Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-03-03

with the speedy organization of the State.
The election will give more general salts
faction than any that has taken place in
twenty years" He speaks of the mass of the
people of Louisiana. OF those rebels who
have left the State of Louisiana and who are
now in the armies of the confederacv, he does
not speak; they are not there but of the
mass of the people who remain in Louisiana
he says that now at this dav they will be en-
tirely satisfied with the election, and that no
person speaks of the restoration of slavery,
but all are satisfied with the organization of
Louisiana upon the free State basis; all ac-
cept the fact which is patent to all tae world,
that slavery as an institution in that State
has ceased to exist.
| know, Mr.. President, questions are some
times raised and discussed as to what has
caused the death of slavery. There are
some who maintain in all sincerity that the
proclamation OF the President has destroyed
slavery within those States. There are some
who say the abolitionists of the country have
destroyed slavery within the States. Some
say the legislation of Congress has destroyed
slavery in the States, and some say the de-
struction of slavery is the necessary conse-
quence of the war; the unavoidable result Of
the occupation of their territory by the ar
mics of the Union Ny own opinion is, that
| while all these may have done something,
much, perhaps, in producing this result, more
than all of them put together, the insane
madness of the pretended friends of slavery
by declaring war upon this Government IN
the name Of Slavery; by waging that war
under the flag of slavery; by drawing the
sword of slavery themselves to plunge it into
the heart of this Republic, they have them
selves done more than all other things com
Nd 10 +b,+ i,,o
on the American continent.
God, the Almighty, has suffered the mad
ness OF these men to bring on an issue which
alone could solve the great problem Of Amer
lean slavery.
The first shot fired at Fort Sumter was the
death knell of slavery. The issue of 1860, as
l have said, was whether slavery should enter
the Territories. By that act, they, the cham
pions of slavery, changed the issue. 1t was
not the party which elected Mr.. Lincoln
President of the United States. The champi-
ons of slavery brought on this war which in
wolves the destruction of slavery within the
States, not the Republican party. For the
issue OF 1860, whether slavery shall enter the
Territories, they have forced upon the coun-
try this other and greater issue, whether lib
erty and Union shall live or slavery die upon
the soil of every State of the United States.
In reply to this often-repeated charge that
the Republican party have changed the issue
and proved false to their pledges, am pre-
pared to 90 further and show that, so far as
the institution of slavery is concerned within
the States that party never sought to change
their ground nor to interfere with it at all IN
til the necessities of the war forced it upon
them. Indeed, sir, if they had not made war
upon the Government slavery never stood
stronger nor better defended by State guar
antees, nor, so far as this Government is con-
cerned, by Federal guarantees within the
States, than it did on the 4th day of March,
1861 and if these men had consented to re-
main within the Union, if they had not made
war upon this Government, there was no pow
er on the part Of this Government nor ofany
party within the free States in the slightest
degree to affect or destroy the inftitution of
slavery.
You know, Mr. President, that the fugitive
slave law, harsh and, | will say, barbarous as
some Of its provisions were, was still law
upon our statute books and was enforced in
every State of the Union; it was enforced in
Massachusetts; it was enforced in New Y Ork;
it was enforced in Ohio; it was enforced in
Wisconsin; and at the very time when Mr.
Lincoln was elected President of the United
States, a citizen of Wisconsin was in Jail, i'm
prisoned for the violation of the fugitive slave
law, from which, and upon the last day of
Mr.. Buchanan's administration, he was par
| doned as an act of grace. These are the
facts. More, the census report before me
shows that Notwithstanding all the contro-
yerses we had on the subject of the fugitive
slave law, and its enforcement, from 1850 to
1860, there were less per cent. escapes of fu-
gitive slaves than at any former period OF the
government. | will read short extract from
this report:
E'The number of slaves who escaped from their
ers in 1860 is not only much less in proportion
than in 1850, but greatly reduced numerically
The greatest increase of escapes appears to have
occurred in Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia.
while the deer ease is most mark ed in Delaware,
Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, and Tennessee.
''That the complaint of insecurity to slave pro-
perty by the eScapesof this class of persons int
the free States, and their recovery impeder where
by it's value has Iessened, the result mis-
apprehension, is evident not only from the small
number who have been lost to the owners, but
from the fact that up to the presses ii the num-
Der of escapes has beeh gradually diminishing to
such an extent that the whole annual loss to the
southern states from this bears less proper
ton to the amount OF capital involved, than the
daily variations which in ordinary times occur in
the fluctuations of State or Government securities
in the city of New York alone.
''From the tables annexedit appears that while
there escaped from their masters oil slaves in
1850, in each 3,165 held in bondage,-beng
about one-thirtieth OF one per cent.-during the
census year ending June |, 1860, out of 5 949. 557
slaves, there escaped only $685. being one of about
5000, at the rate of one-fftieth of one per
cent?
[ have read this extract for the purpose of
showing the statement | made to be correct
that Notwithstanding all this pretended oppo-
slton to the enforcement of the fugitive slave
law within the free States, from 1850 to 1860
the actual escapes of slaves grew less and
less, SO that all this pretense of the rebels
that the escape of their slaves was any ex-
cuse for them to plunge this country into civil
war is without foundation. You know very
well, sir, that if the champions Of slavery and
slave propagandism had peaceably submitted
to the election of Mr.. Lincoln, not the hair
of the head of slavery within any State could
have been touched. BY every pledge which
he had given, by every pledge of every polit-
zeal party in this country down to his election
1t was always held that the Congress of the
United States and the Federal Government
had no power over slavery within the States
IN time of peace; and if the champions of
slavery and slave propagandism had not
plunged the country in war, had not made
this impious appeal to arms and to the God
of hosts they could have lived in peace
within all the States and have held the insti-
tuition Of slavery under their own laws, ac-
cording to their own will, for their own dis
position, beyond the power of this Govern
ment or of any party in this Government to
interfere with it in any degree. But they did
no such thing. "Whom the gods destroy
they first make mad" 1t was their own mad
ness, their own insanity, their own blind IA
natieal and impious dogma that slavery is
divine Institution, which, trampling on civili-
cation and outraging Heaven, by leading them
to make war on this Government, put the
knife to the throat of slavery. 1t is in the
midst of its dying struggles. Let them pre-
rs In OhSec1aS md u-ba