The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1864-09-22

exercise of the tight of self-detence and
and preservation. It is unnecessary
to pause to show that all this transpired
while the reins of power were held by
Southern men, most of whom are now in
arms against the government. Let it
pass. The question hinges upon the
responsibility of the rejection of the Crit
tenden Compromise. 1t was rejected. BY
| whom?
Reference to page 400, part first of the
Congressional Globe of the second session
of the Tbirty-sixth Congress, will place
the responsibility for the rejection of that
Compromise where it properly belongs
1t will be seen that the Crittendep Com
promise was defeated by the substitution
Gin effect) of what is known as the "Clark
Amendment" The record shows that the
vote on the motion to substitute was
yeas 25, nays 80. The vote on the adop-
tion of the Clark proposition, taken direct
ly afterward, was-yeas25, rays %. The
presumption would be, naturally, that #
the south had votes enough to reject the
substitutes, it WOULD also have had enough
to reject the proposition when offered in
dependently. There was falling off in
the negative vote on the proposition, as
compared with that on the first motion to
substitute, of seren votes This is accounted
for by the fact that Senators Benjamin aud
SlideIl, of Louisiana; Wigfall and Hemp
hill, Of Texas: Iverson of Georgia, and
johnson, Of Arkansas-sih Southern Sen
ators-sat IN their seats and refused to cote.
Had these six southern men voted "no,"
the Clark proposition would have been de-
feated by majority of four votes, and the
Crittepden Compromise could have been
taken up and carried by the same MAORI
ty. 1t appears of record, then, that the
Crittenden Compromise was rejected be-
cause six of the leading Senator's from the
south virtually refused to vote fer it. A
motion to reconsider was carried some
weeks later, and a direct vote upon the
Compromise was taken. The proposition
was LOST by single vote. But one OF the
six Senators referred to, voted on that oc-
casion, nearly all of them having with
drawn on the secession of their respective
States. Had they remained to vote for
the Compromise, it would have been ad-
opted.
The chief object in alluding to this
matter is TO show tha. when, before the
overt act Of war was committed, the south
had the election of compromise or war,
she, though her highest Gignitaries, de-
liberately chose war.
The south would not have compromise
then. Is it reasonable to suppose that 1t
would acceptsuch an accommodation now
Her rulers have the southern masses by
the throat, and can mould them to their
imperious will. They are playing tor
great stake. They could not withdraw
from the contest now unless forced into
withdrawal. Pride, 1--we OF power-5oth
inbred and fostered by the institution OF
slavery-would force them to elect, as they
declare they do elect, extermination rather
than submission and union.
Early in the struggle-before the gov
ernmenu had taken the aggressive-Presi-
dent Lincoln offered peace in the most
liberal terms The terms were, briefly,
the laying down Of arms and the abandon
ment of their hostile attitude. The world
knows how those 1erms were met. 1t
need not be repeated here. The desoa-
ton of southern fields and the vacan:
seats in thousands upon thousands OF homes,
both north and south. bear the record
Still later, amnesty and pardon have teen
offered by the President; still the chiefs
of rebellion abate not little of their en-
ergy to maintain themselves In their
wrong. They demand recognition and IN
dependence of government they hate
Intimate knowledge of the directing minds
of the rebellion teaches that they will
never abandon their wicked scheme until
obliged to do so by the sheer force of such
iron circumstances as control the results
of war.
There is no ground, then, for the hope
of peace through compromise no hope OF
permanent peace. There is no such dis
charge in this war. Those who go before
the country upon such vicious pretexts,
are not deceived themselves, however much
they may deceive the ignorant and unsus-
pecting. 70 charge self-deception upon
them in a matter so Enthusiastically clear,
would be equivalent to charging them
with imbecility They do not deceive
themselves. The pretext of seeking the
defeat of Mr.. Lincoln that peace may re-
turn to our borders covers sinister pur-
rose. IF they wish peace they can have
it but in two ways-in cowardly aban
donment of the struggle, followed by dis
union. or by more vigorous (if posslble)
prosecution of the war.
Thus the true issue upon which the cam
paign is to be made becomes sharply de-
fined. None can deprecate the horrors OF
war or desire the return Of peace more