Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-04-15
THE SUBSTANCE OF A SPEECH.
Hon. JOHN HUTCHINS
BEFORE The
UNION LEAGUES''
WARREN, YoUNGsTowN q NILES

H. salG, the questions al stake, anu the
times are too serious for mere declanlatio
1t is the duty of every loyal citizen to Sc
riously enquire. whether his position Is
one of unconditional loyalty to the Gov
ernment that protects him Is he doing
all in his power to sustain the Govern
ment, and do his acts in any manner tend
to embarrass, the lawfully constituted au.
thorities in the prosecution of the war.
for the suppression of this causeless and
wicked rebellion?
No position in society, no party obliga.
tions can shield US from responsibility
touching our duties TO our country in this
its hour of peril. The conspiracy to over
throw the Government, is more extensive
and alarming, than many at first sup
posed. | have carefully watched it for
the last four years, from a stand point
that gave me good opportunities for oh
seryation. / have carefully watched the
leading conspirators, in and out Of Con-
gress, and have taken note of their
positions and Vaccinations. If you will
exercise little patience, | will expose
some of them this evening. This con-
spiracy which has been long in contem-
plation, broke out in open rebellion. IN
the fall and winter of 1860 and '6l, on
the pretext that the election of a repub-
lican president, under the form of the
constitution was iustifably cause. for
the dissolution of the Union. Mr.. Bu-
ehanan elected by the Democracy in 1856.
was then president, and the leading
members of his cabinet, were in that con-
spiracy. Mr.. Cobb, of Georgia, Secretary
of the Treasury, Mr.. Thompson, of Miss
issippi, Secretary of the Interior, Mr..
Floyd, of Virginia, Secretary of War,
were actively engaged in it, and Mr..
Tcncey, of Connecticut, Secretary of the
Navy, was believed to be in sympathy
with il. This conspiracy soon con-.
trolIed the public sentiments of the States
of Alabama, Arkansas. Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas,
South Carolina, North Carolina, and Vir-
ginia, all giving democratic majorities for
Mr.. Buchanan, in 1856. There has been
in the States of Kentucky, Missouri and
Delaware-States casting their electoral
vote in 1856, for the Democratic candi-
data strong secession element which
came very near overpowering the loyal
sentiment in those States, and hitching
them TO the fortune of the Southern Con-
federacv These are facts which no one
will dispute.
The entire democratic party, of the
rebel States, are in this gigantic
conspiracy, to destroy the Government
of the United States, and build on its ru-
in a slave-holding empire. / assert, be-
cause believe it to be true, that a large
and influential portion, of what is called
the democratic party in the loyal States,
is also in this same conspiracy, doing all
it dare, to give aid and comfort to the
conspirators in the rebel States. l believe
that a majority of the democratic party in
the States not in rebellion, are loyal, and
would not Willingly give countenance to
measures tending TO embarrass the Ad
ministration in its efforts to preserve the
Government. To all such, will submit
facts, and arguments, showing that their
present position, is one of hostility TO the
Government, and if perSevered in, may
result in the overthrow of the Constitu-
ton of the United States-at all events,
it will tend to protraet the war, and
strengthen this slave-holding conspiracy.
This is rebellion in the interest of slavery
no intelligent man will controvert this
proposition. Wherever the slaye-holding
interest is the strongest, there this re-
beliion has taken the deepest roots
Wherever there is a strong pro-slavery
feeling in the loyal States, there sympa-
thy with treason has taken the deepest
roots, in its threatened opposition To the
Government.
The Democratic party in the now loyal
States for a number Of years, has been in
close political alliance, with the men who
inaugurated, and who now control the
rebellion. II has been educated ia that
alliance. In the interest of slavery, the
rights Of the States, have been elevated
above the rights of the General Govern
ment. The democratic States now IN re-
bellion, generally succeeded in engratt
ing upon the Democratic platform, their
theory on the slave question. and l. e
democratic party has been forced. to ad-
yocate it, and when the election of
1860 demonstrated that the shareholders
could no longer control the Government
by ballots, they resolved TO do it
by bullets, by Withdrawing from the
Union, and reeonstructing upon basis
more certain to secure slave-holding as
tendency, than under the present Consti-
tuition, and IN tie present Union. The Ad-
ministration of Mr.. Buchanan, gave coun-
tenance, and support TO this conspiracy,
and so did many leading and influential
democrats of the now loyal States.
When the Both Congress assembled at
Its annual session in December lSGO, it |
was apparent that South Carolina and 9th |
er of the Southern States would attempt |
their long cherished scheme of secession.
In his annual Message to Congress, Presi- |
dent Buchanan gravely discussed the
right of a State to secede from the Union |
and reached the wise conclusion that 1t /
was unlawful, and in the same message
he asserts that Congress, under the Con-
stitution, possesses no power to prevent a
state from doing what it had no lawful
right to dol In expressing this absurdi-
ty he used the following language:
1.-The question, fairly stated, is, has the
Constitution delegated to Congress the
power to .coerce state into submission
which is attempting to withdraw or has
actually withdrawn from the Confedera-
cy? If answered in the affirmative, it
must be on the principle that the power
has been conferred on Congress to declare
and make war against state. After
much serious reflection, / hare armed at the
conclusion that no such pO10er has been detGga-
ted to Congress or to any other department Of
tie Federal Government"
This was not the language of Andrew
jackson; it was the language OF James
Buchanan, and gave encouragement to the
conspirators. They did not care Tor the
right, if the Government did not possess
the power to coerce them On the
18th of December, after this message OF
President Buchanan was delivered, that
genuine democrat and noble patriot, An
drew johnson, of Tennessee, made an
elaborate and scathing speech in the Sen
ate of the United States, exposing the
object and purpose of the conspiracy to
break up the government. wish every
loyal democrat in the land could read
this speech. 1t can be found in the Con-
gressional Globe of the I'd session of the
36th Congress, part 1st, page l34 Mr..
johnson shows clearly by extracts from
the leading conspirators South, that their
purpose was to break up the Government
and establish constitutional monarchy,
or a strong form of government. There
l. much valuahle history in this sneech.