Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-04-28

: laws as they choose to have; the American
: opinion as l have told you before
was TO be the supreme law. 1t wa.
J aethroned great many years ago
and you have not been governed
for the last twenty years bv American opiD.
Ion; you have been governed by buster. bv
threats, by menace, Undoubtedly, in 1851
II your President had called the Legislature
together, and you had written such laws and
made such amendments to the Constitution
as the rebels saw fit to dictate to you. they
would not have fought you. As long as YOU
would do as you were told to do, there could
De no reason Tor fighting you; but, sir when
you allow battery to be planted on the
banks Of the Potomac or the hanks of The
Ashley river to dictate your legislation to
you, and you make your laws and your CON
sututlons so as to prevent that battery from
opening ire on you, you are slave. YOU are
not tree man. lPhen you come to make a,oa,.
!aS 'sot to sat yourselves but to sat Others. sc,
go" come TO 0ote not your jas2osaents bat as
yoat fears persuade yoat, it seiU be Bat geyy fear
adys after thar before yost scjH begin to diq pota-
toes and c1altipate cotton for the same reasons
Such, then, l find to be the cause and tho
purpose of the rebellion 1t was not to 50.
cure the independence of shareholders bnt
to subject you to abject dependence upon
shareholders. 1t was not to build a new can't
tol Tor new government, but to place new
government in possession of your Capitol.
II was not to frame new constitution for a
new republic, but it was to impose new
constitution upon the Republic of the United
states. 1t was not to secure federation for
slavery within the seeded States, but to
compel the adoption of slavery by the nation,
Ii the cotton-gin had not been invented
slaveholding would not have been profitable.
II slaveholding had not been profitable slave
holders would hot have been rich If slave
holders had not been rich they would not
have been arrogant. If they had not been
arrogant four hundred thousand shareholders
would not have presumed to challenge domin-
ion over twenty million freemen. Slavery
without the cotton-gin would have been a
monster wrong, but it would not have ,been
dangerous to the Republic. The cotton-gin
without slavery would have been of twice the
value 1t has been and still would not have
heen dangerous to. any one. Together they
nave proved fatal to the peace of the nation. |
do not advise to destroy them both. I ad- |
wise that slavery be destroyed and the cotton. |
gin doubled in value.
glove has ordained it that whatever day
Make5 man slave takes half his worth away"
Ii four million negroes were worth IS OOO- !
~" SAN' ~ VIICl III NC WORTH SO,UUU,- |
100000 as treemen. Take that immense |
wealth from the hands of your mortal enc |
mics and double it in the hands of your i'm
mortal friends.
Now, Mr.. President, must not close with !
out remarking that all shareholders have not |
participated in the guilt of this rebellion. I !
know that very well and if there is any |
class of loyal men to whom I am more CRATE |
full than another class, it is that class which |
has been true to the Constitution and true to |
the flag. notwithstanding the membranes
OF slaveholding. Wherever you find me
man who, in spite of his being STAKEHOLDER,
has proved true to the Constitution, can
tell you the fitting epitaph to put upon his
tombstone whenever he dies, and such men
hope will be very slow to die place upon
his tombstone the epitaph that in spite of
slavery he was found true to the principle of
Democracy during the great struggle of 1861.