Year: 1863

ling 10 submit to its benign, its healthful


and its peaceful sway, we will hold out
the olive branch Of peace. And here i


will say to YOU, sir, land in saying it I
feel that | express The opinion of the great
Democratic party Of this State,) that VIC
believe, and will ever believe, that the
laws which have been passed by the Con-
gress just ended--the con6scation and
other acts which have steeled the heart OF
the people of the South-there is no such
thing as a Union man left in those States
now engaged in rebellion, and we tell you
that we intond to melt the heart of that
people by repeating your unjust, your uu-
coustt .tonal laws; and, when tits melt
ed, we expect out of that heart TO bring
peace and happiness to the people North
and South. We say to you, Mr.. Speaker
that We do not believe it is in the power
/ of twenty millions Of men to subdue and
bring back that people, unless you have
among them allies who are attached 10
! toy your cause, devoted to the principles Of
the Constitution and its guarantees, and
desiring, its protection that you can
! never, never exterminatc or subiugate
| them.


But we tell you, sir, that if you will do
only what the Con,titution and the prin~
cples springing from it demand, on every
hi'l and in every valley there will be rails.
ed up allies Tor our assistance, The lead
ers who desire place and power may be
against us, but when the people of the
South, recollec.ing the gories of the past,
and looking to those of the future, feel
that every right is to be guaranteed, every
! privll cge restored to them then, as I be.
lieve in my God, believe that they will
| come back TO the Constitution of the old
Government and to the Union. tell you
now, Mr.. Speaker, that all the blood, all
! the treasure you have spent or may spend,
will be in vain, unless you repeal the un-
! constitutional, oppressive, tyranncal laws
which were enacted by the last Congress-
and | will say in passing that | believe
Ithe Supreme Arbiter being my judgc)
that if that Con. ress had never met, or if,
having met they had simply voted appro-
priatlons and dissolved leaving the whole
question to be settled under the resolution


adopted in July, 1861, shis contest would
ere now have been settled, and at this day


we would be enjoying unity, peace and


amity. Upon the heads OF those who


prevented such action-upon the heads of
the wen who enacted those unconstitution-


al and damnabIe laws, and did everything


in their power to combine the southern


heart against us, io' ever be the curse of the


blood and mourning that fill this land If


the demon of destruction and hate--if the


father of evil himself could have been there


debating their counsels, actuating them


10 deeds which must result in the utter dis


memberment OF this Union, he could not


more thoroughly have effected his hellish


purpose than it has been effected by the


dominant majority in the Senate and in


the House during the last Congress And


when the history of these times comes to


be written, (and | pray to God that the


historian Of this era may not be obliged


to write Of the decline and fall of the


American Republic, but that he may only


write Of its trials past and present and of


its tutnrc greatness,) he will record the


hour when the nation came so near to des-


oiaton and DEATH and he will ascrbe the
disasters of that hour to the unremitted,


persistent, dabolical Vaccinations of Alb


olitonists in and out OF the last Congress.
Such historian if he has the philosophy
OF Hume--if he has his far-secing penetra-
ton, and can trace effects from causes, can.
not tail in the contemplative hour Of the
future to say what l say at this moment,
that to them solely and sheerly belongs
the terrible calamity that still darkens
and enshrouds this land. In concIu-
sion, sir, what do we propose to de-
; clare by voting against this resolution
We propose to say that no one who has
been the instrument, the partaker, the sup.
!; porter of these tyranical these unconsttu-
tional, these arbitrary measures which have
fused the Southern heart and divided our
5 Own, shall be heard from the capital of this
, State. We propose to say that We will
not listen to him as body representing
the pcop'e Of this State we propose to
say that the verdict Of the people of the


State at the last election was against all


such dannabe heresies We mean to tell
you, gentlemen, that although We have not
majority here, we have it on the other
side Of this hall, and we have it among the
people. We mean to tell you that that
majority counted by three thousand last
year will be ten times three thousand at the
next election We mean to tell you
that we are going to bring you back 10 the
cause Of the Constitution and the Union.


We mean to tell you that we are going to


use the sword and the olive branch in


settling this dfieulty-that whether north
or south, we viii use the sword upon those


who are opposed to the Constituton-that


we will not allow any person, whether in
the south or in the north to destroy, to
disregard, to ignore or to set at defiance
the Con stitution of the United States.
We mean to tell you that the same law


which is to be obcyed at the South is to


be obeyed at the North The people are


with US, and by the grace of God and tho


voice ofthc people, before niue months roll
| i II 1.