Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-01-22
Mr.. VALLANDIGHAWs SPEECH.

In the Federal House OF Representatives. the 18th,
series OF resolutions under consideration declaring
the rebellion deliberately wicked and without reasonable
excuse that the war was inauguraed solely for the sup
preston Of the rebellion and the restoration Of the Union
as was that the Union restored the should cease
and the seceedng States be received back into the Union
with all the privileges and mmunities to which they
originally eutitlei-when Mr.. vsllandighsm Of Oslo
lie speech which stirred up the Abolition Ire to
lofty pitch We copy portion Of his remarks, from
the reports in the Northern papers:
The only difficulty In the way Of g reunion vas the
o. the will to reunite and while the war lasted tina:
would exist If the country really tired OF
the war and thought the military experiment had been
tried long enough, and enough Of blood and treasure
had been expended and misery inflicted both, he
would then propose this Stop fghtng; make arms-
tics-no formal treaty Withdraw your army from the
seeded States reduce both armies % fir and sufficient:
peace establishment declare absolute free trade between
tue North aud Socth; 6uy and ,el agree upon Zol-
7erein; recall your fleets break up Jour blockade re-
ducs your navy; restore travel; open up the rail-
/ roads; re-estabsh the teegraphs rcunite your eG-
/ press compSn es make more Monitors and irou-
cads but your friendly steamers and steamships again
il motion; visit the North and West visit the South
exchange newspapers migrate in;ermarry Jet slavery
/ alone hold elections at the appointed times; let
US choose a President in 1854; aud when the gospel
OF peace shall have sounded again from heaven into
their hearts and the gospel OF abolition and bate been
expelled let your clergy and the churches meet again In
Christian Intercourse North and South Let secret
ders aud voluntary associations everywhere runlte as
brethren once more In short rive to all the natural
and all the artificial which impc together Their
fullest sway Let time do its Office in drying tears dis
| polling SORROW mellowlug passions and making the
herbs and the grass and the trees 20 grow again upon
the hundred battle fields of this terrible war. He de-
MED that this formal recognition, TO which, for
obvious isonS he would not consent IL was informal
recognition aud the exchange Of prisoners, flags
of truce Sc. If il confessed dsunion il was only
the surgeon who fractured limb and heals it, adj
hitting that Il broken. IL would not do 10 say the
government would have failed to crush the rebellion
IL had failed and would always fail. Neither ought
anybody TO complain that no would be hung; for
nobody would be hung, though the lasted fifty years.
But il nobody 20 be hung then let the wrongdOers
of the administration rejoice and be exceeding glad He
approved Of mediation means of suspendng HOSTILE
ties; hut rejected arbitration. He spoke also OF the im
portant lessons the had taught both Sides in
planning antsayery errors in proving the strength Of
the South and in showing that slavery instead of weak
ness, power; that the nou-slavehodlng white men
OF South the chief support Of slavery and that
there danger Of serye Instructions He said
that the South bad learned too that personal courage
Ia quality 10 all sections and that 10 battle the
men of tie North aud especially OF the West, we're
their equals Twenty months Of had corrected many
errors aud taught.us the wisdom Of a century aud If
would only reunite The Union would be stronger and
more durable than lie expressed his readiness 10
yield personal interests aud the more material rewards
of ambition just to the future good Of the country
Whoever believed the war would restore bis Uuon;
whoever Was for for the abolition Of slavery for
di-union; whoever demanded Southern independence
and final separation would not be satisfied with what he
sud But he had always been for the Upon and would
not surrender it. In youth he had desired 10 live
to see the hundredth anniversary OF American indepen
dence and hear exut In the growing gories
and greatness of the still United States he hoped for
1t sl-sooner II possible In any event. let that day
be the day Of the great restoration. We were in the
midst Of the crisis of the revolution II we secured
peace now and began reunion all would be well. If
not be nothing before US but revolution and an
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