Year: 1865

upon them that they want to breal


up the government for the purpose o.


affecting slavery; yet 1 charge thai
the breaking up of the Government
would have that effect the result


would be the same. Who else is 10,
breaking up the Government? refer
TO some bad men in the North. There
is a set of men who are called Aboli.
tionists, and they want to break uI
the Government. They are disunion.
lists they are nullifiers." llJT


"Bad men North say provoking
things in reference to tho institutions
of the South, and bad men and bad
tempered men Of the South say pro-
voking and insulting things in return;
and SO goes on a war of crimination
and recrimination in reference to the
two sections of the country, and the
institutions peculiar 10 each. They
become enragod and insulted, and
then they are denunciatory of each
other; and what is the result? The
Abolitionists, and those who entertain
their sentiments, abuse men of the
South, and men of the South abuse
them in return. They do not fight
each other, but they both become
offended and enraged. One is dissat-
isfed with tho other; one is insulted
by the other; and then, to seek re-
venge, to crafty themselves, they both
agree TO make war upon the Union
that never offended or injured either.
Is this rightp What has this Union
done? Why should these contending
parties make war upon it because they
have insulted and aggrieved each
other? This glorious Union, that was
spoken into existence 10y the fathers
OF the country, must be made war
upon to crafty these animosities. =
Shall we, because we have said bitter
things of each other which have been
offensive, turn upon the Government
and seek its destruction, and entail all
.he disastrous consequences upon
commerce, upon agriculture, upon the
industrial pursuits Of the country,
that must result from the breaking up
OF great Government like this?-
What is to be gained out Of the Union
that we can not get in it? Anything?
L have been zealously contending for
and intend to continue to contend
for-eyery right, even to the ninth
part of hair, that / feel the State
that have the honor to represent is
entitled to. do not intend to demand
any thing but that which is right !;
and l will remark, in this connection,
that there is spirit in tho country
which, if it does not exist to very
great extent in this Hall, does exist in
the great mass of the people North
and South, to do what is right; and
If the question could be taken away
from politicians; if it could be taken
away from the Congress of the United
States, and referred to the great mass
of the intelligent voting population of
the United States, they would settle
it without the slightest difficulty, and
bid defiance to secessionists and dis
unionists." Applause in the gallo
ries,


In fighting this battle, I shall do
it upon the basis laid down by por-
ton of the people of my own State,
i'll q large and very intelligent meet
ing. A committee Of the most intelli.
gent men in the country reported, in
the shape Of resolutions, to this meet
ing, the basis upon which / intend to
fight this great battle fer our rights.
They reported this resolution:


go Rcsolred, That we deeply sympa-
thize with our sister Southern States,
aaaRaase aaRaas efsesqlX sYsql salgiita cttbS ahfrSip pna
on their part, on account of the recent
election of sectional candidates to the
Presidency and Vice Presidency OF
the United States; yet we, as por-
ton of the people of slave-holding
community, are not for seeding or
breaking up the Union of these States,
until every fair and honorable means
has been exhausted in trying to obtain,
on the part of the non-slave-h holding
States, a compliance with the spirit
and letter of the Constitution and all
its guarantees; and when this shall
have been done, and the States now
in open rebellion against the laws OF
the United States, in refusing to exc
cute the Fugitive-slave Law, shall
persist in their present anconstitution-
al course, and the Federal Govern
ment shall fail or refuse to execute
the laws in good faith, it (the Govern
ment) will not have accomplished the
great design of its creation, and will,
therefore, in fact, be practical dis
solution, and all the States, as parties,
be released from the compact which
forms the Union"


"I believe that, to a certain extent,
dissolution is going to take place. i
say to tho North, you ought to come
up in the spirit which characterize and
control tho North on this question;
and you ought to give these indications
in good faith that will approach what
the South demands. 1t will be no
sacrifice on your part. 1t is no sup
pliancy on ours, but simply demand
of right. What concession is there
in doing right? Thon, come forward.
We have it in our power-yes, this
Congress here tonight has it in its
power to save this Union, even after
South Carolina has gone out. Will
they not do it2 You can do it. Who
is willing to take the dreadful alterna-
tive without making an honorable
effort to save this GovernmentP This
Congress has it in its power to-day to
arrest this thing, at least for a season,
until there is time to consider about
it, until we can act discreetly and pru-
IDENTIFY, and I bolieve, arrest it alto
gother.


"Shall we give all this up to the
Vandals and the GothsP Shall we
shrink from our duty, and desert the