Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1863-02-04

REBELLION N TIE Seeded srArEs-
ADAIN.
The Speaker: The question recurs on
the resolution of the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Mr.. Wright. on which
the gentleman from Ohio Is entitled to the
floor.
Dir, ValIandighaln Mr.. Speaker, en-
dorsed at the recent election within the
same district for which ! still hold seat
IN this floor, by majority four times
greater than ever before. | speak today
in the name and by the authority OF the
people who. FOR six years imtIusled me
with the Office of a Representative Loval.
III the true and highest sense OF the word.
tn the Constitution ard the Mon. they
have proved themselves deyoiedlv attached
To and worthy OF the iibcr;i,- To secure
which the | mon and the Constitution
were established. With can,lur and free
dom. therefore. rs their Representative.
and with much plainne-e OF speech, but
with the dignity and dccCncv due TO this
presence, propose To consider TIE STATI.
OF TIE Union to day, and 10 inquire what
the duty Is of every public man and citi-
zen in this very crisis of the Great Rcvo-
luton.
II i non- two years, sir >ino, Congress
assPtablcd soon after Inc Presidential eicc-
ton. y sectional anti->Iavcry party had
just succeeded through the forms of the
Constitution For the first time n Prc-i-
dent had been chosen upon 4 platform oi
avOwcd hostility TO an institution peculiar
10 nearly one half of the States Of the
Union. and who had himself proclaimed
that there was an irrrj1rc>>iDlc conflict
hccause Of that institution between the
States: and tl.at the Mon could not en-
durc part slave and part free Con
esToS- 1net. ih,-ciorc. in the midst of the
prutUundC>i agitation. not here oIiiv bU;
throughout the cltirc South. Revolution
giarcd upon us. Repeated efforts for con-
ciiaiion and compromise were attempted
III CoGgross and out Of ii. All were re-
iected by tine party coming into power.
except only the promise IN the la-l hour
of the session. and that. too. against the
consent of a majority ot that p;Ir.v both IN
the Senate and House: that CongrcSS-
not the ExeCuiivc-silouli never he au-
! thorizrd 10 abolish or interfere with slave
~ in the States where il existed. South
Carolina seeded: Georgia. Alabama.
Florida. Mississippi, Louisiana. and Texas
/ speedily followed. The other slave States
( held back. Virginia demanded peace
Congress. The commissioners met. and
after some time, agreed upon terms of
! final adjustment. But neither in the
Senate nor the House were they allowed
/ even 4 respectable consideration The
President elect lett his home IA Fcb7larv
and iouneycd towards this capital. ic~iin@
a. lac came proclaiTning that the crisis
was only artificial, and that e. nobod,
was hurt" lie entered this ciiv unl,r
cover of night and In disguise On the
Itll of March hr was inau-Irslt-L sur-
rounded by >oldicry: and, swearing to
support the Constitution of the I ui;cd
. States. announced. In the saline breath.
that the platform OF hi~ party should bc
the law unto him. From that mrncni
MI hope % poaccable adjustment fed
But for little while. either with un>ic.l.i-
fast sincerity or IN prrmc,liiated deceit. fhc
policy OF peace was proclaimed. eycn To-
the evacuation of Sumter and iic other
Federal forts and ar~cnalS IN tlse ~c"C,lcl
States. Why that policy wa~ suddenly
abandoned. time will fully ,iiScloSe. Bu;
Just after the spring elections, AMI TIA
secret meeting in this city of the Cover
norS OF several Northern and Western
States. a fleet carrying large number oi
men was sent down o-tcu~ihly to- provision
Fort Sumter. The authorizes of South
Carolina eagerly accepted the challenge.
and bombar,led the fort into surrender,
while the fleet fired not a gun, but Just ~
soon as the flag was struck, bore away
aud returned to the North. Ii was Sun
day. the-I4th of April, 1861 =; and thai
day the President. in fatal haste and with
out the advice or consent of Congress. j.
sued his proclamation, dated the next day
calling out seventy-tivc thousand miiti:
ior three months, to rePoescFs the forts