Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-09-11

we are about to allude! Alas, no. It
was at the very climax of liberty's con-
tiict with slavery for life-a conflict,
climax which has come but once on
our continent, and which, may HeaV-
en- grant, shall never come again. 1t
was when the scales of battle hung
doubtful and trembling in the HeaE-
ems, whose turning was to decide
whether the souls Of the poor, turned
by human slavery into the tyrant's
chattle, were to be thereafter and for
ever the 'ieorner stone" Of govern
ments. And at that awful moment it
looked 70 HeR as if one life thrown into
the rebel end of thescale might decide
the issue of slavery foreveri II was
when the Government had already en-
dured the bloody conflict for its life for
more than three years. A million Of
the Nations children had put their
lives into the scale for the Government,
and near three hundred thousand of
them had been lost. Almost every
family in the land wore the Vestments
of sorrow, for there was scarce ''house
in which there was not one dead" 1t
was just when Sherman was going VIC
torious from Chattanooga, by Atlanta,
down to the sea, and was streWing the
earth with whole hecatombs of the
Nations sons. 1t was when Grant
pushed back the rebellion from the
Rapidan toward Richmond, and was
scattering along the line nearly hum
dred thousand more of the Nations
dead. 1t was at this crisis Of the
dreadful conflict, when all the good
men of the world-aH lovers of free
government everywhere-stood specta-
tors of the conflict, and breathless
with fear that liberty might lose. Of
these spectators not one on earth was
SO much fool as not to know that then
the existence of the Republic and the
cause of human freedom on the conti-
nent were staked on the issue of the
lfght-that the battle stopped or the
battle lost, the Union and Liberty were
lost.
But it was tken--YEs, FHEN-that this
Democratic party. having before, as /
have told, organized and drilled their
4 hundreds of thousands of sworn trai-
tors, armed to join the rebellion, met
in national convention at Chicago,
remorselessly threw the weight of its
party's power into the scale of the ma
tion's DEATH 1t declared the nations
conflict for life unjust-a failure, and
that it must stop. 1t was the decree
of the Democratic party solemniy pro-
nounced and recorded for the Repub-
lies overthrow. 1t was the Judgment
of three hundred thousand conspira-
tors, banded for that jndgmentse enforce
ment, that the treason in arms against
the life of the nation and all free gov
ernments shoald triumph. And from
that tribunal, which made the decree,
/ went there out instantly to thework Of
its execution the combined moral and
physical forces Of the Democratic party,
already scarcely organized, armed and
drilled for their work of murder J
THE GUILT.
These illusions. my countrymen, are
not exaggerations, but most feeble un-
derstatements of that party's inexpres-
sible guilt. The magnitude OF that
guilt will never be rightly portrayed
until some future Dante shall come to
the CHASTITY theme with pencil lighted
and darkened in Internal fires, and
shall sketch crime so dark as to add
new terrors to the records of human
guilt. and new horrors to the Internal.
WHAT By Law THE coNsPIRAToRs DEsERTE
only speak the plsinest truisms of
government, ,theunVarying experiences
of all past nations, the most obvious
and commonplace lessons of history,
and the irresistible teachings of COM
mon sense, when | say, as | do most
deliberately, that by all the require
5'ments of justice, of law, of govern
ment, of safety TO the nations life,
these men-the Thurmans, VallRndig-
hams, Bowles and Millegans of this
party, and authors of these attempts
to DESTROY the nation, ought to be justly
but sternly and resolutely tried, con-
victed and put to death. And they
ought not to be made rulers of the ma
toni
~ CRUELTY OF OUR MERCY.
And may say here and now that
the crime of which our government
has been guilty, which, for bad emin-
euce out-ranks all its other recent
crimes against its great life, is found
in those acts and practices by which
she has practically abolished all the
distinctions between loyalty and rebel
lion-treason and patrietism-betWeen
| oue's dying for the nstiou's life and for
its death; between Davis and Lincoln;
between Vallandighan and Morton
| between Thurman and Hayes.
What bitter fruits has that policy Of
mercy already borne which ignores the
criminality Of crime; spares the trai-
tor SO that he may consumate his trea-
son; caresses the assassin so that he
may complete his murder
l here quit this part of my theme
with the remark that people who
were wise enough and brave enough
to defend and save the nations life
from the united and stupendous treas
on of the Democratic party South and
North, will scarcely be so weak and
cowardly now as to surrender to their
defeated enemies the keeping Of that
life which their wisdom and Valor has,
under God, just preserved.
THE PUBLIC DEBT.
1 now turn to smother element Of the |
political discussions of this year-one |
having close relations in fact and in
logic TO the oneI have just considered,
touching the relations Of the demo-
cratic party to the war. allude to
the origin and magnitude Of the pub
lie debt, and of the resulting taxation
of the people. With profuse beseech-
ings and fearful pathos these men
whom YOU have just seen to be authors,
both of the wars beginning and Of its
long continuance, are now praying the |
American nation not to think or talk |
about the subject which Ihaye tonight |
talked of; facts that the Democratic |
party, North and South, contriyed, be-
gan, sustained, and to its end executed |
the most causeless, goddess, cruel and |
gigantic war for the destruction of the
Public and of human liberty of which |
history ever told, or the Imagination
ever dreamed. In exact imitation OF
the men who, hearing in the courts
sentence, the recitsls of his enormous
guilt, mildly inquired Of his honor
HWhether he could not put into his |
'illigant spaich' a little something about
whisky" these oulprits at the bar of
history and Of public justice imPlores
us TO talk about "the public debt, and |
to overlook the fact that retribution is
Just making up the records by which
their loathed SIX eletons are being pin.
lone in the pillories of universal infa-
my, aad the slow, unmoving finger OF
i n 4