Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-02-18

ers on the other side of this House shall
resurrect IL and give Il galvsnic life.
l., You may say TO mo that slavery is d.
satisfaction from the word or God, perhaps,
that slavery is benefcent institution; will
say TO you that all this may be entirely sat
isfactory to your mind, but your beloved
friend, slavery, is no more. This is q world
of bereavements and changes, and an
nounce 70 you that your friend has depart
ed. Hang the drapery Of mourning on its
bien Go In long and solemn procession af.
ter its bearse, if you please, and shed your
tears of sorrow over its grave, but L have no
time to waste in listening to your fearful
eulogy over the deceased
come now to consider another point in
this question. Ihold it as a settled truth
that the leaders of this rebellion can never
live in peace in this Republic. lido not say
it in any spirit of vindictiveness, but as q
matter Of conviction. Ask the men who
have seen them and met them ip the dark
ness Of battle and all the rigors Of warfare;
they will tell you it can never be. | make,
of course, an exception in favor Of that sad
array Of men who have been forced or ca.
joled by their leaders into the ranks and
subordinate Offices 10 the rebel army. / be-
lieve truce could he struck to-day between
the rank and file Of the hostile armies. l
believe they could meet and shake hands TO-
gether joyfully over returning peace, re-
spectlng their mutual courage and manhood.
But for the wicked men who brought on
this rebellion, for the wicked men who led
them into the darkness, such day can nev-
ercome. Ask the representatives OF Ken
lucky upon this floor who know what the
rebellion has been in their State, who know
the violence and devastation that has swept
over it, and they will tell you that all over
that State neighbor has been slaughtered by
neighbor, feuds fierce as human hate can
make them have sprung up, and so long as
revenge has an arm to strike they will never
cease to strike if such men come back to
dwell in their midst This is true Of every
State over which the desolating tide of war
has swept II you would not inaugurate an
exterminating warfare, to continue while
you and and our children and children s
children live, set it down at once that the
leaders of this rebellion must be executed
or banished from the Republic. They must
follow the fate of the Tories of the Revolu
| ton. .t ur .i
/ believe, Mr.. Speaker, that the Army i:
unit on these great questions; and must
here be permitted to quote from one of ma
| ture's noblemen, man from Virginia with
the pride of the old Dominion in his blood,
but who could not be seduced frem his pat.
riotism-onc who, amid the storm of war
that surged against him at Chickamauga,
stood firm as a rock in the sea-George H.
Thomas. That man wrote a communication
to the Secretary of War, nearly year ago,
saying, in substance, for quote from mem
ory, Il send you the inclosed paper from q
subordinate officer; endorse its sentiments
and will add, that we can never make sol
i'd progress against the rebellion until ",
take more sweeping and severe measures
we must make these people feel the rigor
of war, subsi,t our Army upon them, ant
4 leave their country so there will be little il
it for them to desire" Thus spoke a ma,
who is very far from being what gentleman
upon the other side Of the House are pleas
ed to call an abolitionist, or Northern ia
natic; and in saying this he spoke the voic'
of the Army.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised and amazed
beyond measure at what have seen in thi
House. Having been SO long with men wh'
had but one thought upon these grea
themes, it is passing strange to me to hea
men talking of the old issues and discus
sions of few years ago. They forget tina
We live in actions and not in years. The
forget that sometimes nation may live
generation in a single year, and the expert
ence Of the last three years has been create
than that of centuries ofquiet and peace
There are men VINO do not seem to resliz
that this is a struggle for existence; a terri
BILE fight of flint with flint bayonet with bay
onct, blood for blood They still retail
some hope that they can smile rebellion int
, peace. They use terms strangely. In thes
} modern days words have lost their signif
cance. Ii a man steals his thousands frol
"defaulter." II man hangs shackles Q
the limbs of a human being and drives hi
through life as slave, it is not man. stealth
, it is not even slavery, it is only "anoth
, form of civilization" 1 .T
t We are using words in that strange wa
| There are journals in New York city, a
Z told, that never call this rebellion-it
only civil commotion," ''fIatern
n strife had thought the days of "Sont
| ern brethren" aud "wayward sisters" hi
t gone by, but find it here in the high no,
: of its glory. One would suppose from ,
9 we hear that war is genteel and graceful e
It ercise, to be INDUCED in quiet and pleasa
Q manner. l have lately seen stanza fro
: the nursery rhymes of England, which
commend to these gentle hearted patrio
IS who propose to put down the rebellion wi
= soft words and paper resolutions:
T. @There was an old man who said how
Shall fec from this horrible COW!
h / will sit oil the stle
IL And continue To smile, .iI
>: Which may soften the heart OF this COW"
:, tell you, gentlemen, the heart of q
IL great rebellion cannot be softened by smile
r You cannot send commissioners down
10 Richmond as the gentleman from M
York Mr.. Fernando Wood proposes,
le smile away the horrible facts Of this war.
IS IS Not by smiles but by laundering wolfe
as must this rebellion be met, and by Il
y ! means alone. am reminded Of what n
q. caulay said in regard to the revolution
.. England. He said: .l f'..p slo5u .I
ID ~, 1T is because we had a preserving re
iv luton in the seventeenth century that
N N have not had destroying revolution in
bs nineteenth. It's because we had freed
a. in the midst of servitude that we have or
al in the midst Of anarchy. For the autho
is of law, for the security of property, for
~ peace of our streets, for the happines
i our homes, our gratitude is due, under
:. who raises and pulls down nations at
IL ..Io.s,,ra ts1i t1,a Eana pa ri nanf IN