Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-03-01
A CHRISTIAN AM. KLSE. SPEECH.

Island, in the United States Senate, on The
question of admitting Pinchback to a sea
in that body. The feeling manifested
towards the South is that of christian
and yet the peril of the nation through the
attitude OF the South is appreciated and
pointed out in language plain and forcible
Mr.. Anthony said:
| Mr.. President, do not desire to con
| tribute one harsh word to this debate.
would soften the acrimony OF sectional
strife. | have only love and affection tor
every section of this country, for every
| State of this Union. would do anything
| in my power to reconcile to the flag which
| they abandoned, and to which they have
| been forcibly returned, the States that now
stand resllessly and unwillingly beneath
its folds. But / cannot shut my eyes to
the events that 90 on before them. l can
not refuse nv conviction Of the logical re-
suits of those events.
was member of this body, and nee
essarily a close observer of public affairs,
when the people Of the South. after long
preparation in the teachings of sophistical
and unpatriotic men, threw off their allie
glance to the government and made war
upon its authority, because President not
acce ptable to them had been elected, al
though elected in strict conformity with
the Constitution, and in the manner pre-
scribed by law. He who does not see the
same 6; ms now is blind; he who does not
hear the same sounds is deaf. The same
wild, uapatriotic, boastful utterances in
the press are applauded by the same trea-
sonable populace to which they appeal.
The same contempt for the Northern Sec
ton of the country is joined to the same
reliance upon the Northern democracy +;
and will say in justice to the democratic
party that / believe that reliance to be as
mistaken now as it was then. And in a
place where it is not proper tor me to re-
fer with more particularly to the proceed
ings, the same violent language is met
with the same disapprobation by prudent
men, and is encouraged by the same reck-
less and rebellious spirit by all classes,
from the mob in the streets to the legisla-
lures of States, which hasten to pass reso-
lutions of thanks for words that have called
forth the censure of the body in which
they were spoken.
| This spirit and these more violent utter
ances do not, indeed, meet the approval
of the majority of the Southern people.
They did not before. But the men who
INDUCED in them controlled the majority
and assumed the power. Not State in
the Union would have passed an ordi-
nance of secession if the question could
have been put to the people, fairly and
without intimidation, not even South
| Carolina.
1t has been said by man who lived in
a country much given to revolution, and
who had borne a conspicuous part in the
overthrow of established authority, that
not numbers. nor power, nor resources
were the great element of success in civil
connections, but "audacity, audacity,
always audacity." 1t was audacity that
| carried the Southern States into rebellion.
1t is audacity that is threatening them
now. Had they showed half the courage.
in the beginning, in resisting wicked
and irresponsible and self-constituted
leadership at home. as they did afterward
in contending against the lawful authority
of the government, what amount Of blood
and Of treasure might have been saved |!
What disaster and humiliation might have
been avoided! In Virginia a convention
that had been elected with instructions to
reject the ordinance of secession was
frightened into it by men from South Car
DINA and Texas, sent there to excite
false opinion which should overawe the
convention and force the delegates to the
reputation of their principles and their
pledges. The history of rebellion, sue
cessful or unsuccessful, affords no strong
er evidence OF the power OF audacity, no
more humiliating exhibition of the weak
ness and cowardce Of men intrusted with
great responsibilities.
The same audacity now exalts its head,
and since "history repeats ITSELF" l cannot
overcome the conviction that audacity will
rule again; that the same bold, reckless,
irrepressible minority will again get the
control Of prudent, conservative and pat
riotic majorities. The wisdom, the pru-
dence, the value, the patriotism, the wealth
of the South in 1860, controlled even less
than the numbers. 1t was the audacity
OF the worst and most dangerous elements
of society that ruled The man who was
afterward Vice President of the rebel con-
federacy, opposed the rebellion with ar
guments whose intrinsic force was backed
by the influence of his powerful name.
He said to the Southern people you have
known the Union only by its blessings,
and then he yielded to the rebellion.
l have listened with respect to the as
sertions from Senators on the other side
of the chamber, who acted with the South
and some of whom fought in the rebellion !;
and l have listened with full faith in the
sincerity of their utterances when they de-
cared their disposition for peace, and
when they pledged their influence for the
tranquility of the South. They can pledge
themselves. and l do not raise doubt that
they will keep their pledges. But they
cannot pledge their constituents If wise
counsels and patriotic warning had pre-
vailed in 1860, we should not have been
called upon to reconstruct the Southern
States.
The Southern Senators were not in ia
vor of the rebellion then. can count on
the fingers of this hand the genuine seces-
sionists who sat in these chairs then, the
men who really believed in the doctrine
and who desired to see. it carried into
practice. Perhaps, if by any possibility
these words should meet his eye, he would
not thank me for saying it, but Jefferson
Davis was not of the number. Impelled
by force which he lacked the magma