Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-10-04
NEW SERIES--V0L. IT, NO. 80.


< universal admiration of Brown for hi
3 raid into Virginia. Certain Democrat
: (and very good men too,) did then de
I clare that lawlcss expedition intend
, cd for purposes Of mere murder ant
!. pillage could not and should not b.
! started in the North, without such op
!, position as would eficctually stop it
. But this was before secession, and i
5 was intended TO prevent that move
: ment, not to encourage H.
You cannot, with any show OF jus
+ ticc, deny that devotion 10 the Union
was one of the strongest feelings in the
, heart Of the Northern Democracy
We had always deprecated separa-
tion from the Southern States with SO
much earnestness that one Of the OPP
probious epithets you bestowed on us
was that Of "Union savers" This was
not mere sentiment of admiration or
gratitude TO the great Southern men
who had led us through heperils of the
revolution, settled our institutions, and
given our country its high place in the
estimation of the world. We felt all
this but we felt much more. The
preservation Of the Union was TO us
an absolute necessity. 1t was indis-
pensablc to the security of our lives,
our personal liberty and our plancst
rights of property. How true this
was at all times, and especially in
1860, you will sec If you reflect mo-
ment on our situation at that time.
The Abolitionists were coming into
power. | need not say by what COM
bination ofimposture and accident they
got it. All the Northern States as
well as the Federal government fell
into their hands. No doubt their dis
like of Southern people was very great
but Northern Democrats were objects
of their especial malignity. Long be-
fore that time, and ever since, this
sentiment has been expressed in words
and acts too plain to be misunderstood.
You show how strongit is in your own
heart when you tell Southern men (and
you do tell them so in this very speech
that you honor them ten thousand
times more than Democrats of the
North. Remember, in addition to this,
that the lending Aboitionists acknowl-
edged no law which might stand in
the way of their interests or their pas
sions. Against anybody else the con-
stitution of the country would have
been protection. But they disregard
ed its limitations, and had no scruples
about swearing to support it with
predeterminaton to violate it, We
had been well warned by all the men
best entitled to our confidence; partic-
ularly and eloquently warned by Mr..
Clay and Mr. Webster; that if ever
the AboTitionists got hold upon the or
ganized physical force of the country,
they would govern without law, scoff
at the authority of the courts, and
throw down all the deiences of civil
liberty.
But if the South had not seeded we
might have made successful defence
of our constitution, though the powers
of the government were in the hands
of its enemies. With the aid of the
Southern people, if they had been true
to their duty, we could have organized |
an opposition so iormidably in its moral
and political power that you would
scarcely have dared TO assault us. No
wonder that we were "Union savers =
for to us the Union meant personal
liberty, free thoughts, an independent
press, habeas corpus, trial by jury, the
impartial administration OF justice.-all
those great legal institutions which
our torefathers had shed so much of
their blood to build up.
The South deserted us at the crisis
of our fate, and left us in our weak
ness to the mercy OF the most unprin-
eipled tyrants that ever betrayed a
public trust Secession was not mere
folly and madness il was something
much worse. We could not but feel
that we were deeply wronged. There
was no remedy for the dire calamities
with which we were threatened except
in bringing the seeded States back to
their places in the Union. Our CON
victions of legal duty, our exasperated
sense of injury and a proper care for
our best interests, all impelled us to
join the new administration in the use
of such force as might be found noces-
sary to execute the laws in every part
OF the country.
But the Abolitionists wanted a war
for the overthrow of the constitution,
for the subversion of free government
and for the sutjugaton of the whole
country to that "highcr law" which
imposes no restraint upon the rapaci-
ty and malice Of the ruling power. 10
such war the national conscience was
The soul OF every respecta-
bic officer in the army and navy re-
volted at it, and every virtuous man
in private life felt il to be an unspeak-
able outrage. To those who doubted ,
before, the disaster of Bull Run made
it plain that the war could not be sue ;
carried on unless it was put
upon principles consistent with the {
usages Of Christendom and the safety
Of our own institutions. Therefore il
was that on the 22d of July, 1861,
Congress with almost perfect unanim- {
Ity passed resolution through both j
Houses, declaring in the most explicit {
words, that the war should be con /
luctod to preserve the constitution,
and not TO revolutionize IT, | give you !
here the words Of the resolution itself |
from the Congressional Globe, page 223 q
Re.oirea, Tha, the prescn, deplorable civil war Z
has been forced upon the country by the disunon-
sts OF the Southern Statcs, now In arms against t,
he Constitutional Government, and In arms
around the Capitol that In this national ener- I
yency, Congress, banishing all feeling Of mere [
,assion or rescnnent will rccoloct only It's duty
o the whole country that this war IL waged on :
heir part In any spirit Of oppression, or for any
purpose Of conquest or srhjugaton or purpose Of I
'yerihrewing or interfering with the rights or /
established Institutions Of those States, but to de.
end and maintain the supremacy Of the Constitu- !
ion, and to preserve the Union with oil tho dig {
iiiy, equality, and rights Of the several States un-
impaired and that as soon as these objects are
accomplished the war ought to cease.
Con6ding in this assurance, Demo ,,
rats from every northern State rushed
o the front by the hundred thousand
he border States of the South gave in
heir formal adhesion to the Govern
nent and our great military leaders ,
lrew their swords with alacrity in sup !,
,ort OF the free institution to which
hey bad shown their fidelity so often
,eforc. ]
With what base pcrfdy this solemn !
hedge was broken ] need not tell you
or this speech shows that you know !.
well. You expressly declare that 80