Year: 1861

and lrrepresSlB!e applause. ltls Grafton WI


in the highest strain Of patriotic elqquenc


and electrified every auditor. He said if I'll


worst came to the worst, and Tennessee tea
l-draggcd t5 the fatal precipicg ot dsunion, b
would go with sword in one hand and


torch in tine other, and fight to the las


breath for the flag Of our common country.
AIR. GURLEY, OF ONO


I niaintnn; Sir, That there is no excuse, n,
apology Whatever. for rcIelIing against tioy
ernment where the people themselves max
and control it. Fiolent revnu tions are JUST
fable against kingly d spotisn. without doubt
but not against our Goycfilmcnt where eacl


man is himself a ruler. Revolution agairls
that is high crime. 1t is a leap in the dark
| 1t is wild anarchy und, if succ ,ssful, nius
end in military rule, in general war, and gen
eral oppression. If we fail to preserve the
present Cdniederacy, reconstruction upon
the basis that will be demanded is impossible
and twelve months will not pass from the time
of its overthrow, before we shall have upon US
all the horrors of Mexican warfare


This great Union and Consii tuition are now
in the keeping of the peoples servants here
and they have the control of the ARMY and
the Navy. Let them guard the former well
for if by any means they perish in their hands,
the great historians of nations will write them
down as the most feeble, pusillanini rus COW
ards that ever disgraced free Country.


But, sir, let us look at SOME of the results ol
breaking up our Government. Ii States may
separate at will, where is your public faith ?
What better are your tftuties than the naked
| IL.
Who then will become the purchasers Of your
bonds? In what condition will be your wild
ow and orphan and benevolent societies that
have placed their all in the public credit p
What man would trust people for one dollar
who would tamely permit traitors to insult
therir flag and steal their property with inn
purity One thing is certain if the organ
lied Government here does not vindicate its
honor and resent its wrongs, and anarchy
comes, the people Of the Free States will do
that work most thoroughly.


Mr.. Chairman, 50 long as gentlemen confine
themselves to the harmless business of dis
solving this Union upon paper, and setting up
in their poetical imag nations Government
antagoulstic to that Of the United States, /
certainly have no disposition to break in upon
their dreams Of wealth and glory consequent
upon the new order of things but if the at
tempt is TO be made to make these mere
dreams the basis of action against our great
temple of republican freedom, reared by pat
riolic hands and minds if indeed they should
take practical form and result in the actual


invasion Of the rights Of our General Govern
ment, as illustrated in the conduct of those
who have recently seized upon its property in
the South, then, Sir, l am for using every
means which Almighty God has given US to
maintain the laws, tire Constitution and the
Union. This, sir, l am sure is the sentiment
Of the ten millions of people living in the West
and Northwest, with here and there an excep-
tion and l would now most respectfully sug-
gcst to the Sccessionists of the South and all
who are disposed to break up this great and
glorious Confederacy, that it would be at
least an act of pFudcn &c to consult those ten
millions. They are now power in the nation
to the extent of cne-third and they mean TO
be heard and if need be, felt, on this impend-
ing question l will not say That no traitors
will be found in the free Sta'es west Of the
Allegheny mountains but if any, they will be
as one to twenty tories in the Revolution
And now, sif, is there single man so beside
himself as to suppose that those ten millions
hardy people will look calmly on or take
neutral position, and see State after State
leave the Union, and the Mississippi river pass
into the control of a foreign Government? l
deny it. No, sir, they settled up that country
with clear understanding that that river and


its various tributaries should forever flow in
the United States of America, free for COM
merce that already rivals that of the Atlantic
coast-the great unobStructed highway to the
ocean. Heaven have mercy upon the nIer who
attempt to make it anything else, or place a
single disability upon its trade or Commerce.


know the spirit and the temper of the peo-
pie of the West, and | know also that they
never will submit to the Mississippi river be
ing controlled by any power except that of the
Union. Sir there is a gathering storm in the
West. The South may not see, and if they
see, may not heed it but mighty storm is
coming nevertheless. Our people are slow to
anger, and will bear much before they strike
down tie invaders of their rights but there
is a point of endurance beyond which they
will not go.


This work of driving ont people from Ter
ritory where they have guaranteed rights ~
American citizens this work of planting can
non upon the Mississippi river for reasonable
purposes this work of personal violence in
New Orleans and other PLACES, all must cease
or tens of thousands of men will rush TO the
combat and sweep the entire coast Of Missis-
sippi and Louisiana and their just indigna-
ton once fairly aroused, no power this side of
heaven can prevent them from making the
~. IL, l.. i r. IL.
where fishes will dwell instead Of men.


If t lie UniCn be broken up, and war follow,
let the consequences fall on those who are res
ponsble. Do Southern gentlemen expect that
he pc ope of The far West will fold their hands


n indifference, and see their commerce inter-
rupted, their steamboats, fred into? How
long do they expect US 10 submit to it? Sir,
no foreign Government on the face of the earth
could commit such outrages against this na-
tion without an immediate declaration of war.
And now ! say, that with strong hands aud
stout hearts our people settled up the West.
With their own right arm they leveled the
forest, aud prepared the land for themselves
and their children. The very hartlships they
have endured make them strong aud brave
and woe to those who attempt by force to
take from them single right which they pos
scss upon any river that flows toward the sea.


In conclusion, sir, will say that am for
practical and speedy legislation to meet the
exigcucies OF the times. iive us bill per-
mitting the President to receive volunteers to
sustain the national Government Pass it !;
let it become u law at once and if you need
Grty thousand soldiers from th1 West you will
have them hundred thousand, and you will
have them. And then, if the worst comes to
the worst, and the stars aud stripes are still in
danger, ask for five hundred thousand, and
they will be at your command Do any call
this an extravagant statement? Sir, we have