American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-09-21
From the Pittsburgh Commercial.
A Adefense Of the Administration
--SDeech Of Gov, Seward.

proceeded to the residence OF Gov. sew
ard and honored him with serenade.
Mr.. Seward, in response to to the call OF
his fellew citizens, came out into the park
and delivered a speech of considerable
length and great power, the concluding
paragraphs of which we give below:
The chief complaint against the Presi-
dent is that he viii not except peace on
the basis of the integrity of the Union,
without having also the abandonment Of
slavery. When and where have the in
surgents offered him peace on the basis
of the integrity of the Union? Nobody
has offered it. The Rebels never will
offer it. Nobody on their behalf can of
fer it. They are determined andpledged
to rule this Republic or ruin it. I told
you here year ago that practically sla-
very was no longer in question-that it.
was perishing, under the operation Of the
war. That assertion has been confirm
cd.
The Union men in all the slave States
thgt. we have delivered are even more
an:.ous than we are to abolish slavery
Witness Western Virginia, Maryland,
Missouri, louisiana, Tennessee and Ar
kansas. Jefferson Davis tells you IN ef
feet the same thing He says that it is
not slavery but independence and sover-
eighty forwhich he is centendimg. There
is good reason for this. A hundred dol
lars in gold is only a years purchase of
the labor of a working man in every part
Of the United States At less than half
that price you could buy all the.slayes in
the country. Nevertheless, our opponents
want a distinct exposition Of the Presi-
dentsFiews op tie ultimate solution Of the
slavery question.
Why do they want it?. For the same
reason that the Pharisees and Sadducces
wanted an authoritative resolution Of the
questions Of casuistrywhich arose in their
day. One of those sects believe in the
Kingdom to come, and theother aItogeth-
er denied the resurrection of the dead
Nevertheless, theywaIked togetherin low
ing accord in search Of instruction con
c6rning the spirit world Master
said they, "there was a man of our ma
tion who married wife and died. leaving
six brothers. These brothers successive
ly married the widowed woman, and after
wards died. And last Of all the woman
died also In the resurrection, which of
the seven shall have this woman for his
wife"
Now what was il to them whether one
or all should have the woman to wife in
heayen?. 1t could be nothing to the Sad
ducees in any case. What was it to any
human being this side the grave? What
was it to any human being in heaven ex-
cept tho woman in heaven and her seven
husbands-ebsolutel y nothing. Yet they
would have ananswer. And they receive
one The answer was that while in this
mortal state, men and women should new
or cease to marry and to die; their will be
in the resurrection neither death nor mar
rying, nor giving in marriage.
Although altogether unauthorized to
speak for the President upon hypothetic-
al questions, | think can give an answer
upon the subject of slavery at the present
day--an answer which will be explicit,
and | hope not altogether unsatisfactory
While the rebels continue to wage war
against the Government of the United
States, the military measures affecting sla-
very, which have been adopted from ne
cessity, to bring the war to a speedy and
successful end will be continued, except
so far as practical experience shall show
that they can be modified adyantageously
with view to the same end When the
insurgents shall have disbanded their ar
mics and laid down their arms, the war
will instantly cease, and then all the war
measures then existing, including those
which affect Slavery, will cease also, and
all the moral, ECONOMICAL and political
questions, as well questions affecting sla-
very as others which shall then be exist
ing between individuals and States, and
the Federal Government whether they
arose from the civil war, begun, orwheth-
er they grew out of it, will, by force of
the Constitution, pass over to the arbitra-
ment of the courts of law and to the
councils Of legislation.
! am not unsophisiicated enough to ex-
pect that conspirators while yet unsubdu-
ed, and exercising an unresisted despot-
ism in the insuwectionary States, will
either sue for or even accept an amnesty
based on the surrender Of the power they
have so reclllessly usurped. Nevertheless,
| know that ifany such conspiratorshould
tender his submission upon such terms he
will at once receive a candid hearing, and
an answer prompted purely for desire
for peace, with the maintenance of the
Union On the other hand, do expect
propositions Of peace with restoration
Of the Union to come not from the Con- I
federates in authority or through them,
but from citizens and States under and
behind them. And [ expect such prop
ositions from citizens and States to come
over the Confederates in power, just so
fast as those citizens and States shall be
delivered by the Federal arms from the
usurpations by which they are now OPP
pressed All the world knows that so
far as the President is concerned, all such
applications viii receive Just such an an
swer as it becomes great, magnanimous
and humane people to grant to brethren
who have come back from their wander
ings, to seek shelter in the common ark
of our national security and happi-
ness.
The cun is saffinr Go uuroI,, a., :.