The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-04-27
General Schenck's Speech,
IN REPLY TO
FERNANDO WOOD.

FERNANDO WOOD.
In the House of Representatives. on
Wednesday last, FERNANDO WooD made
a miraculously mean speech, saying he
did not indorse Mr.. LoNG's views, or
those of Mr.. HARRIS, of Maryland, but
he was for sending Commissioners to
Richmond, and making peace and yet
he would not recognize the independence
/ of the Southern Confederacy. i GENERAL
! SCHENCK made a scathing reply. as fol-
! lows:
/ Mr.. SCHENCK. Mr. Speaker, stu
dent in natural history would have much
to learn upon this floor. Some specimens
of the snake family are SO slippery that
it seems impossible to classify them, or
to hold them to any place.
/ find myself at great loss to under
stand what ground is occupied by the
! gentleman from New Y York, Mr. Fernan-
10 Wood, who has just taken his seat
He avows that he disagrees to the posi-
! ton taken by the member from Mary
/ land, Mr.. Harris who was yesterday
visited with the censure of the House ;
he dissents from the arguments and prop
ositions of my colleague, Mr.. Long, |
whose case we are now considering; and
yet he says to his fellow copperheads,
those, if any there be, who crawl with
him, that there is no such thing as a War
Democrat, for a creature of that kind is
anomalous. Laughter. l may bepar-
doned therefore, ifv have difficulty in
comprehending his own nature, or know
ing exactly where in the scale to place
him
But, ut the close of his remarks, the
gentleman from New York seemed in no
small degree to develop his peculiar
views and purposes. He has laid down
something ike the same platform in reso-
lutions which he, early in the session,
offered in this House Being neither
against the war nor for the war, he would
send commissioners to Richmond to treat
with those arrayed in arms against the
country, to offer them terms of peace.
He breaches a ..new gospel of peace,' of
which he is the great apostle
How many others on his side of the
House may agree with him l know not
But do know this-whenever any such
propositions of Northern Democrats
have appeared in public print, or their
offers or suggestions Of peace have been
made in any form. they have invariably
been received by the rebels at Richmond,
with soothing, and repelled with scorn
Their rebel friends have not hesitated to
declare that such advances, and the
emissaries who might convey them, could
only be entertained by them with fingers
holding their offended aristocratic noses.
Laughter. That only is the way they
would receive the Democrats who came
to offer them peace. You must not
''come between the wind and their nobili-
ty.'
The gentleman and his frie ids then.
are willing, and propose to crawl on their
bellies to the feet of rebels and insurgents
in arms, and looking up piteously, to say.
'sOh, our masters, notwithstanding all
your scoffing and scorn, and though you
may spnrn us from your presence, we i'm
plore you to say whether you will not
graciously agree to make some terms
with US" i cannot comprehend this
abatement in any other way.
| said would refer to this
/ with view to the former position of the
gentleman from New Y ork, Mr.. Fernan-
do Wood Whenever and however
hostilities commenced, where then was
! he, and what was his relation to the great
rebellieus movement by which was
sought to be destroyed the integrity and
unity his country?
When our difficulties with the South
were ripening into war. when it was not
known how far disatfection might extend
throughout the several States of this
Union, there was Mayor of New York
who proposed that the city should secede
from the Government of the United
States, and set up for itself as a .sfree
city, on the pattern of Independent po-
litical communities of that sort, known
on the European continent
Mr.. Fernando Wood. Mr. Speaker
The speaker pro tempore. Does the
gentleman from Ohio yield to the gentle
man from New York?
Mr.. Schenck. l cannot be interrupted.
sir, but will continue. as the gentleman
insisted on doing when others sought to
interrupt him.
Not that alone, sir; the same Mayor of
New ork, after rebellion was already
rampant. when boxes filled with arms
were stopped Iey the loyal city authori
ties on the wharves of New York. and
not permitted to go South. that weapons
might be put into the hands of those in
fernal scoundrels who were seeking to
overthrow the Government and the
country: that same Mayor, on being
telegraphed to, replied that he regretted
he had no power over the matter. or he
with such transmission of these muni-
tions of war.
Mr.. Fernando Wood Mr.. Speaker
Mr.. Schenck- Yes. know that that
has been denied here, a short time ago
by that gentleman ON this floor. and with
out hearing him now, / give him the bene
. fit of that denial. But lle shall also have
the benefit of the positive proof produced
and published widely in the papers of
/ New York few days afterwards. mailing
Z upon him the falsity of the denial which
I he presented to this House.
Mr. Fernando Wood. Mr.. Speaker
Mr.. Schenck, / am not to bc inter
rupted by the member
I Mr.. Fernando Wood The gentleman
I states what is false
I Mr. Schenek. / have met rebels be-
/ fore, when they had something more than
/ tongues with which to contend. snd am
not to be interrupted or put down by the
+ member from New York As that gentle
! man tI.