Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-23

those Of mingled pain and pleasure. The time
Ia near at hand when il becomes your duty 10
choose my successor as your representative. Ii
will nos be deemed improper for me 10 take this
method Of announcing to you thar | will nos
again be a candidate for that position. The pain
which / feel in making this announcement. IS 10
the fact that il sunders a connection which has
been very dear 70 me-the pleasure is 10 the pros
pect Of rest. private life, and home.
In taking the course which / nov indicate, !
am governed wholly and entirely by personal,
aud not political considerations The condition
of my private affairs, and nv duty TO a young
and dependent family, are imperative reasons for
retiring from the place | now hold. These CIR.
cumstances can alone be fully understood and
appreciated by me. nor can / hope to convey a
correct and adequate idea of their force TO you
But | know that you will give me credit for can
dor. when l say that they are nsurmountable
With equal frankness, it is but just TO state. that
/ would be glad if they we're otherwise. | can
conceive Of no greater honor than to continue in
the service of such a constituency as / represent
Nv ambition takes no higher range. In retiring
now | quit political life. Ii il was possible for
me to remain in public position at all, l should
solicit you to keep me where | am. am proud
of my place, because | represent you. Such de.
votion. confidence, and ! may be allowed 70 say,
affectionate support, as | have received from you
have rarely been bestowed upon one of nv age
and humble abilities. Ny heart swells with emo
lions of the deepest gratitude as | now recall all
the evidences of your unwavering kindness. /
shall carry to my grave the warmest love for you
all. Every incident in our intercourse. personal
and political, will be treasured up and bequeathed
to my children, as an honorable and valuable in
heritance. language Is inadequate TO convey to
you how deeply and keenly | appreciate the brave
and honest men vino have stood BY me ia every
vIcissitude OF fortune.
But / do not yainly imagine that your devo-
ton has been merely personal On the contrary,
/ would have been as nothing, in your eStima-
ton, but for the principles which you maintain,
and which | represent Tor you in Congress To
these principles L have been faithful, If nothing
more. | am willing that the record may speak,
and by it ! will abide in all time and under all
circumstances.
| came into public lie in the midst of storm
and revolution. The fruits OF thirty years sec
tional and bitter agitation Of a question forever
settled by the Constitution were ripe, and the
fierce sickle of death had just commenced to reap
its lrightful harvest. TIE history of the world
shows that such unhappy periods are those in
which Liberty is always cloveu down and sacri-
feed to usurpation and power | thought | per
ceived at my entrance into Congress the freedom
of this country threatened with a similar fate.
Time has more than realized nv worst fears. and
more than paralleled the most gigantic usurpa-
lions in tue history Of the human race. Liberty,
as our sainted fathers ordained it, neither lives
nor breathes any more in the American Republic
The press is not free in a single State in this
Union. Ii is the very palladium of liberty, and
tyrants alone disturb il. Speech, decorous argu
ment, and honorable discussion, is not free in
Congress or out of it. The worship Of God is
not Tree, for ministers are chosen to the churches
in many portions OF the country by the War De-
pirtment, and its subOrdinates. Even the
private thoughts-the sad cnmmunings of a
mans own mind are not free-if the look of his
face should betray them TO IA Government detec-
tive. And accompanying this total loss of liber-
" and overthrow OF all law, human. and divine,
comes debt and taxation, like a giant task master
with whip and chain TO bind the people for genera
tons to come. and scourge them like galley slaves
TO their hopeless toll.
In view OF these things. / took nv stand at
the first on the side of constitutional liberty, and
have maintained il throughout. l have resisted
every encroachment on your rights, and de-
nounced every invasion of your privileges. i
have stood by the written Government of the
early founders. | can appeal to Heaven that this
l have done. | have also endeavored to stand
between you and extortiOners and plunderers. /
have opposed oppressive and needless taxation-
sectional in its character, enriching the East aud
impoverishing you. fostering the industry of that
section and destructive of yours. In pursuing
this course, | have necessarily incurred the hos
tility of two classes of men-those who are
greedy of unlawful power, and those whose souls
are set on unjust gains. But | have received
their blows with indifference, consoled with the
absolute conviction that | am doing right, and
that my conduct met the approval of an enlight
ened and virtCous constituency. | shall retain
no memory of political enmities, and no bitter
ness towards those who have sought to encom-
pass my ruin. | can afford 10 consign all that to
oblivion while 1 have the calm assurance of a
conscience void of offence towards my country
aud my fellow men. | can make all allowances
for good men whose views differ from mine. IL
there are Others who have been determined TO see
evil, and evil only, and that continually in my
public conduct they are to me as if they did not
exist.
On the subject Of the dreadful war which now
wastes the land, nv views are well known, and
my course has been consistent. / did not be
lieve when it commenced that it would restore
the Union and Government under which we had
so happily lived for nearly a century. Time has
but d~eepened and confirmed that opinion. Ii
was thought by many that the task OF restoration
by force of arms was light. and the time brief in
which it would be accomplished. 1t was assert
ed by those high ia authority, that sixty or ninety
days would end the struggle, aud that seventy
five thousand men would be sufficient Tor the
work Popular creiuiity, TO a large extent. en-
braced this pleasing but delusive prophecy.
Three years have rolled away. however, whose
track on the page of history will be one continu-
Gus line of blood. More than two millions of
men have gone forth to battle. and vet mighty
contending armies, Of nearly equal numbers,
confront each other where they did IN the begin
ming New calls are also being made for vast
numbers of troops, by which your farms will be
left without laber in the spriug-time. and be
made barren in harvest. Yet the Union is not
restored, and the rebellious South opens the cam
paign o: the fourth year of the war with as much
vigor and power as ever before. And whatever
may be the result Of the awful approaching bat
ties, The end of the conflict is yet far in the d.
lance. A few weeks since. john W Forney, the
editor of Lincoln's organ in this city, used the
following language:
"a few months ago I thought we were near
the end Of the rebellion; &C prescIt / don't think
we have reached the middle of itl"s -
For me to concur in that opinion ! trust will
not be considered as an evidence of want Of aft
lection for my Government. These are unwel-
come truths, audit gives me pain to repeat them,
bnt they are truths nevertheless which you your
selves do know. and for which / am in no wise
responsible. They vindieate the melancholy
forebodings which | entertained at the opening
of this disastrous contest, when an honorable
compromise was rejected by the party which is
now in power. They vin1icate you. too, in the
wisdom OF your views and in your adherence to
your humble but sincere representative. You
will not forget the language of Mr.. Douglas on
this point: that the sole responsibility OF a failure
to compromise rested upon the party which now
rules the country. =
But you may ask, in this connection, and in
view of the fact that war has failed to bring US
restoration. and has resulted in so much destruc
ton OF life and treasure, whether [ am willing to
give up the Union aud surrender to the doctrine