Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-09-05


Iector? Who ever heard of conscripting
a million of men into the army against
their will, to be slaughtered in order to es-
tabltsh negro equaEttyP We have learned a
great many things since Lincoln came in
to power, and among them that there is
no crime you can imagine that he has not
committed. He has already called for
over 2,OO0, 900 of men to fill his army, and
now he calls for 5OO, 900 more. VIII he
get them? [Cries of ''No, no. Neveri'l
That is what we have to decide. The
question is whether we shall die as free
men or live as slaves. Voice -'We'n
die as freemen!"l We are here without
consultation, without previous notice;
under the constitutional right to advise
our rulers and consult for the common
safety; we have come to see whether we
cannot change or throw off a government
which has ceased to subserve the purpose
for which it was established" [Cheers.l
John G. Edwards, Representative in the
Legislature from Franklin County, was
the next speaker, and in the course ofhis
remarks said:
Give hundred thousand more men are
called. Are you ready to go? [Cries Of
F'No, no.'l I am satisfied you are not
1 am satisfied you will resist, with your
lives and to your death, all further en-
croachments on your rights and liberties.
If every stream ran red with blood, and
every hill grew white with the bleaching
bones of your friends and brothers, there
still might be hope, if the Constitution
were preserved, and we could cry, s'This
is the land of freedom - but there is ne
such hope. Don't let another
man be taken out of your county by des-
potic power. heard that the women of
GrovepOrt said, only few days age, that
if the hundred days men did not return
when their time expired, they would
drag Brough's corpse through the streets
of Columbus. That is the spirit that is
abroad in the land, and that is the spirit
that will eventually bring the despots to
terms.''
The committee, in an address to the
President of the United States, through
Mr.. Neswander, submitted lengthy re-
port, the pith of which is the following:
''We beg leave also to remind the Pres
ident that we are now in the fourth year
of this war, which, at the commencement
was to last only three months, and to be
| fought out by "a, 900 men then called for;
that he has already called for 2 800, 900
men; that thousands of our men have
| fallen victims to the incompetence of
| their commanders, placed over them by
the appointments of the President; that
the experience of three long, disastrous
and bloody years proves conclusive1y that
war can never, no matter to what extent
prosecuted, restore the Union. And we
| therefore, in the name of justice and hu-
nlanity, demand that peace measures be
adopted as the only hope of a much Op-
pressed people. The people
demand peace, whatever may be its con-
sequences -.
The resolutions, having been put, were
adopted unanimously and enthusiastical-
Iy cheered.
The report then says:
"Mr. Converse appearing upon the
stand, he was repeatedly called for, and
spoke substantially as follows:
F'The speaker alluded to the peace pro-
position at Niagara, and showed how
Lincoln precluded the possibility of set
tlement of our difficulties in rejecting
those propositions and demanding the abb
clifton of slavery. Ne, says Lincoln, the
war must go on; SOC, 900 more men must
be called forth to the slaughter, that the
negro may be free. 1t is for you, the
men of the country, Republicans and
Democrats, to decide whether this out
rageous proposition shall be insisted up
on and the war continued. Some men
are impatient of eur slow progress, but
the first thing we have to do is to decide
determinedly and unitedly upon peace
The people of this country are now max
ing what General Grant calls flank
movement, and think the Republicans
know it will succeed. [Cheers.l We can
no longer endure the Outrages that we
have endured the past three years. We
cannot submit to such an outrage as the
arbitrary arrest and Punishment of Val
landigham.''
'"The Democratic National Con-
ventiOn has wisely been postponed until
September, in order that the people may
be consulted and their wishes understood.
If the delegates elected to that conven-
ton find that the masses of the people are
sternly determined in favor of peace, we
shall have a peace candidate. If we have
a peace candidate, feel certain we shall
carry him through. If we can not do
that, there is one thing certain, zoe IOill
neUer consent to the prosecution Of the aodr.
: [Cheers.l L believe the candidate of the
Chicago convention, if he is peace man,
and he mast be no other, will be elected.
Men, do not think of sending your sons
to the army. Women, do not alEoa0 yoar has
bands to be taken to augment the slaughter
Make up your minds to have peace, take
nothing else, and under all circumstances
keep your pOaOder dry. [Cheers.l There are
mad dogs in the country, or sheep-killing
dogs and plenty of burglars. He who
would steal away man is to be treated
like any other thief and robber. [Cheers.
This meeting is, as has been said, an au-
gury of a good time coming. We shall
have a good time, my friends. The light
which breaks from here to-day will be Of
good effect. Its genial rays will reach
Chicago in September [cheersl, and in No
yember it Will reach the White House.
e TCheers.l While engaged in the blessed
: work of peace, we can look back over the
n three years past aud think of the brave
: boys who have been seduced into this use
= less aoar-the bones of million of whom
e now bleach upon the hills and in the val
+ leys of the South, where they haze been
i sent to be slaughtered. We can think OF
|, them with sorrow, regret and sympathy,
II They lost their lives in an effort to dc
n what they thought their duty-they were
q sacrificed by the bloody cruelty OF TatlerS.-
. But for the leaders of this thing they