Year: 1863

destructive, awful and ruinous civil war,
the end OF which no man can tell.


pass over the numerous infractions of
the Constitution, some Of which refer.
red to only few months since, and take
what in some respects is the worst Of ALL
the Proclamation Of Emancipation, and
ask you to look at this as it is. 1t pre-
sents us the military necessity Of the case.
Sir, it was precisely this kind Of militia.
ry necessity which dictated the employ.
ment Of "merciless sagages" to butcher
your rebel forefathers. This was iusti.
fed by Lord Suffolk, in the British Par.
Lament, on the ground that the Govern
ment should employ oil the means that
"God and nature put in its hands for sup
pressing the wicked rebellion" The in
dignaht reply Of Lord Chatham is famil-
liar to every schoolboy. "What IDEAS"
said the great commoner, "the noble
Lord may have of God and nature, |
know not, but this | do know, that such
sentiments as he has avowed, are equally
abhorrent to religion and humanity
1t was some plea OF this sort that laid
Wyoming in ashes, and at latter day,
and within the memory Of most Of us,
prompted the massacre of Texan priso-
ners at the Alamo. And coming down
to the case before US, it is the plea of the
haters of the South, who will be satisfied
with nothing less than its destruction.


1t is from doctrines like these the peo-
pie, without distinction of party, turn
away with undissemblcd horror and
disgust, and seek, in the ranks ofyour
political organization, the means Of
putting an end to such ultraism. and Of
inaugurating a new ana better policy,
WHICH shall have some kind Of foundation
in Gospel precepts. In no other way,
fellow citizens, can I account for the re-
cent victories in New York and other
States. The mistakes, the errors, the
follies. and the worst blunders of the Lin
coin Administration, are by those victo-
ries signally rebuked, or the ballot is
mere sham, and the march of great events
of no more consequence than the shifting
sands of the desert.


But fellow citizens 1 have something
more to say Of this before l leave this
stand If there ever was time to speak
out, and speak plainly, uow is that time
tomorrow may be too late. ask no
one to be responsible for anything have
said; or Tor what else may have to say
L stand here to give free utterance to my
thoughts, on the present crisis in our ma
tional affairs. without fear or favor of any
man, and as God is my judge, and not
any worm of the dust, | mean to be true
to my convictions of what believe to
be right in this matter, let the conse :
quences be what they may. Now my
conviston is, that these elections, of
which l have spoken. mean something
more than appears on the face of election
returns, or in the platforms of the trium-
plant party. They have deeper man
ing still-and if not, if l am mistaken
in this-then | have no business here,
and should take my leave Of you forth
with. Nay, if they have not deeper
and better meaning than is to be found
in any special endorsement of the war
policy, yon may close the map of the
Union at once, for henceforth it will on
ly be wanted to find the grave of the Re-
public


But they do mean something more
something which should arouse US to
sense of present duties. and turn our
thoughts in new direction. | see in
them the mission of the hour. These pop
ular uprisings are not merely special in
their character, but broad and general as
the universal air, and sweep, as with the
wings of the archangel, the vast horizon
of NAL administration and of horrible
battle fields. The true meaning of this is
that the people are sick of this horrible
fratricidal war, and demand that it sho'd
be speedily terminated. / avow myself
opposed to it, and ask for a cessation Of
hostilities. 1t is vain to protest against
illegal arrests and wicked proclamations,
if you have got a war policy tdat justi,
fies both. cannot for the life of me sse
how the great wrongs are to bc redressed, 4,
and the Union re established while meas
ures are on foot which render it impossi-
BILE to accomplish either on the war plan.
Now / am for redressing these wrongs,
and doing what can be done for the Union
cause. Tam for getting back the South
ern States By fair and honorable means,
If such a thing be possible; and l will hope
for the best. And want to get them
back as they were. | don't want con-
quered. blood -drenched States. with their
ruined homes and a weeping population,
to make Union for me! Such kind of
Union would be mockery of the name.
The Union desire, is a Union of hearts
and Of hands, such as our .forefathers ga ve
us. When the great Irish orator. Ed
mund Burke, took the part of America.
l775, he denounced the British policy
which would destroy "the plantations. I"
"My opinion" said he, sis much more
in favor of prudent management than of
force; the use OF force is but temporary.
1t may subdue for a moment, but it does
not remove the necessity of subduing
again. A forther objection to force is,
that you impare the subject by your very
endeavors to preserve it. The thing you
fought for is not the thing you recover
but deprecated. sunk, wasted and con-
sumed in the contest" And then rails
ing his voice "till the old arches of Irish
oak resounded," to his trumpe. tones, he
exclaimed in never to- be forgotten words:
Nothing less piU satisfy me than WHOLE
america u Apply these noble senti.
ments to the case before US, and we shall
be at no loss what course to pursue. In