The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-04-16

of disunion, daughter and applause,l and
seeing what was the prospect ! quietly with
drew, Applause and we went from that
hour far apart. How far apart you shall
Judge, when tell you that on tho 18th Of
December, 1850, I shook hands in terms of
personal friendship with jefferson Davis,
and on the 2Sth Of December, 1862, had
the pleasure Of reading his proclamation
that was to be hung at sight. Laughter]
And row, my friends, ifyou will allow me
to pass on few moments in this line of
thought, as we come up to the point of time
when these men laid down their constitu-
tional obligations. What were my rights
and theirs, at that hour they repudiated
the Constitution Of the United States by a
solemn vote, under the forms Of law--in SOL
emn conviction They took arms in their
hands, and undertook by 70 .ce Of arms to
rend the Constitution, and what seemed to
be forced separation Of the heritage which
my fathers had given me as rich legacy TO
my children, and, when they did that, call
every mans attention to the facts that they
abrOgated, abnegated and forfeited all the
constitutional rights, and released me from
every constitutional obligation, Iapplanse.[
And, when then was called upon to say
what shall be my action IN regard to slave
ry why, was left to the Natural instincts
or my heart, as prompted By q Christian
education in New England, and dealt with
it accordingly, as if { was no longer bound
by constitutional obligations. Applause
The same sense of duty to my cbnstitltion
al obligations and to the rights Of the States
$50 long as they remained under the Con-
stitution. that required me to support the
system of slavery-that same sense Of duty
and right, after they had gone out from un-
der the Constitution, causes me to follow
the dictates of my own conscience. So, you
see, my friends, however, misiudged | may
may been-and speak to you, my Demo-
cratic friends--T claim that we went along,
step by step. together up to that point, and
that we should still go along step by. step.
We accept that the right to hold slaves was
made part Of the compromises Of the Consti
tuition by our fathers, and, like every other
State right, was to be respected because Of
our allegiance to the Constitution, and our
respect to State rights But, when that
sacred obligation which bound us was taken
away, and we, as well as the negro, We're
disentralled. why should we not follow the
dictates Of Gods law, and Of humanity
]Applause, long prolonged BY the exigen
cies Of the public service, Sir, was remov-
ed once more into another sphere OF action
at New Orleans. found the first problem
to come up in another form, and that led me
to examine and see how far had progressed
this civil commotion carried on by force Of
arms. | found that in our complex system
nl t~ko ;,~I
ment and the United States governing all,
that there can be treason to the State and
not to the United States there can be rev.
oluton in State, and yet none as regards
the United States Government. and found
that there might be loyalty to the State and
disloyalty to the Union, and loyalty to the
Union and disloyalty to the 'organized gov.
ernment of the State. It will I've little ne.
cessary, Sir, for your minds just to follow
the course of mine upon the subject, that
this shall be understood, and therefore re-
peat, and, as an illustration, take the trou-
bles in Rhode Island, when there was an
attempt, by force Of arms, to rebel against
her State government, and change the form
of the State government, and all that was
peculiar to that movement Of Gov. Dorr in
that behalf. There was nothing in that dis
loyal to the United States, but great disloy-
atty to the State of Rhode Island. ] there
fore say that, going to Louisiana, found
State government that had entirely changed
its form it had entirely revolutionized it.
self so far as the State was concerned; it
had erected Courts imposed taxes and
made every possible kind of government or
ganization. | found that the State was
completely revolutionized and found fur
ther, that, so far as the constitution of the
State was concerned, it was no longer, in
and of itself, one of the United States of
America. 1t had, so far as it could do,
changed its state government, and, by a
solemn act, had forever seeded from the
United States Of America, and attempted to
Join the Confederate States of America.
Taking that portion of the territory of the
United States which had thus got itself in
to the condition have mentioned, what
did find? found revolutionlzed State.
There had been revolution an infraction of
the law an abnegation Of the law T; set
ting aside Of the lava making of new
State Government for the community
which had all been done, and was being
by arms. Now, upon what
thesis shall deal with this people, occupy
ing portion of the territory of the United
States? l respectfully submit that may
deal with.them as allen enemies-(applause)
THAT they were past the condition of way
ward sisters-fapplause]- unless, indeed,
they erred as Cain did towards his brother
Abel. They had passed from our Govern
ment, they had seized upon our territory,
and, what makes the case still worse, they
had seized upon territory which we, of the
United States Government, had bought and
paid for, and therefore deal with them as
alien enemies. And what rights have alien
enemies captuled in war; They haye tho
right that such as are non combatants shall
be free from personal violence, and they
have no ether right. Therefore it was my
duty to see to it--and believe the record
will show tl,at did see to it. (Applause.)
I did see to it that order was preserved,
and that every man who behaved well and
did not aid the Confederate States should
not be molested in his person. ! held ev-
anything else that they had was at the mer-
cy Of the conqucror. (Applause) But to