Year: 1863




By his own showing, Mr.. Pugh ana his fe
low Democrats are responsible for the war;
One of The points which be makes in BIZ
speeches is that war might have been preven-
led by compromise. But Pugt@ and the North
ern Democrats in the Charleston Convention
refusd 20 compromise and thus split the partE
elected Lincoln, and gave The Southern States
| a pretext for rebellion. The Cincinnati Ga
zette thus beautifully turns the point of his
argument against him:


Mr.. Pugh followed Mr.. Yancey in speecI,
to the Convention, and thanked him for his
honesty in placing it before the country that
The South demanded an advance step from tbt
Democratic party on the question of Slavery.


lie went on to show that subserviency to th,
Southern demands had reduced the Democrat
ic party to minority in the North. And
said Mr.. Pugh, 'when we come here 10 de-
bate with you, you commence by telling Us
! we are an inferior class; that we shall not as
sumo TO have or express any opinions: that We
shall not cali upon you to stand by our pligh
led faith; that we shall put our hands on our
mouths, and our mouths in the dust. Gentle
| men, you mistake us-we will not do it,"


Here was the time when the difficulties
might have been settled without secession and
war, and here, in the face of the Southern
threats Of Secession from the Convention and
from the Onion, MIR. Pugh refused to compro-
mise. He told them that if these were the
terms which they demanded as a condition OF
their stay in the Democratic ship they must
go. ''If you choose to abandon it" said he
III part from you we must, we will part from
you without anger, but in sorrow."


Upon this performance of the Northern
Democracy at Charleston, Mr.. Pugh is iusti
fed in saying THAT he could state it as mat
ter of fact, that the difficulties could have heeu
settled without war; and by his principle, that
they who did not prevent the Rebellion By
yielding to the demands of the South, are re-
sponsible for the war, he has assumed its re.
sponsibility upon himself and the Northern
section of the Democratic party.


The organization OF The South. for Spces.
sion, went on from that hour When the Re
publican Administration came into power,
Secession had begun. There has never been
a time since the Democratic Convention when
the South presented any terms Mr.. Pugh
not only assumes for the Northern Democra-
cy the whole guilt of the Rebellion, bnt he
now takes for them the abject attitude of the
shabby Gibeonites, when they presented them
selves before the conquering tribes, and meek
y accepted the position of hewers of wood
and drawers of water


He confesses to the south that his defiance
in the Charleston Convention was the mere
extravaganza of fear; that his declama. ion
that there was any Southern demand which
The Northern Democracy would not submit 10,
was the affected bluster of quaking hearts
ready TO cringe so soon as the Southern lash
was brought out; that the insolent assump-
iion of the South, that the Northern Democ-
raey are an inferior class fit Ouy for subjects
was correct idea OF the order of nature; and
that they are now ready to make amends for
their insurrection agasnst their natural mas
lers by submitting to everything they refused
then, by assuming all the guilt of the Rebel
lion, and by eating any amount OF dirt that
may be prescribed in addition.