The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-09-10
9uIhiGaI.
PendIetOn's Record.

the acts and sayings of public men are re-
corded in books and papers and preserved
! for future reference. In private conversa-
ton, men may utter the worst sentiments
and evidence of them speedily be lost. The
public man has no such escape, and the
value of the reporters art and the printers
skill is doubled by the service they do us,
putting into black and white the sentiments
ofIpublic men. In the official, records of Con-
gress and the files of the press, we find the
opinions of Geo. h. Pendleton recorded be-
yond the possibility of a mistake. His re-
cord,sO preserved, he cannot deny, and he
can make no complaint against those who
see fit to reproduce that record and lay it be
/ fore the men whose votes he asks. On the
18th of January, 1861, Mr.. Pendleton made
speech in the House of Representatives on
the state of Union. From that speech, as
recorded in the Congressional Globe, we take
the following extracts:
1 Mr.. Pendleton said:
Four States, as far as they are able, have
snnulled the grants of power made to the
Federal Government; they have resumed the
powers delegated by the Constitution; they
have cancelled, as far SIS they could, every
limitation upon the full exercise of all their
sovereign rights; they do not claim our pro-
lection, they ask no benefit from our laws;
they seek none of the advantages of the con-
| federation. On the other hand, they re.
nounce their allegiance; they repudiate our
authority over them, and they assert that
they have assumed their position among the
family of sovereignties amOng;the nations of
the earth.
Sir, 1 deal no harsh epithets, 1 will de-
nounce no State, no body of men. will
not pause to inquire whether they have done
all this legally and wisely, or upon sufficient
cause. They have done it with unanimity
of sentiment, with q coincidence of opinion
among the people which is without parallel
an the history Of revolutions, and the simple
question presented to US today is this:
lohetter, throughout the limits of those States
which have thus formally, thus orderly,
thus by the enactments of representative
bodies Of the highest capacity known to the
/ civilized natiOns-cOnventioDs duly author
ized and properly elected to consider this
very ouesIion-have declared themselves in
dependent of US, t0e are prepared by force Of
arms to maintain our supremacy and enforce
our Lalos?
After showing that it was then impossible
for the Government TO collect the revenue
and enforce the laws, state of things in
which he seemed to rejoice, he proceeded to
say:
But, sir, money, armies, blood, WiA not
/ maintain the Union. astice, reason, peace
may, This Union, Mr.. President, is a con-
federation of States. The Constitution is
The bond. In order to attain certain ends
beneficial to all, these States came together
/ in voluntary association. They organized a
Central Government and invested it with
certain powers, they themselves agreeing to
do certaIH things which we're clearly within
the scope of their sovereign pO11er. In order
TO maintain this Union, in order TO preserve
the Constitution, it is necessary that every
agency of this complicated machinery-the
| General Government, the States united and
the States verally-shOuld perform the
functions attached to them by the Oonstitu-
ton.
Now, sir, what force of arms can compel q
State to do that which she has agreed to do2
What force of arms can compel State 10 re-
lfrain from doing that which her State Gov
lerument, supported by the sentiment of her
people, il determined to persist in doing2
lii Is provided in the Constitution that the
citizens of every State shall have all the
privileges and immunities Of citizens of the
several States2 What force of this Govern
ment can compel the observance of this
clause, if Statehis determined to pass and
execute laws whereby citizens Of other
States shall not have, within its limits, the
same privileges as its own citizens.'
Full faith and credit shall be given in
each State TO the public acts and judicial
proceedings Of every other State. bow will
Che Federal Government by armies and
arms, enforce the observance of that clause
in the Constitution, if the judiciary and ex-
ecutive authorities of State, supported BY
the laws, refuse such faith and credit.
No State shall without the consent OF
Congress, enter into any agreement or com
pact with foreign power. wish to know
from any gentleman what number of men it
would require to aRnull such an agreement
once nader The General Government is in
vested with certain powers necessary to be
executed in order 10 keep the machinery Of
the Government in motion. Can any num-
Der of troops, or the use of any armed force
on the part of the State compel the General
agent appointed for that purpose deliberate
" and persistently refused to execute them.
Sir, the aohOle scheme of coercion is inlpTactic-
able; Il is contrary to the genius and spirit Of
ths GOnStihGtiOR.'
Mr.. Pendleton sgain says;
Sir, the enforcement of your laws within |
a seeding State, in opposition to its will, is |
coercion Of that State, and coercion by arm
ed force is war. These terms, collecting the |
revenue, enforcing the law, maintaining |
the Union, csptivate our people. They |
smack of law and order, to which our people |
are very much attached. They are not un-
known in American history. Our fathers
heard them used in the same tone and spirit, /
end for same purpose, as we hear them /
now. In I766, when the colonies were re-
ioicing at the repeal of the stamp act, Ohas. |
Townsend, then a member of Lord Chat |
hams cabinet, pledged to cOnciliation and |
peace, rose in the House of Commons, and /
declared that it was expedient to collect rev.
enues from America and that he himself |
would bring in bill to accomplish that re-
suit. His declaration was received with tu-
multuous shouts and applause
Mr.. PendletOn says further:
My voice to-day is for conciliation; nv |
voice To-day is for compromise; and it is but |
the echo Of the voice Of my Constituents 1 |
beg you, gentlemen, who with me represent
the Northwest, who with me represent the |
City of Cinciunati-I beg you, gentleman,
to hear that voice.
Ifyou will not; if you find conciliation
impossible; if your differences are so great
that you cannot or will not reconcile them
then, gentleman, let the seeding States de-
part in peace; let them establish their gov
ernment and empire, and work out their
destiny according to the wisdom which God
has given them
Peace may preserve this Government;
peace may reconstruct this Union; peace will |
preserve friendship and give US an opportu-
nifty for acts Of reciprocal kindness and good
will. If these Southern States cannot be
conciliated, and if you gentleman cannot
find it in your hearts to grant their demands
if they must leave the family mansion, l
would signslize their departure by tokens of
love; would bid them farewell so tenderly
that they would forever be touched by the
recollection of it; and if, in the vicissitudes
of their separate existence, they should de-
sire to come together with US sgain in one
common Government there should be no
pride to be humiliated, there should be no
wound inflicted from my hand to be healed.
They should come and be welcome to the
place they now occupy.
Gentlemen, to day you must make your ,
choice. To-day lay aside all thoughts of
war, and cultivate the arts of peace. To-day
determine upon a course of Cancellation and j
If you do motif you insist
upon drawing the sword and dipping it in ,
your brothers blood if you insist upon this
Unnatural and unhOly IOar. prepare TO wage
Il to the last extremitY. Tor warn Won that !