Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1864-05-03
NO. 49,.
EXTRACTS FROM Mr.. LONGS
SPEECH.

y 4
him, and for which they censured him:
WHAT THE NORTH HAS GAINED By THE WAR.
We have made, Mr.. Chairman, by this wa,
eight millions of bitter enemies upon the Amer
lean Continent. While time shall last the rec-
objections of this bloody strife will never fade
from the memories of the people North snd
South, bat will be handed down to the latest
generation. The words Shiloh, Antetam. Get
tys6urg, Murfreesboro', Richmond, Vicksburg
Fort Donelson are words of division and dsu .
MON, and will serve to bring up emotions of
eternal hate. If it were true, as ia alleged
by distinguished Senator from Ohio fAIr.
Wade0 in speech in Portlandin 1855. .sthat
be believed no two nations on earth hated
each other as much as the North and South. .,
i now much more true now is the remark af-
ter they have been srrayed 10 such bloody con-
tests II Is the object of the sword to cut ald
cieave asunder but never to united. What
! union Is there between Russia and Poland. be-
tween Austria and Hungary, between England
and Catholic Ireland, where the sword and bay
onet for centuries have been employed In-
stead OF comforting national strength, they are
sources OF weakness to countries that held them
IN subjugation, and which would this day be
stronger without them than with them.
| Mr.. Chairman, these lessons of history are
full of warning and example Much better
4
much better would it be now-to consent to q
division of our magnificent empire and cults
yate amlcable relations with our estranped
brethren, than to seek to hold them to Us by
the power OF the sword.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF SECESSION.
Here let me advert to the common, vet per-
fectly glaring and apparent error, that to part
with our jurisdiction over eleven States invol-
yes the destruction OF our government The
statement of the proposition demonstrates its
absurdity. As well might one say who had a
farm of two hundred acres Of land, that he had
lost his title deed to all of it because, by some
nisfortune,he bad parted with fifty. In losing
the South, not one function of our government
over Us is surrendered. 1t remains over us as
completely sovereign as it ever did. Here let
the say as the experience of my individual be,
lief, that if it had been understood in the North
as in the South, that by the terms of the Feder-
al compact State had right to seceae from the
Union, this disruption would never have occurs
red. Had the North so understood the matter
there would have been upon its part forbear-
ance from the exercise of extreme measures and
q desire not to press IFS Southern sisters to the
wall, that would ever have m Maintained the Con-
federaey uEbroken. 1t was the prevalence of
the idea of the Ccnsolidationists in the North
that the Southern States had no right to- and
woult not secede, that tempted them and that
fatal policy that has sundered the Confederacy.
1t is said that no confederacy can exist by Il
recognition of this principle, but such was notthe
view of the fathers of our government it was
not the view of Jefferson aud Madison, in their
immortal resolutions of 1898 and 90. 1t has
been said, Mr.. Chairman, that it would make a
confederaey rope of sand, but if SOFT is strange
that the Southern Confederaey, where it is rec
ognized, should hold together through such q
lrr ha ioJ if fba
last three years; it is q strange rope of sand
that endures sli that.
THE UNION FOREVER LOST.
But, to return, Mr.. Chairman. AS will be
judged perhaps, by the tenor of these remarks,
i am reluctantly and despondingly forced to the
ce son that the Union is lost never to be re-
81 regard all dreams of the restoration
ofsthe Union, which was the pride of my life,
and to restore which, even now, would pour
out my hearts blood, as worse than idle | see
neither North or South any sentiment on which
it is possible to build Union-those elements
of union which Mr. Adams described
have, by the the process of time, been
destroyed. Worse, yes, worse than that MIR.
Chairman, / am reluctantly forced to the conn
clnsion that in attempting to preserve our ju-
risdiction over the Southern States we have
lost our constitutional form of government over
the Northern. What has been predicted by our
wi-est and most eminent statesmen has come to
pass in grasping after the shadow we have
lost the substance in striving to retain the
essket Of Liberty in which our jewels were cone
fined, we have lost those precious monuments
of freedom. Our government, as all know, is
not anything resembling what it was three years
ago there is not one single vestige of the Con-
stitution remaining every clause and every let
ter of it has been violated, and have no idea
myself that it will ever again be respected -
Revolutions never go backward to the point at
which they started. There has always been a
large party in this country favorable to strong
Or monarchial government, and they have now
all the elements upon which to establish ene.-
| They have a vast army, an immense public
| debt, and an irresponsible Executive. Ambi-
| tious to retain power, he is a candidate for re-
election, and as Commander in-Chief, 1t is
charged (whether true false, shall not un-
dertake to decide, that he has already used the
Florida expedition to advance his chances of
success) One of the Generals he has decepita"
! ted, (Gen. Fremont has entered the field To
dispute bis claim to continuance in power,
and if the Chronicle OF this city, the Presidents
organ is CORE ct in its construction of the sug-
gestions of the New York Herald, speaking of
Lieut.. Geueral Grant, the question is mooted
whether he, in certain contingencies at the head
of the army, would not be Justified 10 assuming
the reins of government.
oAN WAR RESTORE THE UNION
Mr. Chairman, | have deemed it proper thus
to advert TO the charges of encouragement to
the Oonfederates SO repeatedly made upon this
| floor, and / again recur to the consideration of
the Union. Can the Union be restored by war2
| answer most unhestatingly anc deliberately
No, NEVER; SCAR IS Jiaal eternal separation"
My first and highest ground of opposition to
its further prosecution is that it is wrong; it is
in violation of the Constitution and of the tun~
damental principles on which the Federal Union
was founded My second objection is that as
a policy 1t is not reconstructiye but destructive,
and will, if continued, speedily result in the
destruction of the government and the loss of
civil liberty to both North and South, a1d it
ought therefore Immediately to cease.
"Say what we will", remarks the Fayette-
Vile Observer "of the few whose loyalty
to their country is brought in question by their
own course. and OF the mary whose greed of
gain absorbs all other and more generous inn
pulses, it cannot be denied that the war has
f also brought forth an AMOUNT of unselfsh de-
! Votion Of life to the country, and contribution
, of time, and toll, and money, hitherto IN :
known in the annals of the country.
- a sropy ia told hv DISTINGUISHED American