Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-03-24

,rdee the constitution, 10 meet The t1rfible ordeal
Of ear snd TO make force a. element OF its do
tense, the Willy antagonists OF slavery sas their
opoossunity add sdvsacsd the proposition which
. majority Of the people seem 70 have gradually
acee ot<d a. . postulate: slavery Is the cause
add strength Of the rebellion" This taken for
grated. IL consequences we're plain: to destroy
the rebellion. slavery must be destroyed: 70 re-
store the union, slavery mnst be destroyed; 70
preserve the Constitution. slavery must De des
troy ed This po.tulaie and its consequences
once accsp pied by the president and bis party, J.
vas not difficult 90 fsd 10 assumed var poserso OF
the executive and Of congress the instruments to
do the perfect york OF abolition in the rebeilious
states.
Mr.. Speaker, the truth of the assertion that
slavery Is the cause and strength OF The rebellion
hss never been apparent to ny mind IL may be
true that the rebellion would not have occurred
When II did. except for slavery neither would II
have occurred except for the success Of the repu6
lican party upon al anti slavery poiicy Inc
real cause Of The rebellion lies deeper than the
fact Of slavery. Not slavery alone, bat the m
due development and antsgonism OF tao pIlIIci-
pies in The feder. system engeadered inhdeIity 10
tbe constitution and from being iDhdels to the
constitution II Was an easy transition Tor men 70
become ia destroyers. From the foundation OF
the government, the principle of consolidation or
ceotrslz atom Of power. tending in its extreme
assertion TO monarchy. aud the democratic prin
eiple Of state rights. diffusion Of power. tendng
10 It's extreme assertion TO disinIegrauon and
anarchy, have fought peaceful political battles
over the federal constitution with alternating
success | do not know that these two prInci-
Piles can better be characterized. than by compsr-
ing them 10 the cen,rpetsl and centrifugal forces
In the solar system. forces 90 evenly balanced 10
that system by. the Divine hand, that they ever
work together IN harmony bot IN our federal
political system. they sutject TO The disturb
iny ;nf FENCES Of mln's imperfect capacity 10
regulate his own moral and intellectual nature ;
sutj ect IN brief To mans imperlections
So long Is intelligence, PATRIOTS m, love OF The
constitution. and mutual good will between all
the states ruled the government. there was no
occasion for the dangerous assertion OF either
federal state rights; the two differing theories
or forces we're practically harmless; they worked
Ia harmony. like the forces binding the sun and
the planets in their appointed spheres But when
sectional interests and opinions became strongly
antsgonistic. and sectional ieAlouses grew 10
he,rt-burnngs and hatred the subject OF slavery
became the prominent one, which the antsRo-
nism OF sections became most marked, and Mas
sachusetts sud South CoroIina became reprsstht
atives OF ultra opinions Oh each side Boston
denounced the constitution Of the United StItes
a "a league with hell :" because of its protec lon
or slavery, and resiste the fugitive slave Law
while Charleston imprisoned S,muel Hoar, an
honorable citizen of Massachusetts, FOR seeking
10 obtain justice for kidnapped man OF color
claimed 70 be citizen Of Massachusetts. Wit
the strong sHtagonism and hatred betweed sec
tons as represented in their extremes by the two
states ] have named. came the efforts OF III,
stronger states. having a common interest ant
institutions 10 work out their plans through III,
central federal power. and the Efforts OF the
wetker states. having other common Interests
and Institutions. TO protect themselves by flying
OF or Withdrawing from the federal influence
Abolition in the north sought its ends through
the principle of consolidation: the slaveholding
or cotton states. sought protection for their sec
tionsl interests. slavery included. in the disinte
grating principle Of secession. When sectiona
hossiliy..is strong Tor whatever cause. the stron
ger partv resorts 10 federal power, the weake
falls back for defense state right. Massachu
setts IN 1914 hostile 10 the war Of 1872, becaas.
of effects on her commerce, took steps IN th'
Hartford convention toward rebellion and seces
sion. South Carolina in 1892. aggrieyed by IN,
tariff OF 1928, attempted notification. and woul'
have seeded. except for the strong will and fed
eral power of Jackson. sustained by the pubi
opinion Of the nation. South Carolina in 1861
taking Massachusetts at her word, that the con
etitution was "a covenant with death. and ough
20 be broken, tried 20 break il; but circumstance
had then changed. and Massachusetts, having tn
power to enforce the covenan. of death. havn
federal power on her side. stood By The union AM
it's bond. even to the extremity OF wiping tn
people and name Of South Carolina from III
face Of the earth Sir, In the light Of hstor
the mutual ordinations aud recriminations o
Massachusetts, and South Carolina are painful 4
truthful and candid men. Mutual charity. rsthe
than mutual yitnperation. would become both.
In the sense in which have stated il. sir. a
preiext for or an element OF inhdelity TO tn
constitution. Is slavery cause IF the war, an
not otherwise Ii Massachusetts, and the north
ern states had loved the union and constitution
more than they hated slavery. there would hay
been no war; had South Carolina aud the cotton
states loved the union and constitution more thar
they hated New Engl aud and loved slavery ther
would have been no war State rights and ted
ersi rights. the centrifugal and centripetal force
OF the federal system. would have worked hsr
monioasly for centuries. and slavery have dissp
peared as the twilight melts into the perfect dsy
Men Of both sections. sir, extreme lboltionist
and extreme advocates of slavery. are response
BILE for aud mus, Gear the guilt, u. moral guilt
Of the rebellion
As slavery IL not in any just sense the caus
of the war. neither Is il the strength OF the re
bslliof On the contrary. sir il h 70 been its weak
ness sni tbs cause of IFS failure Slavery in thl
war has been TO the southern states, when the
leaned on IL for support. a broken reed. Thinl
you. SIR, that N the seeded states. instead q
three and a half million negro slaves. had ha,
within their borders the same number OF whit
persons with their proper proportion of sucl
hghting men "a have filled the southern armie
for the last four years. the chances of the sout
Tor independence would not have been far create
aud their military successes far greater than the
have beebT Whed the southern men, in thei
msdne>s. laid their sacrilesious hands upon tn
ark OF the federal covenant. they doomed Il
death their institution of--laverv. and lost thei
power of preserving their cherished dogma o
state rights: aud had the federa governnen
during the war never done one act, nor WRITER
one line by way OF edict or law touching slave
ry as an Institution. slavery would have persisted
The necessities OF war the contact and abrs
sion of wsr. would have worn IL away; and
WIS an evil. nay woefuI, day when an'i-slAver
fausticsm. In ORDER TO DESTROY an institution al
esdv doomed to death in The house Of its friend.
broke down the safeguards and Limitations Of tn
constitution. and m sde federal republic sub
staDti lily consolidated empire. whose verv or
gaaic Law has become the mere creature Of exc
cufvs will SIR. the wisest men OF the al minis
tration party have not hesit4tei - say, snd .,
say truly. that the issue with rebellion has beei
changed, aud its power invigoratej by the radics
sDti-slsverv policy. under whose pressure youi
president has conducted HE administration
southern armies have been conquered. il hss no
been bv emancipation proofs m atoms or confsca
ton acts. or acts partitioning southern land