American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-04-13

term would expire before all was lost
Thank God Abraham Lincoln became
President before the cause of the Union
was totally ruined, and then the work of
rescue began.
My colleague, in a speech Of twenty-nine
pages, says not word in denunciation of
these rebel insults and outrages, nor does
he show any sympathy with those of his
neighbors whose blood has enriched every
battlefield in defense of their country, and
whose bones are before Richmond and
Charleston, ,at Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicks-
burg and Chattanooga, and whose heroic
valor has protected his home and mine
from threatened invasion by his late polit-
ical friends. Nor has he any charges to
make against anybody except of "madness
and folly" against the people, and railing
against the Government, the Quakers and
Abolitionists. The rebellion is tenderly
mentioned as an "ill judged rebellion
no crime in it--no blood ON the rebels
hands; onlya mistake in judgment, bad
guess as to time and result Sir, do not
think my colleague has allowed his good
feelings to find expression in his speech !;
butt was made to aid in restoring the Dem
ocratic rule, its errors and fallacies should
be pointed ost.
My colleague sees no prospect of the
end. He says "nearly three years of civ
il war have now discharged their relent-
less fury upon our unhappy country, and
we are yet apparently as far from any sat
isfactory adjustment Of our differences as
when we first few to oarms" Sir, [ broad
ly deny this extraordinary statement 1t
is the policy of the rebels, and those who
sympathize with them to undervalue the
results already accomplished, and to dis
courage the public feeling of the North.
jeff Davis says the South cannot be con-
quered and my colleague deliberately ly shuts
his eyes to the astonishing resnks already
attained. The rebellion is in its astagonies;
immense regions have been reclaimed, sew
eral States are returning to their allegiance,
and on every hand there is but one indica-
ton, and that of the increasing power of
the Union and the increasing weakness of
the rebellion. Ny colleague should see
this; but there is none so blind as he who
will not see. His doctrine as to the true
character of the governments is specimen
brick of the genuine Calhoun mould. He
"fnds no difficulty in divided allegi-
ance," and he "holds that allegiance to
bind the citizen in equal degree to the gov
ernment of the State and to that of the
nation, both proceeding from the same
source-the people Of the several States"
This doctrine has deluded multitudes into
treason, has undermined the Federal Gov
ernment, brought on this war, and sacri-
feed the lives of thousands ofour people.
General Jackson in his day denounced it,
and warned the country against it; and
even Mr.. Buchanan, in his last annual
message, declared it ''to be inconsistent
with the history as well as the character of
the Federal Constitution" 1t means that
we have no national Government; that
under the Constitution there is no Union;
but only knot of States that way be tied
or united atpleasure; that there is no such
thing as citizen of the United States,
and no national flag to shelter him.
But Mr.. Chairman, the most cruel fea-
ture of my colleagues speech is that
which, openly proclaiming his approval of
Mr.. Buchanan's course, imphedly censures
that of the great old patriot whom he and
l, once and again, but vainly, labored to
make President of the United States
General Lewis Cass; whose patriotism and
craftsmanship revolted at the tuckling
policy of Mr.. Buchanan, and who, when
his proposition to garrison the southern
forts and maintain possession of the pub
lie property was refused, promptly tender
ed his resignation aud withdrew from the
Cabinet. IF Mr.. Buchanan's policy was
wise, General Cas's was unwise; f Mr..
Buchanan was faithful in his high posi-
ton, General Cass was mistaken in judg-
ment; if Mr.. Buchanan properly met the
great duties Of the hour then Gen. Cass
utterly failed to appreciate the difficulties.
But not so. can never subscribe to
such sentence Of condemnation against
an old friend whom / have long admired;
whom | now revere as among the worth
lest statesman the country has ever had,
and whose claim to the love and gratitude
of posterity rest, in my judgment, more
firmly upon his unshaksn fidelity when
treason was SO general, than even upon his
brilliant records of both civil and militia
ry service. About the time he retired
from the Cabinet he was filed with gloom