Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1866-08-31
EXTRACTS
FRoNA
Speech of Hon. Sam'l Shellabarger,
OF THE COLUMBUS DISTRICT.
EXTRACTS
AN APPEAL TO HISTORY.

Look, l entreat you, men and women
of America, at the cup now rendered to
your lips, and know its contents, before
YOU drink. See and realize what your
nation has done and forborn to do, and
what it is proposed to do and forbear to-
wards the most stupenduous crime and
criminals of human history. And in the
name of that '.reverend chronicler Of the
grave" and holding up full to your gaze
his auful scrolls, entreat you to tell me
what nation ever before in the long line OF
that history submitted to receive the trai-
tors knife into the hearts of three hun
dred thousand of her bravest and best
children, slain in defense of their Govern
ment against rebellion striking for the
nations death, and yet that nation not try
or execute one single traitor for his trea-
son? No nation ever did but yours. What
nation ever endured such an injury from
its subjects that did not annihilate, with
nerneCIal civil death and banishment, the
leaders of such a treason whom 1t may
have omitted to put to deaths No nation
ever did but yours. What nation ever be-
fore omitted to visit upon the authors Of
such treason, confscation and forfeiture
of estates? No nation but yours. What
nation ever before saw them whom she
had cherished and educated to be COM
manders of her armies and navles, or
whom she had chosen and sworn to be
her ministers of state and her Legislators,
contrive and execute, against the nations
life, such a conspiracy as this, and yet the
conspirators be suffered to live? No ma
ton but yours. What nation in history
has been found strong enough to endure
the crime against its life of having its ru-
lers so far elevate treason towards the ex-
cellence of loyalty, as to suffer the leading
traitors to even exist! No nation: alas !.
not even yours.
Why, Americans, what you see to-day
in your country was never seen before IN
the world. To permit the Lees, the
Semmes, the Dick Taylors, the Alex. II.
Stephens-these chief architects of their
country's ruin-to live at all in the coun-
try is a spectacle of audacity absolutely new
in the history Of the nations. To permit
these and th ir allies in the rebellion, to
wander at large in the porches and halls
of this temple of your freedom, mingling,
as honored ones, amongst the unsuspect-
ing children of the republic, with no other
instruments of mischief in their hands
than the torch, the pistol and the knife,
which they use to-day in numbering the
surviving loyalty of the South, as at Mem
phis and New Orleans, is crime against
your country of which history furnishes
no example. But to add in their hands
to these instruments of mischief, the pow
er of both electing and of becoming the
Presidents, Senators and Representative
ofthis republic to adegree only equal to tina
in which it is held by the soldiers of the
| republic, is an example of folly and wick
edness unknown in the past. But wher
| to this folly and wickedness you add
what with shameless presumption is de
manded of you-that these pirates, assas
sins. traitors and murdRsrs should hav'
man for man-twice the political powe
of those soldiers who saved the Republic
that Lees vote shall have double th'
elective power of Grant's-Semmes' double
| that of Farragut's-Booth's, did he live
double that Of Lincoln's, his victim-thel
the audacity of the demand becomes un
utterable, and all honest men turn away
from it with loathing and disgust.
And yet it were impossible for the can
did and thoughtful to deny that all thi
folly and wickedness is precisely what W.
are now demanded to submit to, withou
delay or conditions, by them who wageC
the rebellion or stood by it in sympath.
and support, during all its hellish pro
gress.
The folly of yielding to such demand
would be all which | have described 1t t.
be if YOU had no other evidence that TIL
men who make the demand are still tn
enemies of the Government than is fur
nished by the fact that they waged agains
the Government the war which is Just en-
ded. 1t must be borne in mind that
was war wholly causeless in its origin
unless the principle (the right to destro.,
the Government by secessionl for whlchl
was waged be just cause. 1t was wa
waged through four long, dark years, am
whose beginning, progress and end wa
made hideous by more of the piracies
assassinations and murders, which the IN
ternational law stamps as Infamous, tha
ever before disgraced the military prac
J tices of tyrant or barbarian. But abov
all, it must be remembered that 1t was
war ended in no surrender or abandon
ment, or LAYING down, of either the prir
ciples for which, or the arms with whlc
it was prosecuted. But on the contrary,
was only ended by wrestling their arm
from them in universal and crushing dc
feat. And, besides these, consider tha
such a war so waged-so ended-is onl
lust ended. The grass has not yet grow
over the graves where sleep the victim
of this gigantic murder. The hearts
the widows and orphans whom it mad
vet weep their crimson on new graves
The inky vestments of universal sorro'
are no where taken off; and the pillars
your Department of State wear. r.to-day tn
funeral Grape in which they were drape
for the murder of this treason's most
lustrious victim.
Americans, are there not recent and sa
evidences of stupendous and yet contint
ing gilt, enough to make you pause
Welding to the demand now made upo
YOU by the authors and abettors of this
THE CRIME OF HIsToRY-to surrender
them, without conditions or guarantee
the control of your rescued government
to open your eyes to the other evidenc'
which stand manifest and CHASTITY befol
YOU. There they are plain-undeniab
I-confessed. Not only do the entire pre-
/, and people of the late rebellion adm
their undying love and sorrow for the
! slost cause" but they ayow that love wit
ostentatious defiance. Everywhere, wit
out disguise or concealment, they besto
their honors and confidence upon the chi