Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-08-18
Chapter From the Forthcoming Volume Now
10 being Published by Appletons. al.
EIGHT YEARS IN CONGRESS:
Memoir and Speeches.
[Conclusion.l

lConclusion. .-....... ..... b.
The public record shows what result was
reached by these committees, or rather how
resultless were their labors. Mr. Corwin,
for majority, presented his resolutions
and bills; Mr.. Adams declined to recon-
mend even his own propositions, inasmuch
as he believed that the South would accept
nothing that he could offer. Washburne of
Wisconsin, and Tappan of New Hampshire,
of the committee, offered nothing by way
of compromise. The conservative men,
with Taylor Phelps, Rust, Whiteley, Wins
low, Nelson, Hamilton, and others OF the
committee, wished to 90 further than, Gov
ernor Corwin. They recommen ended the
Crittenden proposition. The votes on the
Corwin measures were strangely incongru-
Gus. The vote on the Crittepden PROPOSE
ton was well defined, but is not SO well
understood. From the frequency OF inqui-
ries since the war as to this latter vote the
people were eager to know upon whom to
fix the responsibility of its failure. 1t may
as well be stated that all other propositions,
whether of the Peace Convention, or the
border State project, or the measures of the
committees, were comparatively of no mo-
ment; for the Crittenden proposition was
the only one which could have arrested the
struggle. 1t would have received larger
vote than any other. 1t would have had
more effect in moderating Southern excite
ment. Even Davis, Toombs, and others OF
the Cult States, would have accepted it.
have talked with Mr.. Crittenden frequently
on this point. Not only has he confirmed
the public declarations of Douglas and
Pugh, and the speech of Toombs himself, to
this effect, but he said it was so understood
in committee. At one time, while the COM
mittee was in session, he said: 4" MIR.
Toombs, will this compromise, as remedy
for all wrongs and apprehensions, be ac-
ceptable to you?" Mr.. Toombs, with
some profanity, replied, "Not by a good
deal; but my State will accept 1T, and
1 will follow my State to -" And he did.
| 1 will not open the question whether it
was wise then to offer accommodations; it
may not be profitable now to ask whether
the millions of young men whose bodies are
manned, or whose bones are decaylng un-
der the sod of the South, and the heavy load
of public debt under which we sweat and
toll, have their compensation in black lib
erty. Nor will l discuss whether the
blacks have been bettered by their precipi-
| tate freedom, passing, as so many have,
| from slavery through starvation and suffer-
ing to death. There is no comfort in the
reflection that the negroes will be extermi-
mated, with the determination OF slavery.
| The real point is, could not this Union have
been made permanent by timely settle
ment, instead of cemented by fraternal
blood and military rule? By an equitable
partition of the territory this was possible.
We had then 100000 square miles. The
Crittenden proposition would have given the
North 100000 of these square miles, and ap-
piled the Chicago doctrines to that quantity.
1t would have left the remaining fourth,sub-
stantially, to be carved out as free or slave
States, at the option of the people when
the States were admitted. This PROPOSE
tion the radicals denounced. Notwithstand-
ing the then President elect was in a mi
nority of million of the popular vote,
they were determined, as Mr.. Chase wrote
to Portsmouth, Ohio, from the Peace Con-
yention, to use the power while they had it,
and prevent settlement. 1t has been
stated, to rid the Republicans of the odium
of not averting the war when that was pos
sible, that the Northern members rendered
to the Southern the Crittenden compromise
which the South rejected. This is untrue
1t was rendered by Southern Senators and
Northern Democrats to the Republicans.
They, in conjunction with some half dozen
recusant Senators, rejected it. 1t was
voted upon but once in the House, when il
received S0votes against l13. These eighty
votes were exclusively Democrats
|
mer, Vance, and others. Mr.. Briggs, o.
New York, was the only one not Demo
crat who voted for it. He had been an olC
Whig and never Republican,. The Re
publican roll, beginning with Adams anC
ending with Woodruff, was unit agains
It. Intermingled with them was one South
ern extremist, General Hindman, who de.
sired no settlement. There were many
Southern men who did not vote, believing
that unless the Republicans, who were jus
acceding to power, favored 1t, its adoption
would be delusion. --i .}
The plan adopted by the Republican Sen
ators to defeat it, was by amendment ant
postponement. On the 18th and 10Th o
january they cast all their votes against it
being taken up |; and ON the 10th, when
came up, Mr.. Clark, of New Hampshire
moved to strike it out and insert somethin,
which he knew would neither be successful
nor acceptable. The vote on Clark's amend
ment was f25 to %; every say" being a. Re
publican, and every "nO," except Kennedy
and Crittenden (Americans), being Demo
Gratis. On this occasion, six Southern Sen
ators, including Benjamin and Wigfall, dit
not vote. They could have defeated MI
Clark's motion. In reference .tGashis vote
we have the testimony OF Presi b John
son, in speech on the expulsion OF Senate
Bright, January 81, 1852, to this effect:
81 sat right behind Mr.. Benjamin, and
am not sure that my worthy friend MI
Latham] was not close by when he refuse,
to vote; and said to him, 'Mr. Benjamin
why do you not vote? Why not save thi
proposition, and see if we cannot bring tn
country to it?' He gave inc rather an alb
rupt answer, and said he would control hi
own actions without consulting me or any
body else. Said I:5'Vote and show your
self an honest man. As soon as the vot
was taken, be and others telegraphed South
1--WE cannot get any compromise A
Doubtless tho rest of thesix Senators ha
the same sinister motive for their reticenc
in voting and readiness in telegraphins
But their recreancy does not excuse th
body of the Republicans. Nor do kno,
that now, since the collapse Of the rebellion