Year: 1863

rope, You ought to be ashamed that


'mob' behaves better than people.


He showed to them that, taking the p6pu


lation into account, there were fewer riot


in this country than in any other country


on the globe, and demonstrated that tn,


nature of American institutions was such


that hey prevented riots, for every citizer


had an interest in protecting his own prop


erty and family. He told the people O
| England that the riots in New York O


which SO much was made, were as thor


oughly foreign as if they had occurred ir
Cork or Dublin. daughter and applause.


1t was blind fury that ragged against ar
| inotfensive class of men, but not against
law, order or the genius Of our institu.
tions but riot in London would shake q
great many things that men were not in
terested to have shaken. He also found
the .dea prevalent that America was q
dangerous nation, by reason of such gigan-
tic power as was being developed. When
this nation was united and stood on the
great foundations of freedom, virtue and
intelligence, its tread would be like an
elephants tread among mice.


He told them that America did not want
to meddle in foreign politics, for free soci-
ETY. from its very nature was pacific, while
slave society was bellicose In this view
he asked them to give their moral support
to the nation, for it was hereafter to be
united under the auspices of free ideas,
which encouraged small armies, small
navies, and pacific relations with all neigh
boring States (Applause.) The North
was reluctant to unsheath the sword, but
such people, compelled to war only by
the pressure of patriotism and moral prin-
ciple, were men that never would put the
sword back into its scabbard until they had
attained the errand for which they drew it.
(Applause.) He (Mr B. y also found great


misconceptions in respect to the war
Much was said about the inhumanity of
warning against our brethren. He admit
ted that war was inhuman against any,
body, but it was no more inhuman for us
to. fbOmbard Charleston in rebellion than
f. Great Britain to burn down city of
one hundred and eighty thousand inhabit.
ants against the Japanese. (Applause
War was nothing but national police,
and policeman when contending with a
burglar uses rs much physical force as is
necessary to subdue him. Grimes against
the public peace required coercion and q
degree of cruelty which justice must needs
carry with it, yet those that exercised the
justice were not responsible for the cruelty,
but they that brought it upon themselves


1t was charged that Americans were ex-
ces lively arrogant and cruel; and of course
he denied them both. 1t is common to say
that we are very vain people in England.
1t did ME good to hear an Englishman
charge the Americans with vanity.
Qaughter.) The difference is about this
that we are specifically vain and interi-
orly proud, while the English are superb
cially proud and interiorly vain; but you
will, if you 60 to England, see the stock you
came from, and recognize the family like
ness. Laughter.) Mr.. Beecher main
tained that the fault of our government had
not been cruelty, but undue leniency.
loud cheers.) If there had been cruelty
in this war it was not on our side, except
in exceptional instances Ithad been said
in England that Southern men were the
best fighters, and ought to have the SYM
pathy of Europe, because they were so
brave and stubborn. His reply was that
Southern men were Americans that he
was not ashamed of their good fighting
qualities that they had got to come back
among us, and we were proud of our own
citizens. But how much grander would
they fight if they only had good cause
The South waged only defensive war, for
whenever they attempted to aggress our
army beat them.


Mir. Beecher proceeded to say that the
slavery question came up for large share
of sympathy. He told them that if the
South prevailed they would carry their in
stitutions to the Pacific, and if the North
prevailed they would carry their institu-
tions to the Gulf; SO they could take their
choice. The power of the free element in
our government had been, in England,
felt to be developed through this war. 1t
had been constantly alleged in England
that the North had not gone to war for
emancipation, but for Union To that he
had answered "true," it never was the in-
tention, even of the abolitionists, to inter-
fere directly with slavery in the States.
They had simply held that if no more slave
States were to be created the question of
emancipation must be one only of time.
The North went into this war not for
emancipation but for nationality-a ma
tionality that has been regenerated,
and that was to have thereafter q
policy of liberty. They felt that peace
and moral influence would inevitably bring
liberty in its train. The nation had to be
lifted up from its peace powers into the
higher sphere of war powers, and then it
recognized that the only way to carry on
and to end the war was to destroy slavery.
(Applause.) It was in it that rebellion
lived. -. ..., ~.


He told them that this war, though be-
gun for the Union, had been carried to q
condition where it was necessary to de-
strOy slavery, and slavery would be de-