The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-09-14
pALMERs RECORD ON SECESSION
He Favored Letting the Erring Sisters De
part in Peace.

In 1861 Gen. Palmer now the radical
candidate for governor, and exmlhtary sat
rap of Kentucky, was appointed by Gov.
Yates a member Of the peace convention
which assembled at Washington IN Eebruary
of that year, to agree upon some line OF poll
cv by which the impending war could be
aycrtod. The convention failed IN its OBJ
iect Gen. Palmer returned to Illinois, ana,
upon his arrival home, his friends and neigh
bors rendered him serenade. The follow.
ing is a report Of the proceedings of the
meeting, with remarks Of Gen, Palmer de
liycred on that occasion, which were submit
ted to him for revision and correction, and
are word for word as delivered by him to the
hands Of the printer
This spCech, and Gen. Palmer's military
conduct in Kentucky, together with his
speeches now, as the bondholder's candidate
for governor, do not seem to belong to the
same family.
From the Carinvillc IIl) Spectator, Mar 10, 'Gl.
SgRAYADr-On Saturday evening last a
large number of our citizens without dlstnc-
ton of party, convened at the court house
On motion A. McKim Dubois was called
to the chair, and stated the object OF the
meeting, which was to pay tribute OF re-
suect to Hon. John NJ. Palmer, for his man.
ly course in the peace conference.
On motion DR.. r. W. Glass was request
ed to act as Marshal.
The crowd then formed procession and
marched to the residence Of Judge Palmer
Judge Gilber, being called for, in an elo-
quent and patriotic address, welcomed Judge
Palmer back to his home. Mr.. Palmer
Acknowledged the congratulations OF his
fellow citizens in style highly credtabIe to
himself and congratulatory to the crowd
His illusions to our present national din
culties were all compromising and conclIia'
tory. One sentence struck US with great
force: During his remarks he said, the
democratic and republican parties looked IN
vain for solution of our present national
difficulties to their platforms, they furnish
no guide that will solve the present exist
ing troubles we must look to the consttu-
ton for the settlement of this question ! and
again he said
81 am opposed TO the doctrine OF force to settle
our present national difficulties, or, as some gen
| tlomen please to call it, the enforcement of the
! laws. when you talk of enforcing the laws in
| the revalted southern states, you mean coercion
Politicians may talk of enforcing the laws IN the
| seeding states. They only mean coereion.-
! What cares my brother in the south whether he
| be shot under the name of coercion, or enforcing
| the laws ? 1t is all one to him.
| 1.-THE concessions are not made to the seces-
| siouists of the SOUTH but to the Union men IN
| the southern states. l regard it now as the duty
| of every patriot to come out on the side of his
| country, and all union loving citizens ought to
unite in giving aid and encouragement to the
| Union men in the slave states. The heat Of bat
| tie is now going on there, and it is our duty as
| patriots to lend them every assistance IN our
| power. Six,-yes, you may say seven, OF the
| southern states are gone, eight remain loyal yet
| to the constitution. In that noble and gallant
! state Of Tennessee, the Union men have achieved
a grand victory. They have entirely routed the
disunionists This, no doubt, is owing In some
measure to the efforts of her gifted son, Andrew
| Johnson MARYLAND is yet true and firmly for
the MON. A fierce struggle is going on IN
| Virginia with the odds against the Union men
In speaking Of the calamites Of civil war,
he said
when you have conquered those southern or
| scecdiug states what will YOU do with tbem In
| our system Of government We ha,o no place Tor
| conquered provinces. Then would you not be es
| Ablishing ruiuous precedent! To-day you
may subjugate, at the pointof the bayonet, South
| Carolina. Tomorrow New York may be subJu-
| gated, or our own noble state of Illinois may be
compelled to yield at the point Of the bayonet.
| II you conccde the power to the general govern
ment to subiugate and conquer an erring state,
what becomes Of the rights Of the states? It was
never intended by the trainers of the consultation
and oui system Of government to enforce the
| laws by the military power Such 8 theory was
never contemplated by the fathers who reared
! this beautiful fabric that we now enjoy.
| start an army from the northern states to
march through the border slave states, and you
at once rouse every man in those states to expel
| that army. They haye in their midst eombus-
tble element that would fanny suffered to
march through those states be melted to insar-
! rcction and rebellion. Hence the border states
cannot suffer al army TO mach through their
territory without great danger to themselves,
and as selfpreseryato1 is the first law Of nature,
they would be forced 10 resistance. Then the
citizens Of southern Illinois, southern Indiana,