Year: 1863

believe it is all to feed shoddy contractors and to
feed lazy, dirty race of yagabond negroes, /
tell you. sir, they won't do it. But you may
spend your last dollar. and shed your last drop o
blood, and the effect will be, YOU will find your
selves dollarless and blOodiess and about as
nearly suhiugated the Rebels.


SIR. Claypool, (interrupting): Does Lot the
Senator think the United States can bear as
heavy a debt Francef And if the war be
prosecuted until the first of July, 1864, / ask
whether our debt would then exceed the debt OF
Franceg


Mr.. Wolfe: Well, suppose the people of this
country can bear all the burdens of France aud
the other tax ridden countries of Europe, / ask
the Senator if that is the feast to which we are
invitedT Is that the boon for which we are fight
ingr Are the Dauperism and expressions OF
Europe to be cur lott If so, beg the Senator
to excuse me for not being delighted with the
prospect. BIT the Senator wants to know how
much the people can bear. | tell him, if this
war, with its reckless system Of extravaganza and
stealing goes on much longer he will learn how
much they can, and how much they cannot bear.
! know, people whose hearts enlisted in a
cause, such as the preservation of their govern
ments and their liberties, will endure much; do
not know how much, but certainly as much as
the highest dictates of patriotism shall demand;
but for the Liberation of the negro, this procla-
nation requires, they will endure but very little
But on this subject of endurance let me remind
gentlemen that there are two sides to it, The
South will endure more to resist emancipation
than the North will to enforce it. Upon that
question the people of the South are substantially
unit, and in that their hearts are terribly in
earnest The people of the North have all
learned, what some Of US knew before, that upon
the score of bravery and physical endurance and
q disposition to shed their last drop of blood
and spend their last dollar, the Rebels are not
exceeded by the people of the North; andwhen
say that, | mean that our soldiers are as brave
as ever trOd the earth


These things are facts. whether we like it or
not. know our Republican friends did not un l.
derstand the matter when the war broke out.
They then talked romanticaly about the South
ern nabobs and their tender ofsprings not being
able TO endure camp lie, the march, or the battle
field; and We we're told that the war would there.
fore be but - breakfast spell" And when we
told them that it would take at least until dinner
time to get through with it, they replied with their
polite and very conclusive argument that we were
Rebel sympathIzers." YES f" Rebel sympa-
thzers " for telling the truth-for pointing out
the rocks upon which the blind pilots were steer
ing the ship of State whose decks are freighted
all that we and they hold dear on earth. Oh,
what madmen we have to deal with


| might 20 on here, If | had the time, and
enumerate fifty errors-gross blunders-that this
AdmInistrationand its friends have committed
and blunders which the Union men of the
country saw, and pointed out. and protested
against But ouI voice and our protests were
unheeded-'' Rebel sympathizers was the only
reply; and wildly the ship of State has been
driven before the storm of passion and folly
Hundreds of thousands OF lives and millions upon
millions of Treasure have been sacrificed upon the
altar of blind, m I'd ambition, and base, corrupt
passion The wisdom of our protests. and the
fuhllment OF our propheSies have all been yeFi-
fed by the fact. and written in lines of blood
upon the battle fields of the country.


| will not stop TO review all the "on to Rich
mOnd' blunders OF this Administration and its
Abolition supporters, but there is one that | will
call attention to as specimen of the whole.
When the war broke out aud before, we we're
told by these wise statesmen, who insist upon
their wisdom to day and who much virtue
in this Abolition procam nation. that the South
could not prosecute the war because SIaUery Iras
an element Of IceokReSS They told us that Just as
soon aS few Federal regiments were sent into
the South the white Rebels would be compelled
TO fly TO their homes to protect their women and
children from negro Instructions. That was
their theory; and when we uttered Il breath of
dissent. and told them that they did not under
stand the questionable not understand the char
acter of the negro or of the Institution of slavery
their virtuous, patriotic indignation knew no
bounds. 1t was not only "rebel sympathy" but
downright treason" to call in question the cor
rectness OF an Abolition theory And many
poor fellow sent to Il Lincoln Bastile for be
ing guilty of such a crime! But how stands the
case now? After waiting until their hearts grew
sick TO their dusky brethren of the South
arise and butcher the women and children, bGt
seeing it not-lust we told them would be the
cise-these very consistent Abolitonists. these
very wise statesmen, turn around with the facility
of weather cock in April, and tell us that
sLdUery is element of strength to the Rebels,
and that until slavery is abolished the rebellion
cannot be ''crushed out " This, then, is their
"last card" But we tell them now, at the risk
of being argued Rebel sympathizer. that
that card is not ''trump"-that it is, in fact, the
most contemplate "seven spot" in the deck.


We told that the abolition of slavery is
"military necessity" / tell gentlemen that it is
military impOssibIlny" How, ] ask, can
slavery be forcibly abolished until the rebellion
is first put down? The theory Of the proclamation
is that the negroes will free themselves, that they
will revolt against their masters. refuse to work
for them, and thus weaken the Rebel cause. The
theory is false n the events will prove, and as it
is even now admitted to be by the Senator from
Jefferson, Mr. Mansfield VINO says that no





proclamation. This being true, what becomes of
the necessity" And if it don't free the negroes
what good effects do its friends claim for itI Does
it divide the SOuthl Does it unite the North?
Does it give nerve and strength to the arm of the
soldierl Does it give hope and confidence to his
hearty No, sir, it does none OF these things, but
just the reverse. IL ought TO be withdrawn imme-
diately. Its withdrawal is "rDlitars necessity"
tbs worse than Mr. Lincons " "Pope's bull against
tba Il, ., k,,ll ,ho ~


Now, Mr.. President. / think have sufficiently
shown the position | occupy on this subject. and
the reason why occupy it, | may not have sat
s6ed blind partisans that the abolition policy is
a disunion policy. They, in their present cOndi
ton. may not be able to 'see it." But trust
/ have satisfied them that consider it disunion
policy, and that / oppose it for that reason. L
must act upon my own convictions of duty. l
differ with no Union man as to the end to be at
tanned; but DO differ with professed Union men
as to the means 70 be used accomplish that end.


The Senator from Henry Mr.. Mellettl says if
/ vote against these Abolition schemes, / will
give vote in favor of the Southern Confederacy.
j tell him that ii he votes for these schemes, he
will give vote in favor of the Southern Conied-
eracy, and will be doing it exactly the service
which JEFF. Davis wants dOne--a vote TO divide
the North and unite the South. The Senator
from Henry has his views upon this subject;
have mine. He cannot dislike my views any
more than dislike his. Whether he is right or
/ am right. time will determine. as it has deter
mined upon other questions of difference between
US, and between tue conservative and radical
parties of the country. And here will propose
a compromise with the Senator. say to him,
vote your sentiments, and be accountable TO your
constituents and to posterity; and will vote my
sentiments and be accountable to my constituents
and to posterity.


Ii the history of these times shall record the
fact that the conservatives we're wrong and the
radicals OH in tha IN he tO