The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-02-26

,vxN assigned, and win fresh laurels by the spec
DIV restoration of law and order throughout
the entire limits of our infant State.
.a.t
.a@4- The speech delivered in Congress by Mr..
Brooks, of New York. last Fri lay, has been
attracting an unusual degree of public in
y terest. 1t has been thought by many to
el.. indicate change of front on the part Of
the Democratic party concerning slavery,
Jos and hence has been the subject of much
comment and criticism, both friendly and
w hostile. So far as any importance attend
,cs ing the speech growing out of the fact that
Ga ' Mr.. Brooks is called leader of the Demo
sl cratic party is concerned, it amounts TO
simply nothing at ALL The Democratic
party has no leaders; it is governed and
controlled by no man or set Of men. 1t is
sa p not bound by the utterance Of any individ-
g. ual, be be member Of Congress or private
citizen, but thinks for ITSELF shapes its own
course and expresses its will by its votes
alone Upon the subject of slavery, the
n J A. policy of the Democratic party has always
been that If non-nterventOn. 1t is lot
true, and never has been true, that the
= Y Democratic party is "pro slavery" in its
g. principles, but it has been content to leave
=. the question of negro slavery entirely with
the people to whom it rightfnlly belonged
each State being free to legislate npon the
subject for itself and a majority of its
citizens thought proper Until the Con
stitution of the United States is changed in
this respect. removing the question Of
ID. g. slavery from the control of the
people of each State individually,
we presume the position of the
s Democratic party upon that subject will
remain the same as heretofore. As a ques
tisn of public politics, however, slavery is
now almost out Of the limits of discussion.
sH;27r.Wh atever may be the event of the war, one
thing appears clear, that the slavery ques-
"a : ton will no longer afford "a party ISSUE
-, The inevitable result of the war will be to
hasten the abolition of slavery, whether the
y,r. Uniou is restored Or not. Upon this sub
ject Mr.. BROOKS spoke as follows
I recognize the abolition of slavery as
.7 existing for other reasons than | have Civ
en-, and call the attention OF the Southern
.a-.e Border State men, who may not agree with
me in opinion upon this subject. to a law OF
the Rebel Congress, which | now hold in
INV hand When we in the North began to
~ arm the slaves, foresaw from the beginning
this would force the South to their
negroes and their slaves.
The first section of this act of the Rebel
Congress, which hold in my hand declares
~ that all male free negroes shall be cunscrp
<ai md inf, In Snnf horn
The second section of that act provides for
organizing twenty thousand of the South
ern slaves not exactly as soldiers, but as
sappers, miners, and nsvvies, or laborers, in
the Southern armies. The South, there
fore, has taken the secondary step TO the
first step which was taken by the peuple
~ of the North.
There is the Southern act, there is the
Southern record fer arining first the free
negroes OF the SUuth, and second Tor arm
ing the Southern slaves This OF itself is
the abolition of slavery in the Rebel States;
for the moment arms are put into the hands
GfU Of slaves, that moment slavery is abolished,
South as we'll as Nortu. | say, therefore,
we must accept the abolition Of slavery as
. fact accomplished, as thing done, not
only done by the Northern people, but of
necessity done by the South rn people
v... The necessities of this will compel the
Rebels of the South more and more 10 arm
their slaves, and thus more and mare TO
abolish their slaves.
-t a. In regard to the prosecution of the war, be
~, urged vigor and promptitude and strongly
condemned the scattering policy which has
+ ptotracted the war and bids fair to enable
it to "drag its slow length along" until az
ter the Presidential election lie conclud-
J % 4 ed his speech with the following appeal:
How long this is To- exist know not
but in Gods name let me implorc those men
~ who now have the control of this Govern
msnt to take tho reins and end il as soon
$3.50, as possible You have illimitable power:
you have the Executive you have three
IGL.. fourths of the Senate; you have wepty
q L - majority here in this body. If you will