True Democrat., 1863-03-11


 the Northern mind, and because 1t was that which most obviously marks the different civilization ot the two sections Tho South herself, in her early and later efforts to rid herself of 1t, had exposed the weak and offensive parts of slavery to the world Abolition intermeddng taught her Ut last to search for and defend the assumed socal, econ- omic and political merit and value Of the lnstitu- tuition.
 But there never was an hour from the begin ming when it did not seem to me as clear as the sun at broad noon that the agitation m any 1ofh in the North and West of the slavery question must sooner or later end in disunon or civil War. This was the opinion and prediction for years Of Whig and Democratic statesmen alike; anu after 1 the unfortunate dissolution of the Whig party in 1854 and the organization of the present Repubii can party upon exclusively antl-slavery aid sec tional basis, 'the event was inevitable; because, in the then existing temper of the public mind, and after the education through the press and by the pulpt the lecture and the political canvass for twenty years, of a generation taught to hate s'a- very and the South the success of that party pos sessed, as it was, of every engine o political, onSi ness, social and religious influence, was certain 1 It. was only a question of time, and short time Such was it's strength, indeed that | do not believe that the union of the Democratic party Ill looo on any candidate, even though he had been supported also by the entire called conservative or anu | Lincoln vote of the country, would have avaifeu to defeat it; and if it had, the success ot the Abo- lition party would only have been postponed tour years longer. The disease had fastened too strong lv upon the system to be healed untli It had run | it's course. The doctrine ct the" Irrepre8a'Dle | conflict had been taught too long and accepted too widely and earnestly to die out until 1t should | culminate in secession and disunion; ald If CO | ercion were restored to, then iu civil War. be lieved from the first that 1t was the purpose of some of the apostles of that doctrine to force cot I lison bet3 cen the North and the South, either to bring about a separation~or to tnd d vain but I C. ,INo l,tt A Sla avnrU in n a l In any event, knew, or thought knew, that the | and was certain collision, and death to the Union l Believing thus, have for years past denounced those who taught that doctrine with all the vehe- | mence the bitterness, if you choose-l thought It | a righthOus, patriotic bltterness-of an earnest | and impassioned na ture. Thinking thzs, Il lore warned all who believed the doctrine, or followed the narty hich taught with asncerty and depth l of conviction as profound as ever penetrated the heart of man. And when, for eight years past. over | and over again, have proclaimed to the people that the success of a sectional antl-slaEery party | would be the beginning of di5union and civil war 1 in America, believed it. did. had read his l tory, and studied human nature and medltated for | wears upon the character of our institutions anu l form of government and of the people ot the 1 S,uth as well AS North; aud could not doubt the l evaut But the people did not believe me, nor | those older and wiser and greater than l. Ihey | ,eiseted the prophecy, and stoned the prophets | The candidate of the Republican party was chosen l President Secession began. Clvll war was m
 .ienu It was no petty insurrection no temporary combination to obstruct the execution ot the laws in certain States but rerotntlon, systematIc de | liber,te determined, and with con 'ent ot ma inritv of the people of each State winch seeded | C,us.Ie-s it may have been; wicked It my hare bcer} but there it was; not to be ruIed at, sthl 1 less to be laughed at, but to be dealt with by statesmen as a tsct. No display ot FISor or force alone. however sudden great could have arrest l tlo n 3,.t. 1 The wolf had come. But clYll War had not Yet | followed In my deliberate and most solemn l iusgment there was but one Wise amt lna5tery | mode of dealing with it.. Non-coerclon would | avert civil war, and compromise cro7h out poti l Abaltiorism and cCssion. The parent and the child wood thus both perish. But a resort to force would at once precipitate war, hasten seces | sion extend disunon, and, whlielt lasted utteiy cut of all nope o! compromise. believed 'haI l war if long enough continued, would be hnai, eternal disunion. said it, meant It; anu aceori
 inc to the utmost of my ability and influence. 1 erprtcd myself in behalf of the policy o non CO l erc;on. It was adopted by MT. Buchanan's Ad
 ministrati tion, with the almost unanl nous consent | of the Democratic and constitutional Union par ties in nni out of Colsres and in february, with | the concurrence of majority of the Republican, marty in the Senate and this House. But that nar6y di.a.trouslv for the country, refused all { comnroui.e How indeed, could they accept any :! | That which the South demanded and the Demo | cratic and conservative partes of the North and
 West were willing to grant, and which alone could avail to keep the peace and save the Union, i'm | nlied , surrender of the sole vital element of the l n,rtv and its platlorm-of this very principle in l fact unop which it had just won the contest for the Presidency not, indeed by majority Of the l nopular vote-the majority was nearly million | pcainst ,-but under the forms of the Constitu-
 tion. Sir, the crime. the "high crime" of
 inc Republican party was not 90 much its refusal | to compromise as it's original organization upon
 , basis and doctrine wholly inconsistent with the
 stability of the Constitution and the peace of the
 Union.
 The President elect was inaugurated;- and now, If
 only the policy of non coercion could be maintain- | e and " .r thus ayerted, time would do it's work
 in tbe North and the South, and hRal peaceable l adjustment and reunion be secured. some time ln l March it was announced that the President had re
 solyed to continue the policy of his predecessor,
 and even TO step further, and evacuate Sumter
 and the otheN Federal forts and arsena's Tn the | saceIeJ States His own party acquesced the
 whole country reloiced. The policy of non coer
 ciop had triumphed, and for once, sir, Tn my lie
 found myself in an immense majority. NO man
 then nretend9d that Union founded in consent could he cementcd by force. Nay, more, the Pr sl
 dent and the Secretary of State went fnrther.-
 Said MT. Seward, in an official diplomatic letter
 to Mir. Adams
 For these reasons he (the President) would no
 he disnosed to reject cordinal dogma of theirs | (the Secessionists) namely, that the Federal Gov | erpmept could not reduce the seeding States tf
 obedience by conquest, although we were disposed
 to question that proposition. But in fact the Presl
 dent willingly accepts it as true. Only an impe
 rial or despotc Government could subJugate thor
 oughly disl ffected and insurrectionary members o
 the State"
 Pardon me, sir, but I beg to know whether this
 conviction of the President and his Secretary II
 not the philosophy of the persistent and most vig
 orous efforts made by his Administration, and frs
 of all through this same Secretary, the momen
 war broke out and ever since till the late elections
 to convert the United States into an imperial o
 despotic Government? But MT. Seward adds, ant
 agree with him:
 "This federal republican system ofours, is, of al
 forms of Government the very one which IS mos
 unfitted for such labor" r
 This sir, was on the 10th of April, and yet tha
 very day the fleet was under sail for Charleston
 The p0iiey of peace had been abandoned. Col
 lsion followed; the militia were ordered out; civi
 war began.
 Now, sir, on the l4th of April. believed tha
 coercion would bring on war, and war and dlSunlon | More than that, believed, what you all in you
 hearts believe day, that the South could never
 be conouered-never And not that only, but
 was satsiied-and you of the Abolition party have
 new proved it to the world-tbat the secret bu
 req purpose of the war was to abolish savefy Il | the States. In any event, l did not doubt tha
 whatever might be the napmentary impulses. Q | .l.~ j,vbSt ,ladu thayI IpJp p