while the Seces
sonists struck the first blow, the Aboli
tionists provoked IT.; just as you hav
seen two boys, one Of whom puts chil
on his shoulder, and dares the other to
knock it off. Laughter. In that way
the war began. 1t is sorrowiul war
and it is war that ought 20 be avoided
and which might have been honorably
avoided, safely avoided, the Constitu
ton maintained and the Union existing
day in all its original strength ant
glory. Nevertheless, those who are IL
office, elected according to the forms o
0 the Constitution, thought otherwise; ant
as an obedient citizen, contrary to m,
opinions, | bowed to the constituted au
, thorities of my country, and they havini
determined 10 venture upon the experl
ment of war for the restoration of tn
o Union, ! resolved in my heart, solemn.
, that no vote, no act, no word OF min
| should ever stand in the way of thei
, success; and that covenant. and say
g in the presence OF God, | have kept I
Q this hour. Speaking in the name OF tn
Union and in the name of the Constitu
fion, Mr.. Lincoln, as President, calle'
a tor volunteers; they came up by thou
l ..l b,ndrads of thousands--