Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-03-09
SESSION TILL TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MoRNIN
From the WISCONSIN State Journal.


The Joint resolutions of Mr. STARkS in
regard to the conduct of the war, thanking
the army and navy, and suggesting the re-
nomination of Abraham Lincoln were taken
up
Mr.. BINGHAM moved that the House re-
cede from its disagreeing vote on the Senate
amendment He said that while many here
would perhaps prefer the resolution as orig
inallv introduced, yet we could not have
everything just as We wanted, and he did not
regard the point III dispute as very important.
Mr.. GEO. B. SMITH said the resolutions
pending embraced the whole policy, both
civil and military, of the present national
administration. They contained an endorse
ment of that whole policy, and attempted to
commit the whole people of the State to it.
They suggest the denomination of Mr. Lin
coin a statesman deserving our confidence
If the Republicans in a convention of them
selves had attempted to do this, he should
only have regretted in silence such subser-
viency. But when, in the face of So 900 votes
cast against the war policy of this Admins
tration, 1t Is attempted to commit the whole
people of the State in its favor he should
not let it pass without his solemn protest
de should enter his protest here, in behalf of
the majority of his district. He spoke III the
name of the Democracy of his district. This
is no place for the consideration of such
resolutions. He could conceive no other mo-
tive the part of their author except a de-
sire for notoriety, to show his devotion to
the new party which he has joined in his de-
Ginning years, and perhaps in the decline of
his faculties. He regretted that the gentle
man not here, and more especially for
the reason that he had II his possession some
facts respecting his motives in offering these
resolutions that could only be properly pre-
sented when that gentleman was present.
Many Republicans here had confessed that
this was no place for these resolutions, and
he still hoped that something would occur to
prevent the adoption of these humanity senti-
ments. If passed, they would return TO
plague those who adopted them, ike the res
olutions of 1859. He believed they would III
much shorter time. Already these resou-
tions had been spoken of in an article in a
Republican paper-the Milwaukee " iscO7tsir,
as pressed forward by government contractors
and office seekers. Ii he were to say this
doubtless it would be called treason in the
language of the day. Furthermore the arti-
Gle in question, which the editor of the Wis
cousin says written by a prominent Re
pulIcan, reviews the conduct of the Presi-
dent and concludes that he is not a man of
enlarged political views, that he is not an
able statesman, not the man to whom should
be entrusted the control of the Government
IN this terrible cricis. And he Mr.. 5. ! be
lieved that all through the country there ex-
listed organizations of thoughtful men who
did not believe Abraham Lincoln the man to
be entrusted with the administration in these
times.
lie should speak first on the concluding
resolution. 1Cwas an exercise of that tyranny
OF mai0rities under which the country is now
groaning, and which threatens 70 overthrow
the liberties of the country when this legiSa-
ture seeks to represent, as the views OF the
people of the State, doctrines the most repul-
sfye to d large minority, and which, as he
had already said on another occasion. were,
IN his opinion, dragging down the country to
ruin faster than the rebels could if they were
left unobstructed He vas not disposed 10
90 into the discussion Of the causes of the
war That immaterial now We have
the war and must deal with it, vet he must
say this much that the Democratic party of
the North, adopting the views of Geo Wash
ington, Thomas jefferson, Andrew jackson.
Henry Clay, and other great men on the sub
Ject of the danger of dissolution, warned the
people OF the North years ago that if they
continued the agitation of the slavery ques-
ton until they succeeded in dividing the
country on geographical line, that disSou-
ton Of the Union would inevitably follow
We warned the people of the North not to
do il. They kept up, however, an agitation
offensive not only IN itself to one half the Union
but most Extensively conducted. They said
in reply to warnings that they were no
such towards to be frightened bv such
threats, and told that we were friends of
slavery. And they sleered at Us as - Union
savers The manner IN which Daniel Web
ster and Stephen A Douglas were treated
when they warned the people of the danger
Of disunion was referred to. The party now
IN power said, in the last presidential canvass
that there was no uaugrr-that the South
dared net h5at-tlat 1t could not be driven
out of the CniOn-that If war came ". of
the North could whip them in sixty DAYS
That was their argument. But we Democrats
told them they did not know the South or
its people, aud their resources, and their de-
termination. They replied "Oh, YOU are the
friends of the South, and YOU stand bv them"
Yes, We were the friends of the South, and
did stand by them, and would TO God that
more had followed our example
tie WAS not here to defend the conduct of
the South, but he did deprecate doing any
thing TO increase the difficulties already eH-
listing, and exciting still greater animositv At
the South against the Union.
The democracy was and had ALWAYS been.
party, opposed to the Institution of slav-
cry They dep!ore& its existence here The
only difference between the Democrats and
the Republicans on this subject was that the
Democrats held that slavery was a State in
stitution with which we have nothing TO do.
The Democratic party believed in the Consti-
tuition as the charter of our liberties. In time
of peace they believed in it in time OF war
they believed in it. The Northern Republi-
can party, on the contrary, held that the
President in time of war might disregard the
Constitution and lay his hands on the liber-
ties OF the people at his pleasure. That was
the difference between the parties.
When South Carolina went out of the
Union, the question with patriotic men was
how TO get her back. When men in the
North began to see that the people of the /
South were really inclined to 20 out of the |
Union, they began to say these Southern |
people have more spirit-or call 1t wicked |
mes. if you will-than we thought they had |
South Carolina has actually gone The |
whole North stood aghast. Then Virginia. /
the birth place of Washington, the mother OF |
Presidents, loving the Union, he doubted /
not SHE did, called on the country to hold a I
convention and see if something could not be 1
done TO save the Union. We know the re- 1
suit The Democrats everywhere acceded to |
and favored that request. How was it with |
the other side The speaker then referred /
to the action of the RprlbII,a,,. ~,