New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-03-27
THE REBgLLION-THE ,-v OF
OF THE PAsT-ThH
THE PRESENT.
Speech of the Hon. GEO wan.ssr.
Indiana. in sho rsou'' Oh "'p'
..,i,es. Feb rs, 1858.

m. uorse having under consideration tue uin W
..;f, thu President and other persons for sus-
,.ndng the privilege, of the writ Of habeascorpus
and acts committed in pursuance thereof
NJ. Jrlian said-Mr Speaker: The line OF areu-
Ut ,ronose 10 pur me daring The hour which be-
iongs 70 me is general in its character ana VIII no'
snecsy refer to the measure now pending oeioe tue
House. II viii not, however, be found suostai-
t;elIv irrelevant 10 the subject; and as have Al
rsadv wsi'sd several weeks for the floor and me
wildcat latitude has thus far been allowed IN ms
debate trust shall be permitted to proceed WITH
ont encouutering very strict construction OF ,ne
rues Of order provided for the government OF the
body. ,.s;.. ,,rouob
which our country Is psssng, and % oeVise,
,rble lust and wise policy for the Goverhmeh. az
;ts fuure action the mind naturally rever's TO ,ne
net There il sense in which it is Wen TO lei ny
conee be by -gones, but VIC can never ahord 70 us
pense with tie lessons OF experience by IN e'eln'
law az unvarying in pohtics ~ morals, to-usN Is
made the child OF yestt'day, anu VIE .na,h., in
nofrow--,he past AMI the presert linked togethei IN
tba relation Of cause and effect, and lrreyocaoly
woven into the future. II il true philosophy there
fore IN nroG, by our mistakes 10 the extent OF shun-
ming their reOeti'ion while causing ne past 70 reap
near where its deeds have been worthy.
The triumph of the Republican party in 1850 was
the triumph of Freedom over Slavery do not say
that all who supported Abraham Lincoln We're Afro
litionsts, or even Ant-savery men or all VINO T ny.
would BE- very far from the exact truth. What al
firm is that hostility to Slavery WAS the anirstlng
sentiment Of the men whose deeply:rooted conv'cc
tionu and uuquenchsde zeal made the formation OF
the Republican party necessity, and Derysd II Win
ali ts real strength; while on the other hand the
sspousal OF Slavery was the grand and darling pur-
nose of those whose shaping hand and inspiring am
bition gave life and Law TO the Democratic organ1a-
I 20 further still. The contest of 1850 YVES moi
simply a struggle between Slavery and Free
dom, but struggle Of life and death: slavery
O. system of unskiled labor mands the right
OF unrestricted extension over fresh SOIL az eonal
ton of it's life. Thi'is law Of nature attesed By
tho Seminole and Florida war, the SEIZURE OF 1exas
the war with Mexico the repeal OF the Missouri 70
s,ricton the raid into Kansas and by It's entire bis
tory in this country. Confne il by impassabl'
boundaries, and it will turn upon and devour its Owl
life and destroy both master snd slave. Slavehoid
ers understand this perfectly and do not marve
that Their hostility not assuaged in the 'males
degree BY the Republican dogma OF pon.interferenc
with II in the States. They knew that the excu
sion of IL from all Federal territory would not on
Put the nations brand upon ii in tho States whic
it scourges, and condemn 1t as public enemy, bu
virtually sentence 1t to death. They believed, wit
our Republican fathers, that restriction means de
struction. They knew Chat sc the first dose OF med
cine given TO a sick man forms part Of the who'
process OF cure the policy OF iinitston "a an To-
cspi.nt remedy for great national malsdy woul'
be followed by other measures, moral. economical
and POLITICAL which would ultimately but surely
sxpsl il from the country Hence they fought Re
pubhcsnsm with all the zeal and desperation which
power, threatened with snfocation and death. The
were simply obeying the law Of self-preservator
and think !, due TO frsnsne,s to confess that II
hurled at tho Republican, party, was by no mea'
totally wanting in essential truth. When they we
vanquished in tue election OF Mr. Lincoln, their
peal from the ballot to the bullet was the logic
coussauence of their insane devotion to Slavery,
their conviction ,nss nothing could cave it but
ruin Of the Republic. -.
Last Presidential canvass 1t was the long pos por
battle between Slavery and Anti.Slavery, fairly
copntenug each other at the balot.oox Ii was
struggle bet ween two intensely hostile ideas wre
Ling for the final mastery Of the Republic Freedo
through the Republican party no its Instrument, t
umphed over Slavery, with both wings of the Dem
cratic psrty it's servants and tools for the 9isn
tion between BreckioridQe Democracy and ID ugh
Democracy was purely metaphysical, and elude
entirely, the plain common sense of honest men.
Now, Sir, / hold tia. the people Of the Unit,
States, who earned aud fairly achieved this gre
victory, had vested right 70 its fruits They hf
right t. expect the domination OF Slavery Il
National Government TO cease. They had night
demand that all it's Departments should be conmi
ted to the hands of those who believed in the graz
idea on which tbeA administration ascended TO powe
And the Intervention OF the Rebellion In no degrt
whatever released the Government from ts duty
this respect. The Rebellion did not refute but cor
Armed the truth OF Repubicanism. IL simply
advanced stage of slaveh0ldlng rapacty natural
born Of Democratic misrule; and instead Of tenptn
us to cover before II and surrender principle
furnisbed an overwhelming argument in favor
standing by them TO the death.
/ do moi say that no man who had been identiGe
With the Democratic party should have been az
pointed 10 office, bat that no who regarded wit
indifference the great principle woich had trumphe
Ia the canvass; no mau. certainly, who was know
20 be hostile TO that principle thould have been q
lowed to hold any Federal office, high or low, civ
or military, at home abroad. THIS the dut
Of the Administrator; for the simple reason that
could not deciue it wi b fidelity to the people VIII
had installed it in power. The Republican priDcpl
was true after the election during the canvass
% true in the midst of war in seasons of peace
and just far have lost sight Of this truth
just far have we streyed from the path of safety
Indeed instead Of putting principles in abeyAnc
when the storms OF war came, We should have clun
30 them with redoubled energy and q dedicate
zeal Instead OF making terms with our vanqnshet
opponents by couferriuR upon them Office and power
we should have taught them that these were neces
sarily forfeited In our triumph And we should Lav
remembered that even our enemies would brand u
n hypocrites and towards if the Administration
should be less dihinctively Republican in procipl
and policy than bad been the party which created it
Very nearly allied to the policy OF conciliatug on
opponents, and thus building up their power, wal
Tho project Of Union party, encouraged by Repub
hcan politicians simultaneously with the beginning
OF this Administration. Such movement, started
soon after heated political canvass involving the
tssue OF Slavery aud Anti Slavery was utterly pre-
posterous. Tue war grew out Of the very question
winch mad organized our parties and marshaied them
against each other In time OF peace; and hence ill.,
saa OF melting aud iusing them into one their lines
oi'slon would be brought all the more Dalpa.
ply, and their sntagonisus all the more Intensified
~ wss Incredible that PrO-SlaveTy Democracy after
having been 30 thoroughly drugged and surfeited
WIN oe hereties OF Southern Rebels should in the
sS. an In an eye, enter into cordial union with
raH.