Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-19
MOI.

the entire white population of the South,
a fate and a degradation unknown in all
history >? that of subjecting, by force, an
educated and civilized people to be the
mere political vassals, the hewers of wood
end drawers of water. to an ignorant and
barbarous' people, who, priorit6 the war,
were themselves the slaves of the conquer |
ed? In the protoundest depths of social
and political degradation, there is no
'lower deep than that. Such thing has
no precedent in history. Rome, in her
worst days of rapacity and conquest,
never was guilty of such refined cruelty,
suchiunnatnral wrong. She conqueredIthe
rude nations around her, not to degrade
and destroy by her power, but to refine
and elevate by her laws. She carried her
laws and her civilization along with her
conquering legions, and gave to her rude
and conquered enemies, at least all the
rights of a colonial Roman citizenship.
No, my fellow-citizens, mercy and not
vengeance, is the great duty of1the hour.
When we take into full and candid con-
sideration the complex and delicately bal
anced powers, the great diversity of in
terests, and the antagonism of opin-
ion 10 which has existed and which
mast exist in lTsuch a, Government as
ours, and when we recollect that the great
and sanguinary conflicts which took place
on the tiel1so of Gettysburg, of Antietam,
or of charlottesville were but intensified
forms of the battles which for a quarter of
a century before had been fought between
Webster and Hayne, and Clay and CAL
/ houn upon the same questions and tor the
same end, caused by an honest, but wide
difference of opinion. as to what our Gov
ernment is or was intended to be; when
we look at these things as philosophers
and not as asrpartisans, as Christians and not
! as friends, charity, torbearance, forgiveness
l. ,6t1nf Of hnt rt11o
and people. 1t is through this spirit only
that our Government can last. IF hatred
and vengence,- and oppression shall be per-
mitted to take and hold its place, then in
deed are the days of the Union numbered,
and the liberty which springs from it, and
is secured byit, will be extinguished for
/ eyer.J 5@'l 77Tf 9iSGi a1,zaa-rH
We are now, fellow-citizens, reaping
the bitter fruits ofa departure from the ear
lily course of the Government, the dire con-
sequences of neglecting the wise admoni-
tfons of Washington in relation to section
al feelings and geographical prejudices.
We have passed through the fiery furnace
of war, heated by the bad passions of
both parties; lee US now wisely endeavor
to restore peace and harmony with the Bit
ter knowledge war has given US OF each
others power for destruction, as well as
better understanding of each others wants
and character The war itself was are
proach upon free institutions; do not let
our conduct since its termination be also
a reproachN upon justice and humanity.
iLetius not, at least, be inferior to the
heatnen nations of antiquity in, all that
digniiies man and eleyates him above the
unreasoning fierceness of the brute crea-
tion. I never could think, during the pro-
gress of the war, without an emotion al
most amounting to tears, Of that sui lime
and touching passage in Roman
history, when one of their civil
, wars was brought to a sudden and
, happy end by -theI fraternal feeling
t an magnanimity of the common soldiery
f Livy. relates that during the consulship OF
Marcus Valerius Corvus there was a law
: of Rome that a debtorand his whole famI-
! ly might be sold as slaves for the benefit ol
: the creditor. This hard and cruel law
passed by the Patrician Senate, in its days
: of arbitrary power, had created discomfort
: among the commons of Rome, and in the
: outlying provinces, and particularly in the
1 army of Campania. A large section of th'
4 'commons seeded from the Government o
: Rome, and. uniting with the army OF Cam
e pania, raised the standard of revolt. The
: forces of the city, under the command o
: Valerius, marched out to give battle t.
i tbeinsurgents, who were posted in strong
a force outside the city, under Titus ,Quinti
o us. The historian further states that a
r soon as the army sent to oppose them cam
Y and the well-known standards of thei
: Icountry, their regard for each other in
r stantiY softened every hostile breast in tina
g mighty host. The two armies stood ga
= tzing at each other in mute silence; tn
y electro sympathy of race: of. common
! brotherhood, and of a common love Q
d country, overcome their hostile feeling
IS and Intentions: they threw down thei
], weapons, rushed into each others arm;
: and peace and harmony was restored, ami
d the tears, and sobs, and rejoicings of th
: whole glad people Of Rome. That was
Al scene of moral grandeur and heroic sell
vt conquest which the mythical gods OF Rom
4. themselves might have looked down upo
y with admiration. What a contrast doe
= that memorable scene, enacted in heathe
1t Rome more than two thousand years age
)e present to the miserable drama of hEtre
= and wrong enacted in the G lpitol at Wash
IS ington by the representatives of tn
lie American Peoplei Another scene from
lie less veritable page of Roman history start
g up to our view. We learn from one of tn
l. old legends of that people, that deep an
IN wide-openiDg gulf suddenly appeared
l. the Forum of the seven-hill'd city; an
)r that the oracle declared it would neVe
v close until Rome threw into it he
ID most precious and priceless jewels. Nal
s. Gus Curtius, with the declaration that lov
r OF country was the richest jewel OF
n. chasm, and its dark walls closed upon hir
IN forever. Iu typical sense, we too have
al wide and yawning guilt in our mids
A. running from Chesapeake Bay to the sc
+; of Mexico; but our oracle, seated III tn
It, breast of many an anxious patriot ind
s, Gates quite different sacrifice from tina
1T of the Roman. 1t announces to us,
tones of solemn warning, that this dee
er and separating abyss neUer will close unit
i all which is now ranking in the America
l. mind, hatred, bigotry, oppression an
r wrong, are thrown into it, as a commo
sacrifice to peace and reunion .--.
'e Thus, tellOw-citizens, | have presente
to you what l conceive to be the hig
is moral solution of the difficulties by whic
he we.are surrounded, and the great datty of d
it hour which devolves upon every true pa
DR. riot and lover of his country well al
lie wisely to perform. A great national c.
l. lamity has been brought upon us
e. the common errors and the commc
DR. wrongs of both parties to the contest, Il
IN Republicans of the North and the Sece
D. sionists of the South. Amnesty and UniC
l are the only remedies for the mighty evi
~ that are upon US. The question of UniH
se stands high above even that of finance, {
n trade, or commerce, for the reason that
i embraces, and it only can ultimately SUI
at tain, all these great public interests. 1t is I'll
IS great circle which includes all the lesst
id ones. That Union can only be restored
n, maintained by the spirit which made
l. Some portion of that spirit of compromi
as and concession which animated our fathe
ne in overcoming almost the same difficult
n in founding the Republic, is more essenti
W. now in avoiding the dangers which threa
c. en- to overthorow and destroy it. II v
h. are wise, If we are honest, if we are willir
l. to be guided by the solemn admonitions
er history, we will lose none of the precio
it's time which is slipping from US in bindir
it. these States once more together by
n equal and common interest in all the gre
n rights and privileges of a common Const
at tuition. --.
Ii There is another view to be taken of Il
situation, which, though not involving