Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-10-26
NEW SERIES-VOL. V.-NO Is


VINO did not vote at oil, rather than on
twenty five Senators who voted directly
against it, know you pride yourself on
being man OF courage but / had not
supposed that you had nerve enough 10 90
before an intelligent public with such los.
ic as that.
But you do not give the whole hi, tory.
and, by the omission, men are made TO be-.
lieve that which maN not be true. WIN
did you not inform the public that within
lew hours after the defeat of the COM
premise. on the 10Th of January, you,
YOURSELF as though alarmed at the weight
ofiesposibllity assumed by your party.
moved reconsideration Of the vote BY
which the compromise fell tha. the vote
on your motion was taken-not as you say,
some weeks afterwards, but on the 18th,
two tays thereafter, and that whilst Mes.
srs. Hemphill, johnson, of Arkansas. and
S.idell. who had withheld their votes from
the compromise on the 10th, repented the
wrong, and voted for the reconsideration
you, TO the amazement of the Senate, vot-
ca against your oDa motion 10 RECONSIDER and
'oaS joined By every Republican Senator present:
and further, that by this vote the compro-
mise was placed in precisely the position
1t occupied before the Clark amendment
and so it stood to the close Of the session,
ready st all times for favorable action. On
this vote. which can be found on page 443
OF the lst volume OF the Globe, Messrs.
Bayard. Bragg. Clingman, Criuenden,
Green, Hunter. johnson, of Arkansas -
johnson. of Tennessee; Kennedy, Mason,
Nicholson, Pearce, Polk. Powell, Saulsbu.
ry, Sebastian, and Slidel, on the part OF
the South, sustained the compromise.
whilst Messrs. Seward, Sumner, Wade,
yourself and every other Republican voted
against it. How preposterous it il then
for you 10 pretend that the compromise
was finally lost because six Southern SEN
ators withheld their votes on one indirect
question, which they helped to reverse
forty eight hours thereafter. But, dener-
al, 1t 1t were great wrong, in the Cotton
State Senators, against whom YOU com.
plain so much, to withhold their votes
from the compromise, what are you to say
for yourself and the remainder OF the Re.
publicans who voted invariably against it !
The truth is, General, and you know il as
, well as do, you aud your party friends de.
feated the Crittenden Compromise "a you
aa a sSbfH StSs SS 81 RaF FRRsst ohbs
rejection of the compromise as you con-
cede, then yod may ss well call for the
rocks and the mountains to fall en- you
aud hide you from the Indignation of an
outraged people, now as at any other time,
for the espopsibility of the war, with all
its attendant horrors and Affections, will
be laid at your doorby the impartial histo-
rian.
You filled the Peace Conference with
impracticable men, for the avowed pur.
pose OF defeating tn, patriotic aud hu-
name purpose for which il had been call
ed; and when the proceedings OF that DO,
ds came to the Senate Mr.. Seward moved
10 strike out the entire series OF PROPOSE
tons and insert Others Of his own produc-
ton, for no other purpose, that any one
could perceive, than tomantest his con-
tempt for every effort at compromise and
adjustment. lie seemed 10 imagine him.
self equal in dignity and power, to a con
vention OF States, and was. evidently. be-
side, exulting in the delusion of o sixty
day wrangle, and nobody hurt.
don't mean, by anything say. to nit
igate the folly and wickedness of the Sc
cessionsts in this or any other matter, for
| denounced their doctrines and couse.
quences at the time in the strongest terms
| could command tut Mr.. Slidell told
mo the only object of Withholding their
votes was 10 bring up the crisis = TO disco
VET what was intended on your side, for
he said, what was very true, tina, we could
continue to debate and vote down amend
mentS TO the end Of the session and when
three Of the six voted to rec )nsider | saw
no reason to doubt the sincerity of what
he said. But kuow in addition, that Mr..
| Hemphill, one of tho Senators who with
held his vote, was an open advocate Of the
compromise.
In referring to the final vote which was
taken on the third Of March, you say the
proposition was lost by single vote. dow
absurd 1t is true one vote more would
have given il = majority, but it would have
required twelve or fifteen TO have given it
iwo-thirds, the constitutional vote.
Speaking of the Cotton States men, you
say, N" had they remained and voted for
| the compromise /, would have been adopt
ed" IL les ones patience, General, to
seriously notice such fragrant perversions.
Tnere is not man. Of either party. who
served with you in the Senate at that time
who will sanction a. as er; on. You
know perfectly well that the Constitution
requires vote Of txo-thirds in both hou-
ses of Congress 10 submit amendments for
the ratification OF the States, as you also
do. that the vote Of every Senator from
the South, Of whatever party. uniting with
the vote Of every Democratic Senator from
the North, it would stll have required
eight or nine Republican votes to have
passed it by the constitutional majority
and as no Republican Senator ever voted
for it. or declared his intention to doso
with what show of fairness or truth can
you say that it would have been adopted
had the Southern Senators voted for il
In ott1er words, as tho Republican Sena'
tors numbered more than one-third OF q
full Senate. how could vote oftwo-thirds
be cast against their CONSENT
But suppose the Constitution dld NOT
require q vote of ,wo.third', and tho
Southern Senators, uniting with the
Northern Democratic Senators, had
adontad IL. of what service could such