The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1864-10-06

dependence be rendered easy, and our ma
tional ruin certain.
The base, groundless charge of the reb-
ell sympathizers, that the North, or any
portion of it, is responsible for the war,
was fully answered by reading portion
of the speech made by Alexander H. Ste
vens, the rebel Vice President, and one
of the ablest men in the Confederacy,
to the Georgia State Convention, held
in January 1861, for the purpose of ta-
king that State out Of the Union. The
Rebel Vice President then said:
"This step (secession) once taken can
never be recalled, and all the baleful and
withering consequences that must follow,
as they would see, will rest on the Con-
vention for all coming time. Pause,
| entreat you, and consider for moment
what reason you can give that will even
satisfy yourselves in calmer moments
what reason you can give your fellow suf-
ferers in the calamity it will bring upon
US? What reason can you give to the
nations of the earth to justify it? They
will be the calm and deliberate judges in
the case and to what cause or one overt
act can you point on which to rest plea
of justification What right has the
North assailed What interest of the
South has been invaded? What justice
has been denied? challenge the
answer" &C., &c.
The speaker was fully impressed with
the belief that the rebellion was fast tot
tering to its fall. The strong rebel mill
tary positions are rapidly falling into our
hands their territory is being curtailed ;
their sources of supply are, to great ex-
tent, already cut of, and will soon be en-
tirely severed The rebel forces were not
as large as we generally thought they were.
Grant has the rebellion by the throat
and is about ready to shut off the wind,
and the speaker should not be surprised
if he did so before election, and if he did,
the votes for Mcclellan would be so scat
tering that they would hardly be counted.
But the Copperhead Democracy seeing
their friends going to the wall, scream
out in their ardent sympathy, let the war
be stopped "Let us have an armistice," ;"
And why do they want suspension of
hostilities For no other purpose than
for saving their friends from defeat
Were hostilites to cease for three or six
the rebels would recuperate their
lost powers and foreign nations would
acknowledge their independence; and our
own people would be exceeding 10th to en-
bark again into terrible war which would
thus have resulted in nothing-not even
to save our country from dissolution
and in this way, through the instrumen-
tality of the Copperheads, would the Reb-
els achieve their independence, and the
country be ruined. There is no other
way that they can triumph over u.s. Will
honest, loyal voters lend their assistance to
this Chicago Copperhead disunion scheme?
1t is hoped not.
The speaker said, in the language of
minister up his way, he was for prosecu-
ting this war until we could take the ring
leaders of the rebellion by the nape of The
neck and shake them over hell till they
'qualled like cats. Such only was the
mercy they deserved for bringing upon
'ur prosperous and happy country, this
,auseless, terrible, devastating war.
The speaker had had both an inside
md outside view of the war; he had talked
o Rebels on the other side of the lines as
veil as to their sympathizers on this side;
Ind he was fully convinced that nothing
could save the country from the most
dreadful calamities but total and crush
ng defeat of the armed rebels below the
Potomac and their cowardly sympathizers
without arms above it.
The speaker concluded by declaring that
he signs were propitious, that light was
Inning, victory dawning, and soon our
orely distracted country would be restored
o peace most sweet, and prosperity most
Let every one do his du-
y then and thus claim the glorious vic
ory as his own.
The speaker spoke for fully an hour
nd-a-half and was frequently interrupted
y out bursts of applause and at it's con-
lusion cheers were given for Lincoln and
ohnson, the Union, the ladies who had
one SO much for our brave soldiers, the
avy, our gallant armies and their brave
commanders.
The above is but a very imperfect
ketch of the eloquent Colonel's speech.
o appreciate it, it should have been
card
After Col. Hartman had concluded he
laimed the privilege of listening to some
ther speaker, and called upon VIM. Da-
is Esq. Mr. d., after some hesitation
nduced by the fact that he was called up
q to succeed SO able and eloquent a cham
ion of tho TInion and ite o.uso nro.o |