Year: 1863

war OF twenty years without any precepti bic OBJ
ject except to prevent the people of France
from having such Government as they wanted,
l am sure that We can 60 through war of ten
years to guarantee to ourselves and our posterty
the right of having Government of our own


Fellow.citizens, Ifeel that this is no time to
argue question of this sort l feel very much
in the condition of the Scotch preacher, who
prea; he'd two hours to acongregation against the
awful sin of luxury, when there were not three
persons in the house who had shoes on their feet.
(Laughter.) do not mean to draw parallel be-
between his congregation and mine in that re-
spect, but do not suppose there is man here
who needs to be reasoned with on this point any
more than these barefoot Scotchmen did on the
evil of luxury, All that we have to do, fellow
citizens, is, to unite and stay united in this war
against rebellion There never was on the earth
a cause which challenged the hearts devotion of
contending. 1t is the cause Of ourselves and our
children it is to perpetuate the American ma
topality, the liberties of the American people,
the rights of the American people to choose their
own Government and to make their own laws,
and have here on this Western Continent great
powerful empire that protects the liberties of its
people. that seeks no war with any other nation,
but that fears no war with all the nations on the
face OF the earth. Applause. And now am
free to admit that If there were any case OF into


cradle oppression there would be some justidca-
tion for rebellion and war We have heard the
doctrine broached that ii the people of the South
want nation of their own, they have right to
it. The simple answer is this they had Gov
ernment of their own before they attempted to
break it up. This Government of the American
people was their Government as much as 1t was
ours, and probably it has been good deal more
so. (Applause.) They have had it always their
own way, and the moment they began to suspect
they could no longer tyrannize over us then they
began to complain of our tyranny, and attempt
ed to destroy the nation in which they lived:
But there can be no such thing, felow-citizens,
as justi6able revolution against Government of
the people What is it? Is it a rebellion of o
majority of the people? Did majority of the
people of this country consent to overthrow this
Government? "a VoICE-No.) No one pre-.
tends that even if everyman, woman and child
in the South wished it, they would be but very
small minority. Now is minority to overthrow
free government, whenever they see fit, to
plead tyranny as an excuse therefor? VOICE
No. If there is any foundation forsuch pre-
tence as that, then there is an end to all Govern
ment, and the South may not only rebel to-day
and New-York tomorrow. and Connecticut the
next day. and the County of Westchester the
day after. Laughter 1t destroys all posi-.
bility of Government people go back to their
original elements, Instead of being people
bound together by the links of nationality, con
stituting agreat and powerful empire, holding
aoft the starry flag of hope to the nations OF the
earth, going on in a career of prosperity, OF or
der and of law, we become mere mob of unor
ganzed individuals, which can never have any
existence, unless it be imposed upon them by the
sword and the bayonet. We have not come to
any such necessity as that yet. We stand here
to-day, to proclaim that whatever may betide us,
whether veal or woe we stand to fight for the
American nationality, for popular rights, and
fight for the flag that symbolizes them all. that
goes to the ends Of the earth as an emblem Of
power, prophecy of our greatness and we will
defend it, not only against southern rebels, but
against all aders and abettors on the face Of the
earth (Applause.)