Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-10-08
Could the War have been Averted by COmprO-

Could the War have been ANefteu D! tOhpfO-
1t has been often alleged by Copperhead
1 partizans that the Republican majority in the
lower House Of Congress during the session
OF. ls60-61, might have averted the war by a
compromise. That they did DO all that hon
orable men could do.in that direction + new
ertheless matter of history. Here are some
of the propositions of compromise offered by
them: ss-s@ = ri
1. Mr.. Anthony, OR. I, lRspabIisea,l pro
i posedin the Senate, dian IS, l86l that New Mex
ico, 10 GLIDING Arizona, and thus covering AL the
territory then really in epute she uld az once be
I admitted as State with such a constitution as
her people should fit to frame, although slavery
was recognized and protec-ed therein BY existing
terrt oTial law. He intima ed that he was author
ICED BY other Republican senators to make this of
fer a compromise, to be sustained by them If Il
| we're aceeptable.to the Other side. NO Democrat
accepted it, so it fell to the ground
2. v. Seward proposed, in the select commit
tee OF hrteen on the crisis appointed that winter
on M ion OF Mr. Powell q Ky s9neiliatory prop.
of the constitution adverse 10 the safety ana perpe
tuity of slavery. and stipulating that Congress
| should pass efficient Law providing against the
armed invasion of any state or states Ga tG John
Brown). and Furnishing all persons implicated there
| in. All the Republican members voted Tor TINS
proposition, all the others against tso 1t was de-
| feated.
g. Mr. Corwin, from select committee of thirty
three, reported to the House Jan. IA, 1S6l several
/ concatory propositions, requiring the faithful |
execution of the Fugitive Slave law, the repeal OF
l all state enactments inconsistent herewith, the
rigorous performance OF every iederaI oohg .
| ala inyasions raids by citizens OF one state,
| whereby the peace and security OF another were
| imperiled. The House passed this-yeas 100, nays
| A. Mr.. Corwin further proposed Joint Resolve
| initiating amendment Of the Federal Constitu-
| ton, whereby il should te rendered impossible to
amend it thereafter as to confer on Congress any
power over Slavery in the States. This passed the
House-Yeas, lS3i NAYS, 65i and was eoncurred 10
culed by Senator Mason, of Virginia, as " only one
! plank Of the Chicago [Republicanl platform" 3.
| s. The State of Virginia having proposed con-
ference Of the States by delegates at Washington,
most OF the States which had not seeded were re-
presented therein. 1t convened Feb. 4th, and va.
rious proposals looking to Cancellation were sub
mitt ed. considered and acted n Among Others
| the State of Kentucky, through. her Legislature
having urgently reconm ended Convention Of the
States, like that which framed our Federal Const-
| tuition, Gov. r. s. Baldwin, of Conn, submitted a
| resolve approving and urging such Convention,
which voted DOWNFALL the Democrats and
| So Conservatives" opposing 1t. Mr.. Amos Tuck, Of
4 N. IL, renewed the propos ton, and it was again
voted down---ll States against, to9 for it-every
| Conservative delegate opposing 1T, and even
Kentucky herself, uniting Gas before) to vote it
| down. . .sI.
Many of the Southern Democrats declared
that no concessions could be named that
could induce them longer TO remain in the
| Union, nor will any one claim that anything
less than the absolute Republication of the
cardinal principle upon which the American
people elected ABRAHAM LINCOLN, to-wit !:
that slavery should not be legalized in the
territories of the United States, would have
contented the south. To such surrender of
principle no honest man could consent Leg
islation Of that kind would have been legis-
lation at the dicta ion of master.
No more perfect justification of the course
of the Republicans in refusing to abandon
this principle, sanctioned as it is by the JEFF
fersonian ordinance of 1881, is needed, than
the example of HENRY CLAY, the great Amer
| lean statesman. Though stakeholder him
| self, he refused to vote for the extension of
slavery into the Territories. When in 1850,
JEFFERSON DAVIS in the United States Senate
demanded that the right to hold slaves in all
territories lying south of the line of SO 3O'
should be recognized, Mr.. CLAY responded:
Sir, coming from a Slave state, as do, owe
il to myself, owe it to TRUTH owe it to the sub
ect, to state that no earthly pocer could induce me
10 uote for specific measure for the intr0ductiOn Of
Slavery cere ithdd not fore eTiSted either South
or North of that line. Coming, as l do, from a
Slave state, il is my solemn, deliberately and we'll
matured determination that no Poaoey-So earthly
poloer-ShaH compel to cote for the positive intro
ductiOn Of StareTy, either South North Of that
line. Sir, while you reproach, and justly, too,
British ancestors for the introduction of this in
stitution upon the continent of America, am,
for one, unwilling that the posterity of the present
inhabitants of California and New Mexico shall re-
proach as for doing just what We reproach Great
Britain for doing to us"
No intelligent man who studied the action
of the South in 1880, and for years previous,
will believe that the Republicans, by any con-
cessions imaginable on the subject of slavery
could have induced the secession leaders to
pause in their mad attempt to break up the
Government, They had long plotted the dis
solution of the Union; they had long dream
ed of an independent Southern Confederaey,
with slavery as its corner stone, which should
ultimately absorb Mexico, Cuba and Central
America; for thirty years they had been con-
spring for its realization. Therefor it was
that they made the election of LINCOLN the
pretext for secession. Their plans were ripe.
They did not fear any interference with their
institutions. They had large working ma
jority IN both Houses of Congress. Mr.. LIN
coin would have been powerless, if he had
possessed the inclination, to do anything that
would have jeopardized the security of their
system Of slave labor. They wanted separa-.
ton and independence Nothing less would
satisfy them s4H -. t5
They believed the Northern Democratic
leaders could so control the Democratic par
ty at the North and divide public sentiment
here that eoerciye measures for maintaining
the Union would be wholly impracticable.-
Hence all concessions would have been idle.
Had the Republicans in Congress consented
to dshonorable and humiliating surrender
of their principles, had they been guilty of
the nfamy of betraying their constituents by
voting for a measure which HENRY CLAY de-
clared no earthly power could induce him to
support, they would have found they had sac
rifced themselves in vain, and incurred eter-
nal ignominy, without in the least cOntribu-
ting to the preservation of their country.
The Spirit of MeClellan's supporters.
The blatant treason that was the conspicu-
ous element in the sneeches of the Demo-