Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-03-03
Speech Of a War Democrat
Remarks Of Hon. LEVI HEBBELL, of Mil
waukee. made in the Wisconsin Assembly,
Eahruary 18th, 1861.


family of a soldier who shall marry, or shall
have married, after being mustered into the
service of the United States. The ayes and
noes have been called and we are notified by
the opposition, that responsibility Is to be
assumed. Sir, as one of the Union men OF
this House, | am ready to 60 upon the record.
| see the opposition eager to take their
chances upon whichever course we pursue.
If we vote for the measure, it will be spread
abroad in their papers; it will be proclaimed
at the hastings and upon the stump, through
the coming political campaign, that the Union
party are eating out the substance of the
DeOpIe with taxes that this unnecessary war
is loading them with an overwhelming debt
If we vote against the measure, the soldiers
will be told, g See how treacherous this Union
party is to your interests; you vote for them
and they vote against you; you vote against
US but we vote for you" Be it So | have
no explanations to make. The gentleman
from Dane who is the leader of the so-caled
Democrats in the Assembly, spent long time
the other day in defining his position in refer
cnce to the army, the rebellion and all that
| trust he was successful, so far as to satisfy
himself, if not his party. If he is correct,
they have suddenly turned about and taken a
new tack. They are now going for the most
vigorous prosecution of the war, and ready
to rush, with the boldest, for taxation and
debt. They have left the narrow limits of
their last falls platform, where they resolved
to fight the rebels only Uittin tie pale of tie
Constitution. The honorable member fairly
bantcred US, and challenged US, to follow his
lead in IegaliZing debt and taxation, until the
war should be ended; intimating, at the same
time, that it was not his war, and that as the
war was being conducted, by the President, it
would never end.
When the country is bleeding at every pore
it may be very natural for some persons to
say, Z" let the CALLED jade vince our withers
are umwrung." But, that is not the position
of the UNION PARTY of this State, and of this
House; nor, is their position like that Of the
Honorable member, in another respect. They
have no need to define their position, here or
elsewhere. Their record is before the army
and the country. From the beginning of this
wicked attempt to destroy the constitution,
the Government, the Union, and all the
rights and liberties secured thereby, by arm
ed forces and war, the loyal men of the coun-
try, have had but one thought, have known
but one duty, ard that was, to make war up
on the Rebellion, to give it blows,-with
pike and spear sword and bayonet, musket
and cannon, tongue, pen and type; to hit it
when they could, where they could, as they
could; Gripping 1t by every means recogniz-
ed in civilized warfare.
Nay more, they have cndeavored, every
where and always, to cheer, sustain and re-
lievc our gallant troops in the field. This is
what Union men hare done and it has been
seen and known of all men. There are some
things, they have not done. When traitor
troops, to the number of one hundred thousand
were marching into the heart of PENNSYLVANIA,
when traitor-cannon lined the banks of the
Mississippi, closing that great River to the
commerce of the north west; when the threats
of foreign intervention seemed most immi-
nent, and the national heart grew pulseless
with anxiety, the Union men did not 90 about
shouting TallandgtaDo-F olaadighdna," and
stirring up civil strife, in our midst.
And when again the tocsin of victory rang
throughout the land; when the gallant Meade
had conquered at Gettysburg; the still nobler
Grant had planted his victorious flag on the
highest tower of Vicksburg, and the brave
Banks had marched his heroic troops into the
tortrcsses of Port Hudson, they did not then
drown the nations shout of triumph by hOarse
howlings against the President of the United
States. Nor, sir did they do another thing
When the malignity, perseverance and power
of the rebellion, manifested through year
and six months of bloody strife, satisfied the
GGmmanQer-in-Chief of our armies that, in
order to save the Government, he must lay
his hand upon the corner stone of their Con
fcderacy-when he touched the zone of bond
age with the point of his pen, and caused it
TO fly asundcr Union men did not 90 into
spasmS and cry out, 'Constitution violated"
/Lincoln guilty of treason" They knew that
Sianc,R formed no part of the Constitution of
the United States. Nor does it. There is
not Il word, or sentence, or article, in that
immortal instrument that creates slavery, or
that will perish if slavery ceases to exist.
Five great purposes are enumerated in the
preamble, as the objects of its creation and
adoption. The first is, "to form a more per-
feet Union ;" the last, ''to preserve the blessings
of liberty, to ourselves and our posterity :"
and the others are kindred to these in their
character. 1t was not made to preserve 'the
blessings" of human bondage Itrecognized,
neutrality-suspicious. naming it, the exist
cnce of slavery in the States: provided, that
States should not interfere with States in re-
claiming fugitivcs; and gave to States where
it might exist representation in Congress,
founded upon it. Beyond this, it ignored
the institution That a part of the war
power, the President or the Congress might
control it, or sweep it away, was declared by
one of its authors the illustrious MADISON,
during the first or second Congress under the
Constitution. His emphatic declarations to
that effect, will be found among the proceed
ings of one of the early Congresses.
But sir, it required no provision of that in
Strument comforting that power no declara-
ton of its author or eXpounder, to invest the
President Herewith. The President is the
constitutional and executive head of the gov
emmcnt. When the life of the government
is assailed, it becomes the duty of the eXecu-
tive head thereof to call into exercise every
power and all the means, of the body polite.
The clearest right, and the first duty of
every created thing, is self-preservation.
But it cannot be conceded or conceived,
chat Il great free and intelligent people, in
creating for ''themselves and their posterity"
government, did not invest it with this first
and inahenable right. Had all the slaves IL
berated by the Presidents proclamation been
the property of loyal men, the national
emergency might have justified the act; just
as property is thrown overheard, and lives
are sacrificed, on sinking ship, to save the
rest.
But no such plea can be made for the slave
property OF the rebel states. As states, they
had wiltuly and reasonably seeded from
the Union ; organized a separate and indie
pendent government opened Il war OF deS-
truction against the constitution and govern
ment of the United States and invited in
foreign and hostile nations to aid them in
their damnable work Those states, and the
people OF those states, thus standing in open
rebellion, and covering their borders with
hostile armies, could, by no possibility, hare
ana rights ander tie constitution
We might as well claim constitutional
rights for the people of England, or the saw
ages of New Zealand. Those who make this
claim for them, are their friends and our en-
emies. or they know not what they demand.