American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-04-13
NUMBER IS.

eminent has uniformly been raised from
the North. Pause now while YOU can.
gentlemen, and contemplate carefully,
and candidly these important items.
For you to attempt to overthrow such
a Government as this, under which we
have lived for more than three quarters Of
a century, in which we have gained our
wealth, our standing as a nation, our do
mestic safety, while the elements of peril
are around us, with peace and tranquility
accompanied with unbounded prosperity,
and rights unassailed, is the height of
madness, folly, and ,eichedness, to which
[ can neither lend my sanction nor my
vote"
The first question that presents itself
is, shall the people of the South secede
from the Union in consequence of the
election of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency
of the United States? My countrymen,
tel you frankly, condidiy, and earnest
y, that lido not think they ought In my
judgment, the election of no man, con-
stitutiohally chosen to that high Office, is
sufficient cause for any state to seperate
from the Union. 1t ought to stand by,
and aid still in maintaining the Constitu-
tion of the country. To make point of.
resistance to the Government, to withdraw
from it because man has been constitu-
tionally elected, puts us IN the acrony We
are pledged to maintain the Constitution.
Many of us have sworn to support it
Can we, therefore, for the mere election of
a man to the Presidency, and that, too,
in accordance with the prescribed forms
of the Constitution, make point of re-
sistance to the Government without be-
coming the breakers of that sacred in
strument ourselves-withdraw ourselves
from it? Would we not be in the wrong?
Whatever fate is to befall this country, let
it never be laid to the charge of the peo-
pie of the South, and especially to the
people of Georgia, that we ,cere Untrue to
om national engagements. Let the fault
and the wrong rest upon others. If all
our hopes are to be blasted, if the Repub-
lie is to go down, let us be found to the
last moment standing on the deck, with
the Constitution of the United States
waving over our heads. Let the fanatics
of the North break the Constitution if
such is their fell purpose. Let the re-
sponsiblify be upon them. shall speak
presently more Of their acts bur let not
the South--let us not be the ones to commit
the aggression We went into the elec-
tion with this people The result was diff
ferent from what we wished; but the
election has been eonstitutionally held
Were we to make point of resistance to
the Government and go out of the Union
on that account, the record could be made
up hereafter against uS-Speech Of AieD.
onder II. Stevens be/ore hc Legislature
Of Georgia, deltvered NogemJer IA, 1860.
Sir, this rebellion was a cold-blooded,
premcditated, infamous attempt of ambi-
tious, desperate and wicked conspirators
to destroy the Union, overthrow free Gov
eminent, establish sectional one over
the southern portion of it, and thus pre-
pare the way by European intrigues for
an aristocratic or monarchic form ON this
land of freedom. The man who, in the
loyal States tolerates, sympathizes with,
or fails to check this movement, would, in
revolutionary times, have been denomna-
ted a traitor, The man who hats in his
fidelity, who quibbles about this techni-
cality or that, who aids the rebels by de-
crying the power Of the Government to
suppress the rebellion, and by decrying
its finances, should be ranked and despis-
ed as an Arnold who would sell his coun-
try.
But it is said by these sympathizers
with treason, that it Is the fault of this
Administration and its friends that this
war exists; that it is an unholy war, and
should be stopped, and that Mr.. Buchan-
ans policy was one of peace and concili-
@ion, whilst that of Mr. Lincolns has
been one of usurpation and tyranny
u Whilst the answer of these allegations,
full and ample as it is, may be important
to the future historian, will not stop to
make it here as the war is upon us, and
our present duties are to suppress it and
its cause. 1t is waged for the purpose of
dissolving this Government. 1t IS enforc-
ed by vast armies, which are kept in the
field by military despotism of the most
relentless character The great question
of the day not by what process this
condition of things has been reached, but
how to suppress the rebellion, how to beat
back our rebel foes, how to save our peo-
pie from spoilation and slaughter, our
country from division, cur Government
from overthrow-daties in whose presence
every other. political duty hides its di-
minished head" have, Mr. Chairman,
uniformly observed that the men who
waste their energies in discussing the past
are the least willing to meet the response
bilities of the present, and rise to the
stature which it demands of all loyal cit
izens.
Still, sir, am not willing to let so much