American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-02-17
Speeeh of Hon. Thomas Williams
az rHE EMBODIMENT BILL

question should have felt greatly embar-
rassed as to the policy or propriety of
committing military service for money
This is a war measure and not a revenue
measure. The Government wants men
and not money. The latter has been fur
nished by the people with unstinted and
ungrudging liberality; nay, with prod
igality which has surprised ourselves, and
at which the world stands amazed | do
not know how to value the stout heart or
the strong arm of the American freeman
in the current money of the merchant
| do not like the traffic in men and money
and sinew, whether it be white or black.
Looking to the experience of other re-
publics, | should greatly deprecate the
conversion of the soldier of ours into Il
mercenary. Between men Of American
growth and training and the richest of
the metals | know no common standard of
comparison With me they are quanti-
ties incommensuable When the Repub-
lie demands the services of her children,
know no answer they can make except
that of Isaac, that they are ready for the
sacrifice. 1t is the answer which their
uncalculating instincts prompted when
the echoes of the guns in Charleston har-
Dor thrilled along their nerves, and half
million of them sprang to their arms at
the first summons of the President, to
avenge the insult to our flag; when the
very yearnings Of maternity were hushed,
and the American, like the Spartan moth
er, arryyed her youngest born as though it
had been for the bridal, put the muskct
in his hands, and sent him out with the
invocation of Gods blessing upon his er-
rand, and the injunction to do his duty
and come back upon his shield, if such
were the fortunes of war, but not without
it. 1t is the answer they would still make
if their ardor were not chilled by the fa-
tai and inglorious inaction, the wearisome
delays, the inadequate results, and the
want ofcarnestnesswhichh have distinguish
odso many of our commanders; or, what
is worse still, if their love of country was
not overlaid and smothered by the devi-
lish suggestions of wicked counselors who
have squatted at their ears and distilled
into them the subtle venom of party.
They have ceased, however, to make
that answer. Enthusiasm was too weak
to survive rebufs and disappointments,
while treason at home was but too ready
to make them the occasion for denuncia-
tions against the Government and ques-
tions as to the rightfulness and the sue
cessful results of the war. 1t has become,
of course, a necessity to remind the back
ward of their duty, and to insist that it
shall be performed. These arguments
have prevailed, however, with many of
the people who had been accustomed to
take counsel from the malcontents They
have held back accordingly until it has
become indispensable to awaken them to
a sense of the obligations which they owe
10 their country. Their advisors do not
however, deny the duty; so far as lip-ser-
vice is concerned, there is an abundance
of it. But they insist that the perform
ance shall be voluntary one, or, in other
words, that it shall rest in their own dis
cretion. Like Falstaff, they would do
nothing on compulsion. To compel a
Democrat to fight would be anti-republi.
can, or if there is to be compulsion it must
be, upon the authority of great casuist
of the Roman church, who has not read
Bellarmine in vain and knows how to turn
IA corner as adroitly as the original and in
imitable Jack himself, voluntary one
a sort of compulsion in the Pickwickiar
sense. To compel him in any other way
would be violation of his prerogative as
a freeman. A perfect liberty is the right
OF doing what we please, but never any
thing on compulsion.
And now word or two in sober earn
est on the objection taken seriously here
and urged throughout the country in re
lation to the legitimacy of the draft
need not apologize for speaking on tha
point. 1t is always important to satisfy
the people not only that thing is law bu
that it is right. 1t is always well to ado
the sanctions of conscience and the sens,
of duty to the mandates of the law-giver
Without this lawsare practically impotent
The "sic rolo, SIC jitbeo, stet pro ration
0olantas" of an imperial rescript is no
the argument for an American citizen
He wants more than it, and he wants
here because immense pains have been ia