Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-20
BAyARD WILL NOT 10,
His Secession speech of Twenty Years
Ago.
From the New York Evening Post.l

From the New York Evening Post.l
Mr.. Bayards Dover speech was delivered
three months after the bombardment of For
Sumter and twelve days before the battle Of
Bull Run. The tone Of the speech was dis.
tincty In favor of peace through an amlcable
separation OF the States, the hope of reunion
being held out as the result of reflection on
the part of the seceders. We /, 'st
three paragraphs which embrace III hr'
would PROBABLY be quoted against Nj.
Bayard II he were nominated for the Office
of President of the United States
eleven States have withdrawn from the
Federal Union with solemn and deliberate
action, and have united under new govern
ment. They have made their declaration
vt independence of the Government under
Which we live, and express their determine
ton to maintain it at every cost With this
secession, or resolution, or rebellion, or by
| whatever name it may be called, the State
of Delaware has had nought to do. To our
| constitutional duties toward each and evtn
member of the Union we have been faithful
in all times. Never, never has thought, a
word, an action of ours been unfaithful to
the Union of our fathers-in letter and in
spirit it has been faithfully kept by us.
| two alternatives present themselves. Shall
we make war upon and subjugate this new
confederacy, or shall we peacefully treat
with them and consent to their self-govern-
ment, trusting to time, which is the great
| healer of all wrongs and passions, to bring
them again voluntarily into common gov
eminent with us ?
Take the proposition of war-of horrid
civil war, my countrymen Grant to the
Northern arms complete success. Suppose
every Southern city be reduced to CHASTITY
ruin, every peaceful Southern home desc
lated and every Southern man slain or made
captive. This is the evident completest
realization of that dream of conquest so
horribly satisfactory to those minds who
control the Northern press. But what then
Will a Union with slaves and the possession
of desert satisfy you You do not and
cannot expect love and aid in times of your
necessity from those States you have so
cruelty subdued. Is is too plain, therefore,
that your success in such war would be
the most fatal injury to yourselves
"a believe solemnly that the war inaugu-
rated by Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet
is worse than fruitless-that it will prove
more disastrous to the North than to the
South, aud never will accomplish its pro-
fessed objects. Already it has driven out of
our Union four States while others stand in
doubt. When l take up the public papers
and see the markets Of the world disordered
| and depressed by the mere apprehension of
this war; when | turn to our own business
| circles and see men of wealth reduced to
poverty, our merchants bankrupted, our
mechanics and laboring men threatened
with absolute starvation, would fain hide
my face in grief. But confronting this wide
stream of human distress, | sadly seek to
| find relief from it. If war, or the mere
prospect of it, has in three short months
| worked all this distress what an increase of
| trouble are we to anticipate should it pro-
cede in all its detail of oppressive taxation,
| destruction, decentralization, and sorrow
| Human governments were ordained for the
| happiness and protection OF society. If
peace will restore and secure these blessings
to the people of the United States, even
though number of their former associates
have gone of under new and independ-
ent organization, in the name of heaven let
us raise our voices for it, Shall this earnest
cry for peace be stiiiled at the bidding of q
host of fanatical and cowardly editors aided
by an army of greedy contractors and public
leeches, stimulating an ignorant mob to
denounce and attack us as traitors and
secessionists ? We know it shall not, and
this day do we proclaim our duty to
our country and our intention to perform
it."
These sentiments will be Judged from,
several different standpoints Prom the
standpoint of Southern Democrat, reared
in the unwholesome atmosphere of slavery,
the opinion will be commonly entertained
that there is nothing in them which ought tc
surprise us unless it be the moderation Of
tone as that contrasted with ninety. mine pei
| Of oil bo IlnO1Onrotc of
period. Nor is there anything for the
Northern Democrats to object to, seeing
that three years later the party, in it,
National Convention, demanded thai
"immediate efforts be made for cessation
of hostiities." This is all that Mr.. BayarC
had demanded in the beginning.
The third standpoint is that OF TIT
Republican party, and here we are bound t
say that some parts of the Dover speech al,
calculated to repel many voters who wOulC
be glad to cast their ballots in the mos
effective way against Mr.. Blaine 1t is no
that Mr. Bayard favored peace after war haC
! actually begun. 1t would not be difiult t.
show that both Greedy and Seward were il
favor of peace at that time, and that Will
there were shades of difference between
them as to the ends to be reached through
peace, the views of both would be found a
obnoxious to the public opinion of the Mort
to-day as most of the differences of Mr.
Bayard. Mr.. Seward, for instance, addresse
an official note to our foreign ministers
J saying in substance that the only obstacle
to a restoration of peace were The extremist
of both sections--the Southern sccessionst
and the Northern abolitionists- CHASING tn
two together as alike culpable In briugin
; the misery of war upon the country. MI
! Grceley's efforts for peace were protracted I
I a much later period, and finally came to
ridiculous climax The spirit whic
prompted them was, however, not essential
different from that which moved my Bayar
q in 1861. Gerrt Smith was in favor of peac
at all times, and other names might l
mentioned, within the circle of anti SLAYER
5 renown, which were identified with the sam
: views.
g. The most obnoxious thought which occur
u in Mr.. Bayard's speech is that in which
speaks Of the war as the aggressive and 70
:; untaryssact of Lincoln and his Cabinet Tn
u was perhaps slip of the tongue. 1t was VIII,
!, might have been said in the heat of debat,
y when the passions OF whole country Wei
aroused, without any express ntenton
y charging that hostilities were begun by Nj
Lincoln--as though he had any choiC
between war and peace. Nevertheless th
. is what the Dover speech says, and it
$ what we apprehcnd will prove mi
y chievous element in the cam paign IT NJ
: Bayard should be nom mated.
J. MOTmOnism.
, From Salt Lake City Louer.l
Mnr mi gin al pl Ito hAan