The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-04-27
Ceserai Gsr6eld's Reply to Congress
man Long.


DeDdtc An the House. Apn1 1851
Mr. CHAIRnAs: should be obliged you if you
would direct the SergeAnt-atrms bring white hsg
and plant il IN the aisle between myself and my col
league who has just addressed you.
I recoIlect one occasion when two great armies
stood face TO face, tina. under white flag just planted
OF the Rebel Coufeer acy and reached out my hand
Of the number, and told him respected him as
brave nan Though he wore the emblems Of dis,oy
atty, still underneath his vestments beaed brave
and honest soul.
would reproduce that scene here this afternoon,
say, there such flag of truce-but God forgive
would offer right hand and ask that gentleman to
take it, because honor his bravery and his honesty.
believe what has just fallen from his lips Is the hon.
est tmen Of his heart. and uttering il ne has
made new epoch in the history of this he has
done a new thing under the SUM- he has done brave
thing IL is braEer than to face cannon and mus
kerry, and honor him for his caTdor and frankness.
But ask you to take away the flag of truce, and
will 60 back within the Union lines and speak of what
he has Done | am reminded by it of distinguished
character in Paradise Lost When lie had rebelled
against the glory of God and led away third part
of heavens sons conjured against the highest, when
after terrible battles, in which mountains and hills
hurled by each contending host with acuiations
dire:" when at last the leader and his host were
hurled down nine times the space of day and night
and after the terrible fall lay stretched prone the
burning lake. Satan lifted up his shattered bulk
ed the abyss looked down into Paradise, and solcqu
zing, said:
(which way fly is hell myself am hell.
1t seems to me in that utteranee he expressed the
very sentiment to which you have just listened utter
ed by one no less brave magn, and faler. This man
gathers up the meaning of this great contest the phi
osophy of the moment the prophecies of the hour and
in sight of the paradise of victory AMI peace utters
them in all this vail of terrible despair Which way
hell ''' "'
the war OF the Revolution compared with two others
of the to- day
The first Lord Fairfax " no dwelt near the Po-
tonlac, few miles from u.s. When the great contest
was opened between the mother country and the Colo
mics, Lord Fairfax after protracted struggle with his
own heart decided that he must go with the mother
country. lie gathered his mantle about him, and
went over grandly, solemnly and impressvely, and
Joined the fortunes OF Great Britain against the home
Of his adoption.
But there another man who in his lot with
the struggling colonies and continued with them till
the war vas we'll nigh ended. But in day of dark
ness, which just preceded the glory of the morning,
that other man, deep down IN the damned pits of his
ever all that had been gained to the enemies of his
country Benedict Araola was that
Fairfax and Arnold find their parallel in the strug
gle of to-day.
When this war began. many good men stood hesita-
ting and doubling hat they ought to do. Their doc
trine OF State rights, their sympathes, all they had
ever loved and longed for. in the South, and
after long and painful hesitation, of them last
went with the enemies of the nation.
At that time Robert Z. Lee sat in his home across
the river here doubling and delaying and going off
last, almost tearfuliy, to join the enemies of his
country. lie reminds me in some respects of Lord
Fairfax, the stately royalist of the Revolution
But now, when huniredS and thousands of brave
sous have gone up to God under the shadow of the
flag, and when hundreds anithousands more miiIneI
and shattered in the contest are sadly aw aitiny the
deliyerance of death; when three years OF terr
fc warfare have ragged over US, when armies have
pushed the rebellion back mountains and rivers
aud crowded it back into limits, until a wall of
fire grds it; when the uplifted hand liestic
people is about to let fall the lightning of its conquerng
power upon the rebellion; now in the quiet of this
Hall, Matched in the lowest depths ola similar dark
treason, there rises Benedict Arnold and proposes
surrender all up, body and spirit, the nation and
the flag its genius and its honor, and forever
the accused traitors country. And that prop
osition comes-God forgive and pity beloved State
it comes from citizen of the honored and loyal
Commonwealth of Ohs.
