The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1864-04-08
Speech of the Hon. Thos, e. Seymour.

we copy from the Times
FELLOW CITIZENS: I congratulate you
on this fire gathering of the Democracy of Hart
ford. is dark and dreary without; it is cheerful
within. / congratulate you on the victory you
have achieved in the town election. 1t is a vic
tory principles and it IS destined to bear fruit
1t is owing to two causes 1t isdue first, to the
unity if counsels in your ranks and to youreXcel-
lent organization, which you will do well to keep
up; and il is owing, secondly, to another thing
to a change which is going on in the public mind,
and which IS here represented by sterling and
patriotic men. All the indications are that
there is a growing conviction In the minds and
hearts of the people of America, that if the
country is to be saved, it il to be saved by the
| Democracy. (Applause.) The people look at
| the history of your party-they see how the
Democracy have carried the country along in
peace, to an unexampled height of prosperity
and power; and again they desire 20 commit
to their hands the destinies of the American
people. APPLAUSE. What has brought you
here 1t is precisely that spirit which prompt
| ed your oath as ffeemen, when you took upon
yourselves the sworn obligation support the
! Constitution. Herein you pledged yourselves
20 support the rights of the States, and Of in
dividuals and whatever Of liberty and free in
stitutions came down from tie Revolutionary
fathers. And that cause is imperiled to day
by the men in power. to whom, unfortunately,
are committed the reins Of government; and
knowing this, on the day OF election you went
forward and acquitted yourselves ike men and
patriots.
Yes, my friends, it is imperiled by our rulers.
This is the first time in the history of this coun
try when we have been compelled to speak Of
those who were elected to be the servants of
the people as rulers.-But the iron hand that is
stretched abroad so oppressively upon the peo-
ple-the shackles that are put upon free speech
and the press, as well as upon the hands Of the
citizens-the utter insecurity of the American
people, since the great writ OF liberty the hG6-
cas- corpus, was struck down, all these things
force upon US the melancholy truth that kingly
WORDS and kingly words alone, can express the
ac: when we speak of the men in power.
do not propose 80 go into the origin Of the
fearful struggle; neither anu going to ask you
to oppose the war. 1t is in the hands of men
whom sre eoIsnot control sappeaa fLas will
i've out their political ter and it is to be hoped
that IN the mercy OF God the country will not
4 again be subjected TO their rule. But | ask
your attention to tire fact that this struggle is
in the nature of civil war. Disguise il as we
may, this truth can not be concealed X was
begun with the declaration that it was simply
and only war, for the Constitution and the
Union Of oar Fathers. But now we see lead
ing Republicans openly declaring that thev are
opposed to the Union as it was. They tell us
that we never can have the Union again. It
IS declared unblushingly to be San Abolition
war" And the course of the Government to-
ward the seeded States is clearly destructive
to the Union. It is Il civil war Il is brother
against brother wherever gun is discharged,
or sword drawn. And the only difference.
between it and the civil wars of the Middle
Ages Is that it has not yet become general. 1t
is not, as yet, general because of the wonderful
forbearance of the American people-who.
when the bayonet has been presented to their
breasts, have preferred to wait for the power
OF the ballot; that power which was illustra-
ted yesterday IN SO marked manner in Hart
ford. (Applause.)
When corrupt Congress, subservient to the
Edict of the President, passed the Conscription
act, ana became something barbarous. We all
know the nature of civil war war of earn
age, which should be hateful to the American
people. And yet we have ''war party" who
look upon this with indifference Bloodshed
seems TO be popular in our country | am not
speaking of bloodshed in the shook of battle,
bat of the Indifference of the people to the hor-
rlble nature and reality of things now going on.
| Thou shalt not Kill" once had weight of sa-
cred authority with our countrymen but The sol
emn charge now falls on unheeding ears That
! awful command against the taking of human
| life, is disregarded. Look at the many military
executions and unnecessary.
Here the speaker alluded to particular cases.
in illustration; and also spoke of party of
soldiers who lately took steamers load of con-
scripts, from the East of Virginia, one of whom
leaped overheard; and instead of leaving down
a boat and picking him up, ''they shot him Ike
dog, and let his body drift out to sea for the
sharks. 1t seems not to have occurred TO them
that this wretched conscript may have had a
mother, who with breaking heart, in her hum
bic cottage-home, might have felt melancholy
consolation in at least having the body of her
son restored to her for burial in the village
churchyard."
Bloodshed, l say, rs popular! What has be-
come of the 'panting fugitive of the Anti
Slavery Agitation days? We hear nothing of
him now. He seems to have taken refuge un-
der the broken arches of the Constitution while
white men are hunted down.
The character of the war has changed.-If
it was for the Union once, il is so no longer-I
We are plainly told that it is for the conquest
of the South. | wish to speak to you not as
a politician, but as a friend of our country
(Applause) Now, let me tell you, gentlemen,
land let me request, that you remember what
I say,l the conquest of the South involves the
destruction of liberties of the North and of the
West! That is what it involves. A fact or
two will prove it.
1t involves the necessity of military occupa-