The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-06-27

/
port of the speech Of Col T. LYLE DIcKr
+ and the Resolutions adopted at the recer
: great democratic convention at Sprin,
!, field:
SPEECH OF COL. DICKEY
Mr.. DIckey was impressed with tn
momenteus responsibility of undertaking
even for moment, to be mouthpiece 70
this vast assemblage, assemblage ant
occasion without precedent in the histor
of this country, or any other on the fac,
OF tho earth,-a concourse of freemeI
; called together to consider the involve
ments of civil war exceeding anythip,
the world had ever seen for magnitude =
a great convention of a great people, tha
would not submit to oppression in any
form. minority Of the people of thi.
country, but under constitutional and
legal forms. had placed man in the Pr. 81
deney of the United States who under
color of his position As a representative oi
the people, had undertaken to override
the laws SO far as to dictate to the people
what they shall speak, what they shall
read, and what they shall think. We
habitually regarded the governments oi
Europe-England, France, Spain, Italy,
those people as living under the heels Of
tyrants; but in none of these countries,
for hundreds Of years past, had any one
of these sovereigns undertaken the exer-
else of such despotic power as that now
assumed by President Lincoln. In Eng
land they had q constitution, wrested from
| the unwilling hands of the Kings, which
! guarantees the freedom of speech and Of
the press to all outside of the army and
navy service out in our own land. III these
| days of proclamations and orders, the
doctrine was sought to he established that
! it rests with the President and the mili-
tarv, in any state Of this Cnion-no mat
ter how peaceful, no matter how we'll the
laws are executed,-It rests in the Execu-
tive discretion to arbitrarily arrest whom
soever he pleases, if he thinks he may
thereby weaken the arm Of the rebellion,
But was the suppression Of the rebellion
really the object of the administration
When the war broke out, we were told
officially that the army was called out to
maintain the laws and prevent successful
violation of the constitution. The demo-
cracy then rushed into the ranks, took
! hold of the old flag, and stood by it in
many hard fought and bloody field. AT
the time Corinth was evacuated, he was
~ tudt HiilteT IlILseIIt anu udu ptfSDUai
knowledge Of the fact that the body of the
southern people then regarded the gov
ernmert of jeff Davis as monstrous OPP
pression, ane gladly, if they could have
seen the road, would they have come back
again 10 the old constitution Of the Uni-
ted States as an institution OF the Just
government of man, the promotion of viz
tue an peace, and the suppression Of vice
and crime,-not merely an institution for
punishment, but also for the protection
and the reward of virtue. But, now, he
ask cd, what has this admInistr alton doi Q
TO induce the southern people TO return to
their allegiance and sit down under the
old constitution Not one word had ever
issued from the administration OF Abra-
ham l. lincoln inviting them TO return.
Was there ever before EN- instance in his
tory where a rebellion maintained itself
for two long years in war, and the head
of the government issued no proclamation
that. if they would coms back, they should
be received aud protected? All otner
great governments had followed the policy
of r-claiming rebels, by holding out LIE,
pardon and protection TO the masses
But the administration had failed 10 DO
this. And when their prospects began -
fail. and when our taxes began 10 ro.i-up-
on US in mon.trous and ruinons proper
,ions, what did they do? They knew the
people Of the southern States had been
led into the belief tn at the abolitionists OF
the North had obtained power in order
to put down slavery, and would IT not have
been the dictate of wisdom that their
minds be dsabused on that subject?
Should they not have been taught that
the government proposed not to interfere
with their rights? that there was no de
D. i
sign to get hold Of their slaves! But no :;
the subject of slavery in the District OF
Columbia-a matter of mere loca. interest,
of ten miles square-had to be seized upon,
amidst the roar of cannon the the strife OF
armies, and slavery must be abolished
there, when it must have Leen obvious to
all minds that the result would strengthen
the cause of the rebellion.
Then followed the enactment Of that
most imrrudent and indiscreet confisca-
ton bill, to strip every man of his proper
ty in the rebellious States,-the very
thing to make rebels of all the Union
men of the South Men Of the south who
had stood out for the old flag, with their
lives IN their hands, made then this re
( Election 's If it comes to this, and We are
all to be stripped Of wha: we have we
NAV lust as we'll fight it out and they
rushed into the ranks Of the Confederate
( armies He regarded that as most fatal
: mistake.
| Then came suddenly upon the country
the Presidents proclamation, when, but
/ ten days before, he had himself published
the most conclusive argument against 1t ;
| and that proclamation, of itself, gave Jeff.
DAVIS more strength than $4,000 men adj
ded to his armies. And they said it was a
war measure,-the negroes were raising
southern bread, while the white men were
fighting. Now, was that sincerely taken
Was it true? Consider moment What
did Lincoln advise the negroes to do? lie
advised them to stay at home peaceabiy,
and work for their masters for a reasona,
BILE compensation. Laughter Would
that have reduced the strength OF the
rebel armies Voices, "No. no, Did
he expect them to take his advice,-stay
at nome and work? t" No If he did
it would not have weakened the rebellion
And if he did not expect to weaken the
rebellion by it, then this pretence was
basely given out as screen to cover some
ulterior purrose,-a hypocrisy to conceal
the real object of the war. Applause.
Either he did not intend 1t as a war meas
ure, or the advice OF Abraham Lincoln was
hypocritical Applause continued u
was too great a stretch of charity for thu
American people to believe that Abraham
Lincoln, man of thirty years experience
in public affairs, a man who had stood IN
the front rank OF lawyers, and had wres
tied respectfully with Douglas in Stat
Isenatorial canrr..;ssn-that such mar
would not have known that such proc
lamat,on would have made the southern
! people q perfect unit He must hay
been a fool if he did not know that J
would have united those who should hay
1 been divided, and divided those wh'
; ; shosld have been united, in the mamie
. nance of the authority of the governmen