implore you. brethren, in this House believe
that many such births ever gave pangs t. mother
State when that traitor was born. suppressed APP
plause and sensation.l i beg you to believe that
on the soil of that State another such growth has
deformed the face of nature and darkened the light of
Gods day. An audible whis per, ~ alandigham- y
But alb, 1 am reminded that there other SUCH
NY zeal and love for Ohio have carried too far
retract. remember that only few days since po-
htcal convention Net at the capital of my STATE, and
almost decided to secc. from lust such material rep
resentative for the Democratic party in the coming
contests and to-day what claim to be majority of the
Democracy of the State that they have been cheat
ed or they would have made that choice. l. therefore,
sadly take back the boast first uttered in behalf of
my native State. But Sir, will forget States. We
talk of here to-day. All personal State feeling
Of his country has just made? What is it?
For the first tins in the history this contest is
proposed in this hall to give up the struggle, aban
don the and let treason riot through the land
WILL if can, dismiss feeling from my heart, and try
to consider only what bears upon the logic the speech
to which we have Just listened.
First of all the genman tells that the right of
secession Is constitutional right do propose
10 enter into an argument Ihave expressed myself
hitherto upon State Sovereignty and State rights of
which this proposition of his is the legitimate child
But the gentleman takes higher ground-and in that
agree with himnamely, that five million eight
million people possesses the right of revolution Grant
il; agree there If ty-nine can m Ike rsyolu-
they a rpyO
State wishes to break its with the Federal
Gorernment, and does it by force, maintaining ITSELF
States determined and resolved leave the Union
to seeede to revolutonize by force they have the
right TO do Grant il. | stand on that
platform with the gentleman.
And now the question comes is it constitutional |
duty to let them do it? That is the question, and in
order to reach II beg 70 call your attention
but to the condition of affairs which would
result from such actonthe statement of which
becomes the strongest possible argument. What does
Of divsiony II the rebels into successful
sion what they desire to carry if their revolution en-
yelopS States they intend shall envel-
ope If they draw the line where Isham e. Harris the
rebel Governor of Tennessee, the rebel camp near
onr lines, told Mr.. Nallandigham they would draw it
along the line OF the Ohio and the Potomsc-if they
make good their statement to him that they viii never
consent TO other line, then, ask what is this
gentleman proposes to do?
He proposes to leave to the United States territory
reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and hun
irei mites wide in the centre From Wesyille on the
miles. ask you, Mr.. Chairman If there be a man /
here so insane as to suppose that the American people
will allow their magnificent national proportions be
sh to dciormed shape : this .
tell YOU. and confess 1t here, that while hope
have human courage have not enough contemplate
such a result. am not brave enough to 90 10 the +
brink OF the preepce OF such successful and
look down into its damned abyss. Ii my vision were
keen enough II piece its bottom would not dare to
ook. Ii there be here who dare contemplate t
such scene, look him the brarest of the sons
II woman or as downright mailman Secession to i
gain psace- Secession is the tocsin OF eternal war
There be end to such will be Inaugural
led if this thing be done.
Suppofe the policy of the gentleman were adopted 4
O-isy. Let the order forth; sound the recall
busies and let il ring from Texas the At
ante, and tell the armies back Call the VIC
oriOus iegions back the bse- fields of blod for
disgraced. Call them back the TERRITORY
which they have conquered. Call them back and let !
he ninions of secession chase them wth derison and
GERS they And then tell them that that man
the aisle from the free State 0. Ohio, gave birth
10 the nonstrous proposition
Mr. Chairman if such a word should be sent forth
through the armies of the Union. the waves of terrible
that would sweep back this land could
never hnt parallel IN the resorts Of history Almost
n The moment OF nnal victory the recall sounded
oy a people deserving fra4inrlt ought