The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1867-05-08


When I received the invitation to addsess
you this evening, hesitated to accept it,
am profoundly sensible that We are in the
midst of revolution, attacking the essen
tial spirit Of our system OF Government,
whose courses and limits no human saga
city can predict; and / feel that no one
ought lightly to assume to give counsel to
his countrymen in such sn emergency.
Yet. in Republic, where every man by
his vote participates actively in the Govern.
ment, as the State may rightfnily conlnand
from every citizen the performances OF any
duty, " he her Of cGunsel or OF arms, 50
alse.>may his fellow citizens, who alone
WELD the vital power OF the State, call on
every member for his opinions, and the
reasons which sustain them. The demand
at once confers an honor and enjnins Il duty
1t is none the less in,l o alive because 1t
is made on the humblest ot them all
An opinion it is his duty to have Ii
should be formed with whatever ability
God has given him, under the influence ,of
pure motives AMI high purposes, OF calm
and candid and truthful spirit, Of q eonsci-
entious effort to be right, of modest diff
dence in ones self, OF due appreciation OF
another, Of perfect liberation to all. And
confess have always sdmired the patri
otism which, invoking these influences in
the formation Of opinions, gives, with be-
coming moderation of expression, prompt
and ready response to the summons to an
n,unce them. -.
You have here the reason for my hesita.
ton and OF my acceptance Of your invita-
tion.
intended to have spoken TO you Of the
measures O. the Congress which has last
adjourned, and Of the various questions
connected with the present canvass, when ;.
single sentence from speech delivered years
ago chanced to meet my eye, and changed
the current of my thoughts. The seuti-
ment, the o,casioD, and the author, arrest
ed nv attention, and led me from the con-
sideration of special acts of legislation un-
der the Government, and appropriate to
times of peace, to that Of the mighty
changes in the organic law of Government,
whose arbitrament is usually the sword. |
shall consider parties and politics, not IN
their character as the administrators and
subjects of Government, but IN the highest
character O! the founders and dcstroyers
and rcstorers Of Government.
In the spring Of 1862, almost before the
active op rations of the war had commenc,
| ed, a Gentleman addressing u New England
| audience on its causes, purposes and pro-
gress, said: 80,
II warn sou that none Of you will ever
again see the Farmer Republic under which
YOU were born
He is an accomplished speaker, an clio.
4 oucpt advocate, a learned scholar, a type RI
n class. the pioneer of school, Wealth
and leasure had enabled him for many years
to consult his taste in the mode and pur-
poses of his life; and as he himself boastcd,
IN lecture in the city OF Washington. in
the presence Of Mr.. Lincoln and members
of his Cabinet, | had devoted it for nine
teen years to the disruption OF the. AmerI'
can Union and the overthrow OF the Con-
stitution which formed it. .....
| IL warn you that none Of you will evel
a, ain see the Farmer Republic under which
you were born.
Why not? The war then being waged
was avowe1ly to maintain this Farmer Re
public. The seeded States claimed to dis
me.,,ber its territory, but otherwise to leave
| it untouched. The Administration assert
cd its purpose to maintain Ter 'itorial limits
and declared that its form and spirit were
| in no event ENDANGERED. The leading mem
i OeTe OF tne CaUlDet, speaklhS " lhe Wuite
through the ministers, said: "The rights
Of the States and the condition Of every
human being in them, will remain subjec
to exactly the laws and forms Of admins
tration, whether the revolution shall succeed
or fail. Tn the one case the States woulc
i be federally connected with the new Con
tederacy; in the other they would, as now
be members of the United States, but tbeil
Constitutions and laws. customs, habits
and institutions in either care will remair
the same" And this was necessarily thu
1 theory Of the war on the part of the Fed
eral Government. Otherwise it would bav,
aecepted the issue of revolutions; otherwise
it would have taken up arms to effect
change in its own form and nature; anC
thus, transconding all its power, would, il
4 the forum of conscience and morals, hav,
4 released It's citizens from all tho obligation
Of allegiance. .,a...-.
| While Mr.. Seward thus, ON behalf o
the Government, portrayed the issues Of tn
war, this prophet, ,a .i,. =. .a-.
r. "Prophet said 1t, thinsof evil;
| Prophet still, If bird or devii,''
| proclaimed that the revolution was pro