North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-06-21

SPEECH OF HON, GERrTT SMITH.

Hon. GERR1T SMITH delivered an ad
dress in the Cooper Institute, New Yorl
City, on Thursday evening, to very larg
and intelligent audience, upon the subjectso
| "THE WAY TO ASSURE AN ENDURING PRAcl
NOT THROUGH PERFIDY AND VENGEANCE, But
THRo' JUSTICE AND LovE." In the outstar
of his remarks he took considerable pains Fl
quoting different authorizes to sustain and
prove his position to be the right and proper
one to assume, in relation to the rebel cap
tves. The authorities presented show clear
ly that this war with the South in one simi-
has been continued, according to the laws Of
war. 1t will be generally conceded that q
civil war comes under the international code
ofwar. This war has so been conducted
and all sensible people expect it so to end.
Mr.. Smiths speech is entirely too lengthy,
for our columns, but we shall publish a few
extracts from it as follows:
Gall over the North there is clamor for
the blood of the leading rebels whom we
hope yet to capture. have no sympathy
with this clamor. The South fully surren-
dering, lot bloodshed cease, and all punish
ment. [Applause.l
Let all merritted and punishment fall upon
those who are guilty of these infamous and
Internal crimes. (Applause.l My position
is simply that South shall not be punished
for treason. Now do not say this because
she has suffered in my judgment enough al
ready because her property is wasted, and
she is reduced to destitution. do not say
this because the safety of the North requires
no more suffsrlng because there IS uot an in~
terest Of the North to be made any more Sc
cure by any more suffering of the South. l
do not say it because the South has not been
guilty Of treason. But say
she is not to be punished for treason, be-
cause we haye agreed that she shall not be.
tAppfause.l We came. into the agreement
very reluctantly, admit, to conduct this
war accord pg to the rules of war, by which.
/ mean the rules Of international warfare.
Now hold that our coming into that
agreement was waver and entire surrender
of our right to punish the South for seeding.
[Applause.l That we came into this agree
ment to conduct the war according to the
rules Of wrr is manifest, is undisputable -
That we followed other nations and accorded
the South belligerent rights. The Supreme
Court OF our nation unanimously acxnowl-
edged these rights of the South. We. have
acted upon thus agreement, and instead of
Furnishing the prisoners, trying, condcmning
and convlcling.them for treason, we have
treated them as prisoners for those the enc
my has taken from us and there have been
truces between the enemy and ourselves for
burial of the dead aud other purposes
There have been formal as we'll as informal
negotiations. for peace between the North and
South.
Why, on one occasion, we recognized her
de facto nationality and. all its outgrowiug
righ is by choosing for our Commissioners
ST peace the President himself, and the Sec
retary of State himself; and these gentleman
did not wait to have the Southern Commits
sioDers come to them hnmbly and snug.y,
but they honored the commissioners of the
South by going m ore than half way to meet
them. [Applause.l Nav, all this, and
much more than this, Including especially
our blockading of the Southern ports, goes to
show bey ond all controversy that we agreed
with the enemy to conduct this war accord
ing to the laws of war Bnt such an agree
ment is virtually an agreement to treat pris-
oners as enemies. Now, how came We to
consent to conduct this war according to the
laws of war2 In the first place, we came to
do so because the laws of war required it."
"Another reason why such war. acivll
war, and esp .cially such an one as ours,
should be carried on under the law of war is
this; Where great masses of men take very
and responsible steps it is not
only charitable, but just to conclude that
they had very sincere and deep belief
in the wisdom and and the right
fulness of such steps. IApplause.l And it
is proper also to believe that they had in fact
no little reason for taking such steps. A
third reason for conducting a civil war ac-
cording to the law of war is this. Vast
numbers of the best citizens who refused and
would persist in refusing to into a war which
is mere savage strife are willing to embark
in a war conducted according to the liberal
aud humane provisions of the law of war
Now;I do not know how it is with you, but
feel confident that had our government
persisted in refusing to let this war go on by
the law Of war, we should have lost our cause
and our country, for the people of the North
o~,. Ctatou ora foo ry;l;yad In cvo int an Slm u