Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-04-19

TO support the Constitution With mental reser-
satios have never 20 taken IL, and, so hep
ne God, | never will. | will support the Con-
stituton despite the threats which may be brought
IRON any quarter. aud with the axei purpose and
iull determination to stand upon the principles
which have avowei here To day If stand soil /
tary aud alone even IL Il we're necessary to brave
bAyonets and prisons and all the tyranny which
mAy be imposed by the whole power and force OF
the Administration. have deliberately uttered
NV sentiments in that speech aud will not
reirac, one syllable OF IL.
am willing to trust TO time ! an willing 90
await arkitrs uent. ii ! am mistaken. so much
the better FOR me. the gentleman, and the country.
Would 20 God was mistaken. Would 10 God
] could cherish other convictions than those
have uttered. Ny earliest aspirations have been
Tor the glory OF ny country. have admired
is institutions, ! nave gloried in its statesmen;
they have been the pride OF my heart. ] would
make anv sacrihce restore the Union "a it was
before that unhappy day Tor this people when
the gentlemau's party came into power and de-
stroyed the fairest prospects of liberty that Heav-
en- in its mercy ever vouchsaied 20 man
xould do H. sir. 70 restore tie Government but
| cannot see restoration by the power of the bay
onet Looking At the history OF such struggles
in the Old World. and in South America and
elsewhere | can see nothing but rain. destruction
and the final overthrow of tree government IN
continuance of our present policy. have raised
nv voice feeble aud humble as il IL. AZ ainst il.
because believe that It's continuance will de-
.troy liberty, both North and South,
think, however, nv colleague was not en-
tifely honest in the construction he put upon what
said: but he may have misunderstood me.
uttered no sentiment looking TO a separation that
should be division from the mouth of the MIS-
sissipui 90 the head of the Ohio river. | uttered
no such sentiment. | gave utterance TO no such
expression What did say-and what said is
written out and Can be read-was, that when the
Government formed we not owners of
the mouth OF the Mississippi, and that We did not
own the territory west OF the Mississippi river.
did not say that We did not own the Ohio river
and The State in which the gentleman and live;
but that owned no territory west of the Mis-
si,sipp. anu that Florida washed against u.
did then say that H. by the chastisement of
Heaven. We should he curtailed to our old terri
tOrial dimensions We could -til exist as free
people, and have our republican form of govern
ment again supposed the gentleman Was fl
miliar enough with the history of his country; /
supposed that even he, although he has spent
part of his time IN the army aud LETT IL for "A seat
upon this floor. knew that the northwestern ter
ritory extended beyond the OHIO river. was held
by Virginia. and formed part of the original ter
ritory when the Constitution adopted |
thought therefore, that the gentleman did me
intentional injustice i'm the position he aScrlbed TO
me. He may not have done so; but II not. he
mist certainly be very ignorant OF the history OF
his country and of the amount of territory we
possessed when the Government formed.
Mr. Chairman, | have detained the House
much longer than | intended when | rose /
should have been 10th to make any response TO
nv colleague if he had not ndulged III personal
haua hsaota tpf
to detain the House at this late hour IL he had not
seen proper do what has not been done before
on any occasion since the commencement OF the
session, TO get Up aud denOunce me n uniiithiul
TO the Government Sir, hurl back the charge
,ay that the men who are DESTROYING this Gov
vernment, destroying these fair prospects at iber
" , are the men now in power. They were the
authors anu orignat0rs OF all our present dill
cuties They first uttered the sentiment that
this Government could not exist our fathers
made IL; that there WAS an ''irrepres>ible cob
fict >" which would result either in the overthrow
of the institutions of the States on the one
side or the overthrow of the Government Of
the United States on the other. Thew uau
gurated the conflict which has produced this
unfortunate state OF things. | have simply
recognized the work of their hands Ii i'll
becomes a man upon that side OF the House to
assail me. That duty i'll becomes man belong
ing to party that has always taken the oath to
support the Constitution with "A mental reserva-
ton. and has declared before the country and
before God that the institutions which our fathers
established and the Government, which they
founded could not exist they made IL in the
beginning. with all its compromises. | believe
that the Fathers of the Republic were as good as
we are | believe that they were good Chris
tians and "a true patriots. They looked at the
institution of slavery not in the light in which
these gentlemen look at il now. When they
came to the communion table to partake of the
sacrament they did not push men away because
they had slaves God prospered them in the
Revolution aud in the formation Of the Govern
meut. lt good Government good enough
! for me, good enough for my children, and am
willing To make An, sacrifices Ia restore II.
Bat, sir we heard these gentlemen of the Re-
publican party in this Hall the other night ap
pliuding To the echo tie sentiments OF nah
George Thompson has glOred over the
/ tearing to pieces of our Constitution. the man
! who origin ted th. separation of the States and
this destruction OF our evil aud political liberties.
/ Such "A party must dI-card, who thanked God
/ that the hour OF compromise passed. and that
We were freed from the ShackeS OF the Cousttu
ton will plant myself even il il he single and
/ alone. in opposition To party which po.S the
! destruction OF the Government. the overthrow OF
/ liberty, and which applauds George Thompson
and his sentiments | would rather live in the
! State 10 which the gentleman and | 1--we. with
! liberty, with tree Government. under the Con
stitution of fathers. with my rights. political,
social, and civil. than live in great empire
under an overshadowng despotsm. Give me
liberty even # confined TO NJ island OF Greece or
a canton Of SNuzefland, rather than an empire
aud a despotism, Is we have here to-day