Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-11-19

fully revealed to the people of the United
States as, they have heretofore been to the
outside world Before the calamitous war in
which slavery has plunged the country shall
end, it will be even more hateful to the
American people thanfEit already is to the
rest of mankind, while their condemnation of
it will remain unchanged" [Applause.1 -;
On the question of peace or war as falsely
raised by the opposition, he continued: =.
The Opposition will not succeed in misIead-s
ing you, am sure, by telling you that you
have question. of immediate peace or war
involved in the present issue. War, and not
peace, you have, already. God knows that
it is severe and painful enough. If l could
think of taxes in the face of national death,
should say that our taxes are heavy enough.
IL could think of personal interests, affec-
tions or sympathies in the face of an insolent
/ enemy in arms, / should say, that men enough
had been manned and slain. But when we
shall have said all these things, the actual sit
uation of the country viii still be before US,
unchanged. 1t is state of civil war, and
not of peace. (Gheers.) Persons often ask
me on every hand, els the war to last for
ever?" "How long is the war to Tasty" L
answer tho war will not last forever, bnt it
must continue until we give up the conflict,
OF tIe eueluY give Tue COliu1Ct. \OElcS VI
'sThat's the talk" and cheers.) Are you
prepared to give up the conflict? (Cries of
"No, never!"9 You say, "No, never"
Why? Because in that case yeu give up the
national life (Cheers.) In any and every
event the nation must live; if you were to
give up the national life, you enter in. the
state of national death. What that state is,
God be thanked we do not certainly know.
The Government viii not abandon the, con-
fict until the majority of the people decide
that it shall be abandoned. Applause and
cries of "That will never bei"l On the
other hand, the enemy will abandon their re-
bellion idst so soon as they shall have the un-
doubted assurance that it cannot prevail
TCheers.l They will do so for two reasons:
first, no faction can indefinitely continue a
struggle tlfat is hopeless SgSecondly, because
they give up no national life, but they, as well
as we, save their own national existence by
their defeat and overthrow, Cries of "Thats
so :" and better national existence than
in their maddest hours of delusion they have
eyer conceived. as the result of their unlaw
full enterprise. Cheers. 4 Suppose thenthat
the people, as we all agree theylwill, support
the Administration by their suffrage to-mor-
row.. The rebels then have the assurance ofthe
American people, made upon full rehearsing
of the merits of the controversy, upon appeal
and full examination of results thuslfar oh;
tanned, with the relative forces of the parties
yet remaining in reserve, that the conflict is
not to be abandoned on our part. lTfemen-
dous cheers. In all our athletic games, three
times success in five trials gives the victory
two decisions following each other is equal
to three in FIVE. You have already abundant
evidences of the exhaustion Of the rebels, but
not yet evidences of their consciousness of
that exhaustion, Those evidences will ap-
pear Immediately on the announcement of the
reelection of Abraham Lincoln. Cheers.
You would have had those evidences earlier
if you had rendered this verdict sooner You
sviU have them al the sooner after tie verdict an
PROPORTION TO THE7UNANINITY AND DETERMINE
TIoN wITH.wHCHIr Is SPOKEN. Loud cheers.l
After showing the fallacy of attempting to
put down an armed rebellion by substituting
diplomacy and " the arts of statesmanship
for war, he declared it was equivalent to a
surrender of the Union. If he had been will
ling to surrender, he would have proposed
surrender at the beginning; he would at all
events have availed himself of the first CLEAN
of victory to secure terms as little humiliat-
ing as possible. The Secretary concluded
his speech with these noble words: " AS for
the arts of craftsmanship, l know of none
applicable in this case. The only art of
craftsmanship that do know, is to be faith,
full to God and to my country Applause.
l seek to cultivate charity and prevent war,
civil or foreign, as long as consistent with
national Justice and homer and safety, it can
be prevented; but when in war, ito fight with
courage, constancy and resolution, and thus
to save my country or fall with its defenders"