Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-10-19
These are your sen

~ ~ EuC(N ~ W. HAA- -
resent the people, the President in bis sphere, and
the other officers Of the Administrator in their
spheres. 1 do not pretend to say that We have
not, all of US, made mistakes. 1t is next to i'm
possible. in the very nature of things, that the i'm
mense machinery of the government should have
been uniformly managed IN times OF such danger
as to have in all cases secured the best possible
results. but this | can say. for the President OF
the United States as well as for those associated
with him in conducting the affairs of government,
that they have sincerely and honestly endeavored
to give effect to the peoples will by restoring the
threatened life of the republic.
Your Governor has been pleased to refer TO my
own services. / sincerely wish that could feel
that they were entitled 70 any part OF the euio
gism pronounced upon them; but must say that
all | have done has been to endeavor to interpret
the American heart, and do just what the jndg
ment of the American mind would demand at my
hands. AT the outset of this struggle. the great
leader for follower, whichever you pleased of
public opiuion in Europe-the London Times
said that Mr.. Chase would very soon find himself
in want of money, and would go to England TO
borrow, and thea England would not let him
have any, and then we would see what would
become of our Wanted republic. What would
YOU have had me to do under these circumstances
\ GU would have done precisely what | did. l
said. ..I will not 90 to England for money. but
she shall come TO us; and if the Times waits for
Mr. Chase 20 come to England TO borrow money,
she will wait till the green isle of England IS
sunk into the depths of the sea-" CHEERS J
That is Just what you would have said.
Well what was next to be done2 / borrowed
all the gold there was in the country. In this
wav I obtained about one hundred and seventy
five millions of dollars in gold, and it DID not
come back quite ms fast as it went, and so the
hanks and capitalists who had furnished the gold
began TO saw TO me, "N e cannot supply you with
specie any longer unless you will agree TO paw US
such prices for it ne will enable Us to buy in Ed
rope TO replace it," This would not do, and the
next question they asked me was, "Wil you take
she paper of our banks and pay us six per cent
interest on it, and then pay it to the soldiers IN
the place of goldl And by and by perhaps
| something will happen-we do not know what"
This was the question that met me. Now, what
would YOU have had me do? You would have
said to me-, Here am !. Mr.. Smith. a farmer;
aud "herr am |, Mr.. Jones, a mechanic and
"here am I, Mr.. Robinson, a merchant-take us
instead of stocks. and base the currency OF the
country on us-go 10 work and make green
backs" | know that was what you would have
advised me to do; and therefore, as my business
was only to interpret YOUR will, 1 went TO work
and made ''greenbacks," and a good many o;
them AT that. had some handsome pictures
nut upon them, too; and as | like TO get pretty
near the people, and as the engravers thought me
rather good looking, | told them they might put
me on the end of the one dollar bills. Laugh
teri
Well. at first 4 great many people thought this
was a bold and hazardous experiment and a good
many of the banks said it was sure to fail; on the
otherhand anumber of the banks. to their honor
he il recorded. said ..you are right, 90 ahead" A
good many disloyal men thought they would be
able to break US down. Some banks and some
persons refused to take the currency. What
was TO be done? You would have told me in
this case to DO exactly what | did do; You would
have said if any blnk is not willing to receive
this money it shall take it or get nothing at al.
So we made it a legal tender, not quite SO tender
as they desired, but legally so. Laughter J 80
the thing went on, and after a while we agreed
that we should issue bonds. and If the people de
sired TO invest in them they could do it and we
would pay the interest in gold. That makes this
currency sound. Ii is simply the love ana grail
tude of the people toward their government put
into the form of money.
But here another step was necessary. IL was
necessary TO have SOM means by which the ma
tional currency could be perpetuated and so we
devised and carried out the national banking sys-
ten This isa brief account OF what We have
done. 1t is a very simple thing. 1t does not
require any great wit to work it out. 1t requires
this-an honest purposeto know what is best and
right to be done; AID whenever you seek to do
that without fear or favor. you will most always
find the right path. and then having found IL, you
have only to ask God to give you the courage to
carry il out. 1t is common sense and courage,
that is all. 1t is the correct Interpretation of the
popular will and then doing that will.
Now | have given you just about as much OF
a report upon the finances as | expect to give to
Congress. But before | sit down let me say a
word about what seems to me likely to be the
issues of this war. Ii there ever was any event
in the history of this world which was distinctly
marked by the tokens of Divine Providence, it is
this war. There had grown up an Institution III
this country which had served as the basis OF an
aristocracy hostile to free labor and all those .in-
terests which YOU most cherish. ltN1as an aris-
tocracy that pressed with equal weight upon the
poor white man of the South and the slave who
was driven like the brute to his daily toll. This
aristocracv had seized upon the national govern
ment and was making it just what they pleased
for the purpose of working their wills They
we're striving to extend slavery into all the free
territory of the country, and to re open the slave
trade that they might make fresh importations
of slaves from Africa at pleasure They secuted
the very idea of tree institutions, and had so or
ganized themselves that they preferred to over
throw and ruin the government rather than sub
nit to having the republic governed by the peo-
pie. In 1860 they determined they would govern
the republic themselves. Lincoln was elected
President. They still had Congress and the
Supreme Court, but they we're not content with
this. They we're not willing the power should
pass out of their hands into the hands OF
the representatives of the people And
so they undertook to break up the republic,
in the insane hope that they could make a new
republic, founded on the slavery of men. They
expected that New York would join them in
bresking up the UniOn-they boastel that lndi-
ana was gong to join.ihem, and Illinois also
They said that all the Northwestern States would
come in rather than have the Mississippi closed.
Thus they hoped 20 be able to found n mighty
slave empire, hut when they began their play by
firing on Fort Sumter. this nation few to arms.
Was not Gnds hand in thatf | think it was
After that you all remember how forbearing the
President was. and how tOrbe airing everybody
was. | used 10 be very impatient sometimes.
and wanted this military thing done, and that
military thing done, and the rebellion crushed
out AT once. But somehow or other, III the Prov,
idenee of God, the thing worked slowly along,
and il was only when we had made up our minds
that slavery was at the root of the rebellion, and
that il must be got oct OF the way, that any very
distinguished success followed our arms Now,
what a remarkable change has taken place. All
over the country to-day slavery is recognized as
the great cause and prop of the rebellion. 1t is
recognized as such IN every rebel State as much
as il is in every Tree State of the Union. liz is
so understood and proclaimed by the rebels in the
South as distinctly as it is by the loyal men of
the South They distinctly understand that they
are fighting for slave empire. and that we are
fighting tor the right of the people to govern
themselves. Now, see the wonderful changes
that have occurred in public opinion upon this
subject. Go with me to Missouri. Three or four
years ago some seventy delegates from Missouri,
with thirty delegates from Kansas. representing
no less than fifty seven counties in Missouri, and
/ know NOS how many in Kansas. called on me