Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-04-15

l6nam u derrlB, the reDel GoVernOr OF
Tennessee, in the rebel camp near our
lines, told Mr.. Vsllsndighsm they would
draw it-slong the line Of the Ohio and Of
the Potomsc-if they make good their
statement to him that they will never con.
sent to any other line, then 1 ask what is
this thing that the gentleman proposes to
do2
He proposes to leave to the United States
& territory reaching from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, and oae hundred miles wide in
the centre From Wellsville on the Ohio
river to Cleveland on the lakes is one hun
drsd miles. l ask you, Mr.. Chairman, If
there be man here so insane as to sup
pose that the American people will allow
their magnificent national proportions to
be shorn to 50 deformed shape as this
tell you, and 1 confess it here, that
while hope have something Of human
courage, have not enough to contemplate
such a result. am not brave enough to 60
to the brink Of the preoipiee Of successful
secession and look down into its damned
abyss. fmy vision were keen enough to
pierce to its bottom, would not dare to
look. If there be a man here who dare
contemplate such scene, look upon him
either as the bravest Of the sons Of woman
or as q downright msdmsn. Secession to
gain peace Secession is the toesin of
eternal war. There can be no end to such
q war as will be inaugUrsted il this thing
be done.
Suppose the policy of the gentleman were
adopted today. Let the order 90 fourth !;
sound the recall" on your bugles, and
let it ring from Texas to the far Atlantic,
and tell the armies to come back Call the
victorious legions back over the battle fields
Of blood, forever now disgrrced. Call them
back over the territorp which they have
conquered. Call them back, and let the
minions Of secession chase them with de-
rision and jeers SIS they come. And then
tell them that that man across the aisle,
from the free Stale Of Ohio, gave birth
to the monstrous proposition.
Mr.. Chairman, il such q word should be
sent forth through the armies of the Union,
the wave Of terrible vengeance that would
sweep back over this land could never
find q parallel in the records Of history.
Almost in the moment Of final victory the
"recsll" is sounded by craven people
not deserving freedom We ought every
man to be made slave should We sanction
such a sentiment
The gentleman has told us there is nc
such thing as coercion justihsble under the
Constitution. I ssk him for one moment
to reflect, that NO statute ever was enforced
without coercion. It is the basis Of every
law in the universe-God's lspsas well as
mans. A law is no law without coercion
behind it. When q man has murdered his
brother, coercion takes the murderer, tries
him, and hangs him. When you levy your
taxes coercion secures their collection; il
follows the shadow of the thief and brings
him to justice it accompanies your diplo.
macy to foreign courts, and backs the
declaration Of the nations rights by a
pledge Of the nations power. But when
the life Of the nation is imperiled we are
told that it has no ooerciye power against
the PARTICLES in its own bosoml Again,
he tells us that osths taken un Ter the am
nesty proclamation are good for nothing.
The oath Of Galileo, he says, was not bind
| ing upon him. am reminded Of another
oath that was taken; but perhaps it too
was an oath on the lips alone to which the
heart made no response.
l remember to have stood in q line OF
nineteen men from Ohio on that carpet
! yonder on the first day Of the session, and
rember that with uplifted hands before
Almighty God those nineteen took an oath
| to support and maintain the Constitution
Of the United States. And 1 remember
| that another oath was passed around and
each member signed it as provided by law,
utterly repudisting the rebellion and it's
pretenses. Does the gentleman not blush
TO speak Of Gslileo's oath Was not his
own its counterpart
He says the Union can never be restored
because Of the terrible hatred engendered
by the war. To prove it he quotes what
some southern man said few years ago,
that he knew no hatred between peoples
in the world like that between the North
and South has been one nation for eighty
eight years
Have we seen in this contest anything
more bitter than the wars Of the Scottish
border2 Have We seen anything bitterer
than those terrible feuds in the days of
Edward when England and Scotland were
the desdliest foes on earth And yet for
centuries those countries have been cement
ed in en- indissoluble union that has made
the British nation one Of the proudest on
earth
GhAA q 4AbAAC WuAAo dkO ludk L 60DcDAcu
the proposition Of the gentleman that the
rebels had the right Of revolution; and
the decisive issue between us and the re-
bellion is, whether they shall revolution
ize and destroy, or we shall subdue and
preserve. We take the latter ground. We
take the common weapons Of war to meet
them; and if these be not sufficient,
l would take any element which will over
Whelm and destroy; would sacrifice the
dearest and best beloved; would take all
the old sanctions Of law and the Constitu-
ton and fling them to the winds if neces-
ssry, rather than let the nation be broken
in pieces and its people destroyed with
endless ruin.
What is the Constitution that these gen.
tlemen are perpetually Ainging in our
faces whenever we desire to strike hard
blows against the rebellion2 Itis the pro-
duction of the American people. They
made it, and the creator is mightier than
the creature. The power which made the
Constitution can also make other instru-
its dire necessity.
Mr.. Eldridge. l desire to ask the gen.
tleman question. l want to know II he
did not just say that with nineteen others
he stepped forward to the Speakers desk
and swore to support the Constitution.
Mr.. Garfield did; and am very hap.
by the gentleman has reminded me of it st
this time; and l remember in the very
preamble Of the Constitution it is declared
to be ordained for the purpose of promot-
ing the general welfare and providing for
the common defense; and on that very
ground, based on that very statement Of
its declared object, not only lifted up my
hand to swear to support that Constitution
before God, but it makes me now sorry
there had not been a sword in it when 1
liftedit up to strike down any and sll who