Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-04-29


what is this thing that the gentleman proposes
to do? He proposes to leave to the United States
a territory reaching from the Atlantic to the Pa
cifc, and one hundred miles wide in the centrel
From Wellsville, on the Ohio river, to Cleveland,
on the lakes, is one hundred miles. | ask you,
Mr.. Chairman, if there be man here so insane
as to suppose that the American people viii al
( low their magnificent national proportions to be
shorn to so deformed shape as this2
/ tell you, and confess it here, that while l
I hope have something of human courage, have
not enough to contemplate such result. l am
not brave enough to 60 the brink of the precipice
/ of successful secession and look down into its
4 damned abyss my vision were keen enough
| to pierce to its bottom | would not look. If
there be man here who dare contemplate such
/ a scene look upon him as the bravest of the
sons ofwomen or as a downright madman. Se-
cesson to gain peacel Secession is the tOcsin of
eternal war. There can be no end to such war
as will be inaugurated if this thing be done.
Suppose the policy of the gentleman were
adopted to-day. Let the order go forth; 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 battlefelds of blood forever now dis
graced Call them back over the territory which
they have conquered. Call them back and let
the minions of fsecession chase them with derision
and jeers as they come. Then tell them that that
man across the aisle, from the free State of Ohio.
gave birth TO the mOnstrous proposition. Mr..
Chairman ifsuch word should be sent forth
through the armies Of the Union, the wave of ter
rible vengeance that would sweep back over the
land could never find parallel in the records of
history. Almost in the moment of final victory
the recall is sounded by a craven people not
deserving freedom! We ought every man to be
made slave should we sanction such a senti-
ment.
The gentleman has told us there is no such
thing as coercion iustifiable under the COnsti-
tuition. | ask him for one moment TO reflect
that statute was ever enforced without
ercion. 1t is the basis of every law in the uni
verse-Gods law as well as mans. A law is
no law without coercion behind it. When
man has murdered his brother coercion takes
the murderer, tries him, and hangs him. When
you levy your taxes, coercion secures their col
lection; it follows the shadow of the theft and
brings him to Justice; it accompanies your di-
plomacy to foreign courts, and backs the declar-
alton of the nations rights by pledge of the
nations power But when the life of that ma
tion is imperilled we are told that it has no
ercive power against the paracides in its own
bosom.
Again he tells us that oaths taken under the
amnesty proclamation are good for nothing
The oath of Galileo, he says was not binding
upon him. am reminded of another oath that
was taken; but perhaps it too was an oath upon
the lips alone to which the heart made no re-
sponse. / remember to have stood in a line OF
nineteen men from Ohio on that carpet yonder
on the first day of the session, and ! remember
that with uplifted hands before Almighty God
those nineteen took an oath to support and main
tain the Constitution of the United States
And | remember that another oath was passed
around and each member signed it as provided
by law, utterly repudiating the rebellion and its
pretences. Does not the gentleman blush to
speak of Galileo's oath? Was not his own its
counterpart?
He says the Union can never be restored be-
cause of the terrible hatred engendered by the
war. To prove it he quotes what some South
ern man said few years ago, that he knew no
hatred between peoples in the world like that
/ between the North and South. And yet that
North and South have been one nation for
| lightweight yearsl Have we seen in this con-
4 test ANYTHING more bitter than the wars of the
/ Scottish border? Have we seen anything Bit
terer than those terrible feuds in the in the days
\ of Edward, when England and Scotland were
the deadliest foes on earth? And yet for centu-
ries those countries have been cemented in an
| indissouble union that has made the British ma
ton one of the proudest on earthl
said little while ago that | accepted the
proposition of the gentleman that the rebels had
the right of revolution; and the decisive issue
between us and the rebellion is, whether they
shall revolutioniZe and destroy, or we shall sub
due and preserve. We take the latter ground.
We take the common weapons of war to meet
them; and if there be not sufficient / would
take any element which will overwhelm and
destroy; / would sacrifice the dearest and best
beloved; would take all the old sanctions of
/ law and the Constitution and fling them to the
winds, if necessary, rather than let the nation
| be broken in pieces and its people destroyed
with endless ruin. What is the Constitution
that these gentlemen are perpetually fiinging in
our faces whenever we desire to strike hard blows
against the rebellion? 1t is the production of
the American people. They made it, and the
creator is mightier than the creature. The pow
er which made the constitution can also make
other instruments to do its great work in the
day of its dire necessity.
Mr.. Eldridge. / desire to ask the gentleman
a question. ! want to know if he did not Just
say that with nineteen others he stepped for
ward to the Speakers desk and swore to sup
port the Constitution?
Mr.. Garfield. l did; and am very happy
the gentleman has reminded meof it at this time;
and | remember in the preamble of that Con-
stitution it is declared to be ordained for the
very purpose of promoting the general welfare
and providing for the common defence; and on
that very ground based on that very statement
of its declared object, l not only lifted up my
hand to swear to support that Constitution be-
fore God, but it makes me now sorry there had
not been a sword in it when | lifted it up, to
strike down any and all who would oppose the
use of all the means God has placed in our pow
er for overthrowing the rebellion forever.
lam reminded here of fact which had well
nigh forgotten. Last summer l remember a
Union spy came to our camp bringing two let
ters addressed to "Major General John G. Breck-
inridge, @. S. A" They were letters of intro
duction stating that the bearer desired to obtain
commission in the rebel army, and commend
| ing him as a gallant man whom Breckenridge
could trust One of these letters was signed by
man who lately held seat in this housel
TCries of ''name him, from the Democratic
Mr.. Garfield. 1 will produce the letter in
due time. 1t is not here with me. The other
letter was from an associate of his, prominent in
the local Democratic politics of the State of Indi
ana am responsible for producing those let
tiers. [Cries of "namel'
Mr.. Holman. hope the gentleman will give
the names now.
Mr. Garfield When | produce the letters,
any further testimony that may be called forcan
be had at my hands,
Mr.. Chairman, let me mention another class
of facts In this same connection. Wewere COM
pelled last year TO send our secret service men
to ferret out the insdious work of that organi-
zation known as the knights of the Golden cir
cle," which was attempting to corruptthe army
and destroy its efficiency; and it was found that
by the most subtle and secret means the signs
and passwords of that order were being made
known to such men in the army were disaf-
fected or could be corrupted. Witness also the
riots and murders which their agents are COM
mitting throughout the loyal North, under the
lead and guidance of the party whose Repre-
/ eanfufiVoS Vondpr across the aisle. and nOW
Just as the time is coming on when we are to Sc
lect President for the next four years, one rises
among them and fires the beacon, throws up the
blue light which will be seen and rejoiced over
at the rebel capital in Richmond the signal
that the traitors in our camp are organized and
ready for their hellish work. believe the ut
terance ofto-day is the uplifted banner of revolt.
l ask you to mark the signal that blazes here,
and see ifthere will not soon appear the answer
ing signals of traitors all over the land. fl am
wrong in this prediction l shall be thankful,
/ L I ,I..f,E