Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-06-20
Gerrit Smith ON the Value of the
Hinton

Union.
| We give few extracts from the speech
Of Gerrit Smith, delivered ut Utica, N. Y,
on the 26th. He has always been an ultra
abolitionist, and has spent perhaps, hun
drcd thousand dollars in the support of that
cause. He goes in, however, for the uncon-
ditional suppression of this wicked rebellion,
even though the great object of his life
should be endangered. No one ever doubt
cd his honesty and sincerity, however much
they were opposed to his policy His ex-
ample of patriotism might well be followed
By some professed democrats, who excuse
their partizan and unpatriotic efforts by the
constant CRY of abolition.
THE CAUSE.
ask, what is this common cause that has
drawn us together Just here give me your
special attention. / ask again. what is this
common cause Is it to save the Constitu
tion1 Oh it is inexpressibly more than
that. There arc many good, patriotic men
who don't wish the Constitution saved as it
is they wish to have it altered. /, for one,
would not have one word of it altered; l
have pleaded for it with lips and pen more
than any Democrat living or dead. 1would
not have one word in it altered.
| Well, if this common cause is not to save
the Constitution, is it to save the Union
Oh ! no unspeakably more than that.
| There are good men and wise men, who do
not like all the terms of our Union like
them all. have never taken in my life,
with lips or pen, the slightest exception to
any of them and probably never shall.
| Nn11 ,, ,t thn, &c ntr,-
that is this common cause2 1t is not even
that, for there are many good men who do
not like the present boundaries of our coun-
try. They wish it to be made smaller. For
my own part every rod of it is dear to my
heart. l would not have one star pass from
the national flag. Not even poor South
Carolina.
I love her for the memory of her noble
men who stood by the side of our revolu.
tionary fathers. l love her for another
reason love her for what she will become
again when she shall have come out of hel
present degeneracy and madness. Well
now, If this common cause which has drawr
us together is not the saving of the Consti
tuition, nor the saving of the Union nor tht
saving of the country, pray what then is it
My answer will be-and it will leap up from
your hearts to your lips-it is the putting
down of the accursed and causeless rebellion
we will stand together at this point, where
all good and just and patriotic men can anc
do stand with US. And that is the yer,
point where unpatriotic and selfish men re
fuse to stand with us.
The putting down of this rebellion mus
be done, come what will to Constitution
and Union, and even country. l hold tina
our duty to justice, in putting down thi
rebellion, is infinitely more commanding anC
absolute than any duty we owe to the Con
stitution or the Union, or even the bounda
rics of our country. claim that we arc t,
go for putting down the rebellion uncondi
tionally. Can you go that3 You are no
to say, we will consent to put down the re
bellon on condition of saving the Constitu
ton, the saving of the Union, or the savin!
of the country you are to say we go 70
putting down the rebellion Internationally
and that is just where these traitorous enc
mics will not go along with us.
What some one question me, Would yo
60 for putting down this rebellion with a.
the possible risks that the Union, the Con
stitution, and the country might go dow
with itl l answer, l would. | answer,
make no calculation at all at that point
My only duty has been, from the first, tn
putting down of this rebellion. And hence
some old Abolitionist, perhaps, would ask
: Do you go for putting down this rebellio
at all possible hazards, that slavery may sui
vive and be stronger than ever / would
| run that risk. l have no conditions
make in behalf of any of my hobbies an
have not had since the day the news reache
me at Petcrboro' of the bombardment q
Sumter. And now let me here say, that i
my philosophy. the putting down of Grim
cannot bring any harm to any good, canno
bring any help to any evil. Hence the put
ting down of this rebellion, which is tn
crime of crimes, cannot bring any possibl
harm to any good, in the Constitution, i
the Union, or in the Country, or in Free
dom-none whatever, call it the crime {
crimes