The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-02-12
THE ISSUES OF THE WAR.
Speech Of General CAN'T, Of Ar
kansas.
objects OF the RebeIlion--.The Con.
ditions Of Permanent Peace.


General EDwARD W. CAN'T, of Arkan-
sas, delivered an address at the Cooner
Institute, New York, last week, at the in
,vitation of many prominent citizens. A
crowded audience assembled to welcome
him, testifying, by frequent and hearty
plaudits, their appreciation of his convinc-
ing eloquence.
After brief allusion 10 the grievous
changes wrought by the war in the South,
and an expression of the surprise he felt
that the grass did not grow in the streets
of New York, General CAN'T proceeded
to speak of the great issues involved in
the contest. He said:
Had there been no negro slavery there would
have been no war. Applause. say so. be-
cause never saw any bitter contest in the
country that negro slavery was not the found
alton stone to. What was it we attempted to
compromise year by year? Was it horses, or
cats, or dogs, or women, or men? Why no,
it was the question of negro slavery. What
called the nation in solemn council in 1850,
when Clay and those other great statesmen
walked on the verge of the grave almost to
draw compromise from The Government
What was the issue in Fremont's canvass ?
Negro slavery. And in 1860? Negro slavery.
We attempted diplomacy and craftsmanship to
settle this question of negro slavery. We
could not do it. @
General CAN'T defined the purpose of
the rebels to be
THE SPREAD OF SLAVERY.
l was very good type of the ultra slavery,
no guaranty man. and l said if the oonstitu-
ton OF our fathers does not protect slavery.
new guarantees would not do any good. and
the institution of slavery was doomed. said
there was an antagOnsIn beGw cen the two sys-
TENS of labor. l saw that the peaceful, eyer
getic men of the North. when they had built
up their section of country would look down
to our portion of the soil and attempt to re-
move our sentinels, the negro slaves, that we
place there to challenge them and the world.
wanted to meet that and, therefore, l want
ed an expensive government with power TO
stretch westward to the Pacific, taking in all
slave territory, and Cuba and the contiguous
islands, and a part of Mexico; and did not
multiply, but would like to have and just as
much more as could have got beyond that
Yet men talk of sending peace commissioners
to the South. Laughter.
In the South, when the struggle commenc-
ed, there were but two ideas about what we
should do, and they revolved around the negro.
One was that we would stay in the Union to
protect the negro. That is what my Union
ns s e. h gSnS be fuss sons
stay in the Union forI' ITO protect the ne
| gro." "What are you going to do:" Il am
going out" l thought had got out what
are you going out for p II am going cut to
take the negro" The Union man said he
stayed in to protect the negro. l was Doc g.
las, Breckenridge. or Bell platform, or some
thing of that kind, and have been out of the
government, made my fight for the negro, aud
stand here to-day specimen of those misera-
BILE objects that some of these lachrymose men
wall over in the North-a subjugated secession
list. Great laughter and constrained applause.
They have shed more tears over my subjuga-
ton than they ever shed for my coming back
to the land of my fathers, to the old cOnstitu-
ton, to the flag of my country. to assist to
hold up that flag against every foe. APP
plause
He expressed great contempt for the
"peace men," showing the object of
THE PRACE DRY. .a
But when got back again, where do you
reckon found a great many of my Union
friends? Sitting right down, holding on to
the negro. When came back / said: ''Look
here, my friends. have made my fight about
this thing; have been shot at more times
than have got negroes, and do not think it
will pay, because they might get me the next
time and do not think white mans life
ought to be put up against the property he had
10 the negro" | found my friends sitting
right down where left them. This is the way
with great many of my Democratic friends
In The North to-day g That's SOFT They
don't want to change from their old platform,
although events have changed.
lat this moment Gen. Anderson, the
hero of Fort Sumter, appeared on the
platform, and was greeted with long-con-
tinued and enthusiastic applause, which be
acknowledged by bowling. Three cheers
were then given for Anderson
/ have had enough of that question, and 1
have let loose my negrOes-that is, they con-
fiscated them, all except one. | got that one
through, and Mr.. Lincoln. they said, pardoned
me all except SO far as that Negro went, and
that he set free. So, between him and JEFF.
Davis, they have pretty well broken me up on
the negro question. GOOD, good, and APP
plause Davis confscated my negroes, and
would confscate my neck if he could get it.
noticed when came to the North as a subju-
gated individual who has returned to the gov
ernment, did not hear any Of these peace
men say anything about my sufferings from Sc
ces.iOn, when came here, quitting the rebel
service, regarding it as foul and loathsouie and
corrupt s a 8a
He went on to argue that we can never
have permanent peace while slavery is
in the government, and added these re-
marks upon the ala .
CONDITION OF PERMANENT PEACE
= Now here is the way our people reason about
this matter. They say, ''Ws have got to start
life anew. We want peace; we want that
kind Of peace which viii be permanent" You
all have not felt the war like we have Our
homes are desolate Our land is nearly o
waste Our children are nearly upon the point
of starvation, and, therefore, 1t behOoves us to
look about and See how to avoid such troubles
as those, for the future We want a perma-
nent peace. We know we cannot have j per,
manent peace while negro slavery exists and
we know more than that, that we cannon re-
cover from our misf0rtunes at once, if slavery
remains there. We waGt, first, a permanent
peace and second, that kind, Of peace which
will enable US the more readily 70 recover from
our misfortuhes. We put no question of hu-
manity into the scale. II you want to say that