Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-03-10


speeding the South. The consequence of
their conduct toward the South was now seen.
What the effect of this treatment of the
Democratic party would be, it was not for
him to prognosticate.
The Speaker then attempted to show
that the Abolitionists had wrought upon the
President until they succeeded in changing
the object of the war from the defense of the
Union to crusade against slavery. While
Abraham Lincoln stood on the Crittenden
platform the whole American people stood
with him and had he continued to stand on
it, they would have continued to stand by
him. He defended his consistency against
lhe charges that had been made against him.
and declared he had never made an anti-war
speech, but only against the management of
the war. He prayed for a restoration of the
Union if it were possible to restore it, but
he denounced the management of the war,
and the assertion that he was opposed to the
war because he was opposed to Abraham
Lincoln. Mr.. S. got upon veryhigh key in
this part of his speech, and the Democratic
members signifed their appreciation by
stamping He denounced the statement
made in the newspapers that he said at a
meeting in the City Hall, in this place, last
summer that if the attempt was made to en-
city would run red with blood as falsehood
He alleged that it was called treason to
dispute the right of the President to do any.
thing he pleases under the plea of military
necessity, but he held that there never was
greater treason committed than the President
had committed in violating the Constitution
as he had done. HIS acts in this respect were
subversive of the liberties Of the people
and destructive to their spirit and manhood.
If slavery could be destroyed by proclaim
alton he would 90 for it, and buy copy and
hang it up as you people do the present one.
But the Democrats thought, as the President
had once said, that such a proclamation would
only strengthen the resolve of the Southern
people and prolong the war.
He read from Stewards dispatches to show
that the Administration at one time denied
any purpose of disturbing the institutions of
of the States, and that the South cannot be
subjugated For saying the same thing Dem
ocrats were called disloyal. Abraham Lin
coin in 1861 declared that he had no power to
interfere with the local institutions of the
States, and in 1852 he said 81 will interfere
with them and will hold all those who don't
sustain me in it guilty of treason, and will
have them arrested and imprisoned, and viii
suspend the writ Of haJeaS corpus so that they
| can have no relief!
The speaker continued at some length,
showing up the enormity Of emancipating the
slaves of the rebels, and quoting passages to
show that Mr.. Seward at one time entertain
ed kindred sentiments. He (Mr. Smith, con-
sidered the emancipation of the slaves of the
South rs an advertisement to the world of
the cowardice Of the American people, ri. e.
of the loyal States Twenty millions against
m nctr md 70
invite servile insurrection to aid US He re-
membcred, he said, with pride, how he and
other Democrats told Republicans before the
war, that slavery was an element of strength.
By and by, they found out, as they always do
in the end, that the Democrats were right,
and that slavery was an element of strength.
Wendell Phillips, Garrison, Greeley and such
men, had now got possession of Mr.. Lincoln.
At one time Lincoln prayed Democrats to
protect him from the abolitionists.-
The remark was as public as any of the other
numerous foolish sayings of cold Abe"
Well, the Democrats hurrahed for him and
| thought he was going to be all right. But
when he changed and attempted to humiliate
| and grind into the dust the people of the
| South the Democrats knew it could not be
done. He (Mr. S. did not despair of the
country, but it was in danger, and it was time
that we quit landing and worshipping six feet
and half of badly put up human material.
| The proclamation had united the South, while
| if they had been treated magnanimously and
| in constitutional spirit they would have
! been divided in sentiment.
| He read from Pollard's "a Richmond editor
History of the War, that the policy of " the
Washington government had united the
South" He then proceeded to ridicule the
IF +l,o
opening of the war, of speedy termination
of the war After the Administration chang.
ed its policy, the democracy organized, and
he Mr., S. dug up ais democracy. He feared
that already, through the folly of the Admin
istraton, the Union could never be restored
| Certainly he did not believe that war alone
! as recited in the resolutions could restore it.
| War never could restore it-not war alone
Even the President did not believe it could.
The speaker then referred to Benjamin F
| Butler, that man for whom you must hurrat
| if his name is mentioned-that spiteful, I'M
| calmly, crGoked-featured man, who got mac
at the ladies of New Orleans. and issued ar
order that if they did not hurrah when they
saw the American flag he would brand then
as wantons. Last night, at a lecture on the
American Navy, in this city, the speaker said
| other worthy men were mentioned with
| out ehciting Il symptom of applause but
when the name of the beastly Butler was
mentioned, you should have heard the cheer
ing and clapping Of hands. This spirit in the
people must be changed, or the country is
lost. For Gods sake, if we are to indulge il
man-worship, let us take decent and respeeta
| BILE men as objects of alteration.
He next denounced Buffers alleged inter
ference with the churches at Norfolk, repeat
ing substantially the abusive comments OF the
| New York World on that subject
He had no more idea now that we were
near the end of the war, than he had wher
che President stepped off the Constitution
| into the muddy despotism of his own making
| The speaker next denounced a letter OF
| Halleck to a Union meeting in New York in
which he said that when the soldiers had fin
ished the Southern rebels they would 60
North and hang the Copperheads
Applause among soldiers in the gallery
SPEAKER-Order,o order.
Mr.. Smith resumed, and referred to the
manner in which soldiers voted against the
Democracy. But he said, notwithstandin @
this, the Democrats have voted for the sol
diers, and will continue to do so. He spoke
of the subserviency of the army to the pow
erS at Washington. -sta
Here the speaker related some very silly
fabrications which we presume he derived
from the Chicago Times, in regard to Gen.
Thomas having threatened to strip the Shout
| der straps from any officer who did not ap-
prove the Presidents emancipation policy,
and how he put in the guard house a regi-
ment that refused to hurrah for the proclama-
ton, or something of that sort. He declared
that in his view it would have been the
proudest and sublimest sight the world ever
saw, if those soldiers had laid down their
arms and refused to fight under such an ad-
ministration. But the soldiers all knew that
the President WAS the fnuntain of nrn1nnt;or