Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-10-28
THE CHRONICLE.
SPEECHES OF
HON. B. F. WADE.
AND
SENATOR SHERMAN.
Delivered at Cincinnati, Oct. IL, 1858
Speech of Hon. D. T. Wade.

LADIES AND OENIlEMEN II ]
exceedingly embarrassing to me al
1 wavs TO be called upon to address al
audience who, | have reason to be
lIieve. are as well acquainted, and un
lderstand as well all the great issue
presented before the American peO
ple for their action, as l can claim Il
lixnow them myself. Nor do l believe
that in the progress of the remarks
that l shall address to you, shall b'
| able to give YOU one single new idea
But l will undertake to tell you tht
| impressions that the great issues make
upon my mind. And this great anC
sublime exhibition of the people to
day. unparalleled, so far as / know
| in Its magnitude and enthusiasm, i:
more impressive of the importance o
the coming canvass, than anything
that can be said by any speaker that
could address you. L have been my
self almost overwhelmed with the
magnitude, the enthusiasm, the intel
iigenee and the patriotism that has
brought this great demonstration be-
fore the people. / thank God that il
Is so; that the people of this great city
are fully impressed with the impOr-
tanee Of the coming canvass, in my
Judgment more important even than
any other within the history of our
government -
Now, sir. 1 have been in the eoun-
ellis of this nation by your favor for a
great many years-through the most
turbulent period of its administration
of our country, the most perilOus, the
most dangerous, and / have never
found the people of this city TO be
Indifferent to Che interests of the peo-
pie.
might say, sir, that during, yea
previous to the war, in all the pre-
liminary steps that led to the war,
I was your representative, and have
been called upon TO advocate and to
vote, as my friend Sherman has also,
on almost every question during the
whole of that period that has come
before the Congress of the United
States for their action. / am, in some
measure, responsible for the action of
Congress in relation to these great
matters that have transpired within
the last few years.
/ stand here, sir, ready to defend the
position of the Republican party
against all attacks of its enemies, both
in Congress and out of Congress
TCheers.l know full well, sir, that
unless our cause is a righteous cause,
il could not have called out such
demonstration of the people as We
have witnessed to-day.
Now, sir, the people of the United
States are divided into two great poll
tical parties, and there are only two
and they differ as widely as heaven
and hell. [Cheers and laughter One
is right and the other is ignOminiOus-
" wrong. ICheers. There is no
middle ground on which any man can
stand. Voice, HNO, no, that's so.'
As Mr.. Douglas said several years ago,
in view of the political parties as they
were ranged then, that there was only
two parties-patriOts and traitors. 1t
was a true declaration, andit is as true
.O-day as il was when Mr.. Douglas
il. 1t is for US to asceF-
ain clearly on which side right, JUS
ice and liberty appertain. For, if we
ire in the wrong there, we are wrong
and ought to be ashamed
If all we have done. On the other
iand, sir. if we have had an eye sin
yle to the great principles of our gov-i
srnment as founded by its fathers,
hat was to proclaim liberty TO all
mankind, equal and exact Justice to
III men, without distinction of nation
Ility, color or condition, then, sir, it
will seem TO me that we can not be
wrong.
And now; how can this be ascer-
aimed? 1 have not time, nor you the
TO go into those principal
,teps that led to this great warOf the
'ebelliOn. You all understand it as
we'll as l do. The cause of ii, the
.ause of the rebellion, was the institu-
ion of slavery in the United States.
The party that we.opposed, under the
and direction of the slave
lolding portion of the United States, !
first, TO spread their insti-
ions into all the territories of the Uni |
ed States, and thereby finally to OBJ |
ain fOOthold that would spread it all |
,ver this Union, and make slavery |
he rufe and liberty the exception
FheY intended TO make theinstitutiOn |
permanent and eternal, and because
he people of the United States were |
lot willing for that, they quarreled |
With us about the great doctrines OF |
he government; they quarreled with |
he great principles of the COnstitu-
ion of our fathers; they quarreled |
With the Declaration of Independ-
nee, and the great principles that
lad been laid down andpracticed, and
which had given the United States a
Prestige and power at home andabroad |
hat no other nation ever yet had at
aimed to. To overthrow and destroy |
he progress of liberty among man
lind was the purpose of the slave
lolding portion of the eOmmUlity.
Z Well. you know the Democratic par
V so called, sympathized with their
were subject to their dicta-
ion; permitted the slaveholding por-
ion of the United States to prosecute
he principles of theirpolitical action;
o make all the creeds, and to desig- /
late the men who should govern the
,eople of the United States. Because,
ir, we would not exactly agree to
hat; because we were for liberty; be-
ause we would oppose the further
Progress of slavery in the Territories
# the United States, they finally |
plunged this nation into war. That
vas the cause. Not q eommendable |
me, in my judgment, but il was the
ause that divided parties originally,
nd divides them now.
And now, sir, was there any other
eason than this why this rebellion
hould have taken place? Had the
progress and operation of the govern
nent of the United States been 50 ex-
rcised, even by any party, as TO harm
he hair of the head of any man ? /
Nho was it that could complain that |
he government of the United States |
had worked him any injury? On the |
,ther hand, sir, it has walked at his |
ide like his shadow, to protect him |
wherever he went. 1t WAS his guar
iian and his shield, both at home and |
Ibroad. There was no nation 10 dis
ant or so baTbarOus that the Ameri- |
an citizens could not travel there, and |
f he proclaimed himself an Ameri- |
an citizen, and if he was harmed by |
hat nation, the government abetted |
lis case, defended his rights, and seen
% it that justice was done him. Ii
his was so, why should they get up
1 rebellion against your government |
But they did. / am not going par
,icularly into the cause. They did
first of all proclaim that unless sla-
very should be made the rule, and lib |
erty the exception, they would secede |
from your government and destroy it
f possible. ~.
And now had we done anything in
Congress, had the Radicals done any
hing at this period of which they
could complain? How could they
have done it. Had the Radicals at the |
time this war broke out. the povern-