Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-09-03


report they say thapthey had the most am
pie opportunities Of ascertaining public
opinion in the Cotton States, and then add
1--WE regret to be constrained to state, as
| The result of our inquiries, made under such
circumstances, that only very decided mi.
nority of tho community in these States are
disposed at present TO entertain favorably
any proposition of adjustment which. looks
! towards q reconstruction of our, National
| Union. In this state Of things we have not
deemed It our duty 70 attend any OF the Sc
cret sessions of the Congress. The. -resolu
I tions Of the General Assembly are upon the
table of the Congress-, and having submit
I ted them as peace offering we would poorly
perform the duties assigned to US by enter
ing into discussions which would serve only
to enkindc strife"
But it will be said that these guarantees
could not have been obtained from. the
North. This admit to be true, and only
produce this piece Of history to prove that
whatever might have been obtained, nothing
would have been accepted. But the Con
gress of the United States did pass, by the
constitutional majority Of two-thrds, the
proposition reported by Mr.. Corwin, from
the committe OF twonty-six, TO 80 amend
the Constitution as to perpetuite slavery in
the States. What stronger guarantees could
| be given SO far as the States were concerned
it would be difficult to conceive. What
then would have been left to quarrel aboui2
The Territories. During the session of
Congress which closed on tho 4th of March,
1861 acts were passed to provide temporary
! Governments for the three remaining new
Territories, to wit Colorado. Nevada, and
Dacoiah. These acts contain no trace or
indication of the WilnOt proviso, nor any
other prohibition against the introduction
OF slavery, but, on the other hand, express
y declare, among other things, that "nola
shall be passed impairing tho rights ofprivate
| property; nor shall any discrimination be
l,made in taxing different kinds of property,
but all property subject to taxation shall be
in proportion to the value Of the property
taxed"
Now, when it is considered that all three
of these Territories are north of 3G deg. 80
min, and that in the new Territory now
owned by the United States south of that
line siure,y actnahy ecists and IL recognized
bg the territorial idio, the question may well
be asked, what was there worth quarrel
ing, much less fighting about? Here was
settlement OF the question in the Territories
made by Republican Congress, which gave
the South all that, up to the tune the
NOUNtHtlOIf, sue tldu over aSkeLl,
AMI far more than she could hope to gain,
M any event, by secession. Indeed | think
it must now be apparent that secession, even
if it could have been effected peaceably,
would have been norelnedy tor the grevan-
!, ces Of which they complained. Nay, so far
ms any grievances arising from failure to
obtain a return of our fugitive slaves was
concerned, think il must now be apparent
that 1t would have been an aggravation IN
stead of a remedy for the evil. think all
calm and dispasslonate men everywhere are
now ready to admit that it would have been
far better for US to have accepted the terms
offered US and preserved pence and the
Union, than to have plunged this once hap
py country into the horrors Of this desola.
ting war, which has spread pail over the
whole land; has brought mourning into every
family; has rendered hundreds of. thousands
OF hearthstones desolste has filed tho land
) with MANNED and disabled, with widows and
orphans, and squalid poverty; has crowned
our poor houses and ams-houses; has sport
ed away many hundreds Of thousands Of
lives, and many hundreds of millions OF
treasure, only 70 find the institution for
which they profess to have gone to war IL q
thousand times greater jeopardy than ever
before.
Such being the condition into which they
J have brought the country, the question pre-
sents itself, is there any remedyW A full,
complete, and adequate remedy there is
not; for what can restore the loved ones lost
repair at once the desolatiou, or remove
Immediately the mourning from our land2-
Yet there is remedy which, with the help
ing band Of time, will accomplish much,
4 very much indeed and which, with the en-.
l ergy that usually follows desolating wars,
will peyhaps remove most Of its traces in a
half century. This remedy ispeace, SPEEDY
d pEAcEl But they say that we are so situa-
ted that no proposition for peace can be
made by US; that having proclaimed our in
dependence, we must fight until it is yolun.
tarily acknowledged by the United States,
or until We are completely sVugatetI, On the
meeting OF the British Parliament, which
took place on the 18th of December, 1892,
the King, in his speech 70 tho two Houses,
intilnnted his intention Of going to war with
the Frech Republican. On moving the ad-
dress in answer to the speech memorable
debate arose. On this occasion Charles
; James Fox delivered one Of those powerful
speeches which have made his name i'm,
4 mortal which have forever stamhed him
as, tho ablost Of British debaters and the
first of British statesmen. In the course of
that speech he said: .,. III.
But We now disdain to negotiate Why?
Because wo have no Minister at Paris. :
Why have we no Minister there? Because
France is RepublicL Aud SO we are to
pay in blood and treasure OF the people for
u punct,Hoi " Tho road Of com.
mon sense is simple, plain, and direct; that
of pride and punciilio is as tangled as it is
serpontine." #1.y
In the impassioned language Of Mr. Fox
would ask, are we to pay In blood aud
treasure of tho people for p,oicti1iof-
Shall we pursue the path Of pride and puno-
tilio, which is as tangled rs II is serpentino;
or shall we take the simple, plain, aud d..
rectroad Of common sense, which may lead
TO the happiest results? -Four ftths of the
people Of that portion of North Carolina
bordering for many miles on the Yadkin
river, and believe of the whole State are
in favor of the latter course.
The one great demand of the people of
this part of the State is peace upon any
terms that will not enslave and degrade us
They may perhaps prefer that the indepen-
dence Of the South should he acknowledged,
but this they believe cannot now be obtain.
Il nl, nor in viawinu rho s;tu t,na 30 aN,.:~.