Year: 1863

NDeeCH HcSTCs"AJ SAAsSSs


At large meeting of the citizens of Gin
cinnati on the night before the late election
the distinguished Secretary of the Treasu
ry made characteristic and able speech, ,
part Of which we publish below


After some remarks of an Introductory
character, he proceeded as follows:


We are engaged in great struggle. L
is struggle brought upon US by no faul
of the people OF the United States, ant
when / say by no fault of the people o
the United States mean precisely what
say. The laboring masses, the merchants
the manufacturers, the mechanics. OF the
North have had no part in bringing
on this war. The non-slaveholders Of the
South have had no part in bringing or
this strife. 1t is a strife brought on by {
conspiracy of the few who rule the many
and it is simply because they We're mo-
willing to trust the people with their cause
that they went TO arms for the purpose O.
establishing dominion where they coulC
rule blacks and whites separately from the
Federal Government. That is all there is
of the rebellion.


Now this conspiracy is not a recent affair.
Wherever you find an aristocracy in the
country, and that aristocracy finds itsell
oppressed by the people, 1t goes to wal
with the people. The difference between





have warred upon the people in other
countries is, that our aristocracy happened
to be established in certain portions of the
country. They occupied certain States,
and therefore it was that, when the time
came for aristocracy to rebel against the
democracy, they succeeded first in carry
ing out of the Union the most aristOcratic
OF all The States-namely, South Carolina
and then South Carolina was followed by
the other aristocratic States in succession,
until we became involved in this terrible
war.


Now when an aristocracy thus wars on
the Democracy. especially if that aristoc-
racy be local aristocracy like ours, there
is nothing for it but to meet the challenge
which they throw down, or submit to dis
menberment. This is the challenge pre-
sented to us and you. The question in the
West was, shall the aristocracy rule the
Mississippi; the question In the East was,
shall the aristocracy have the whole sea-
coast down to the Gulf, and the whole
country pronounced This shall not bev'
And when they went to war to establish a
monarchial institutions of the Old World.
Then we went to war too.


Now, then, the simple question before
US is, Is this country worth war? Are
the hopes dpending upon the prosperity of
American institutions worth enough to
Justify us in going to war for the nation S
life? Is the life Of this nation worth
enough to justify US in going to war;
Look through the history of man and tell
me where you can find people involved
in a struggle for more noble object than
that Of preserving nations life. We
mean to preserve the life of this nation
and the integrity OF this nation, too; we
mean to make it thoroughly impossible in
times to come, that a disaffected faction in
,f ha aor or q a RI
.ly blow at the vitality Of the country
[Cheers.l That is all there is of it, and 1
have, therefore no doubt about the issue OF
this war. have thought the issue was
certain from the beginning; that it was
simply question Of endurance. 1t was a
simple question, whether the great masses
OF the people could continue to struggle to
enable the Government to subdue the ar.
ristocratic portion and to prevent them
from controlling the whole laboring popu-
lation of the Southern States, white and
black. / have no doubt about the result.
We shall go on as we have gone on. 1t
may be we cannot go on as fast as we de-
sire. l should have been very glad N.Y.
sely if we could have stricken this rebel
lion down in the first six months. Some
times I thought it might have been done,
but it has turned out that we could not YET
and the war has gone on with varying
successes until now. At last we have the





cess. I suppose all military men will
agree that the military occupation of East
Tennessee must necessarily control the is.
sue ofthe war. If the rebS could take pos.
session of that great valley and hold it per.
manently and send out their armies from
that locality, then we could not hope fol
success in the long run. 1t is just as GER.
tain now that we have that valley of Eas1
Tennessee, that great mountain region, ,and
hold it, just as is it a question of time
whether this rebellion shall be put down
or not. We shall just as certainly succeed
as time rolls on, because we havethat grea,
internal fortress, and all we have to do is
to send out armies from it. Besides we
have the complete control of the Mississippi
river; the commercial possession of the river
soon to become complete by the advance
of our army. Everybody can see that the
party that holds the Mississippi holds the
control of the Mississippi Valley, and we
hold to day virtually the control of tha,
valley.


Now what remains? Gen. Gilmore. one
OfOhios sons, is now constructing his bat.
teries in front ST Charleston, and tha,
Charleston must fall is as certain as thai
Fort Wagner was to fall before Gilmore
/ consider, therefore, my fellow citizens
that this rebellion is virtually subdued-]
know it is not actually subdued. They
have large armies in the field, but ours are
vastly stronger. everywhere our armie:
are stronger than they are. Therefore
regard the rebellion as virtually subdued
But / think-though it is not my busines.
to speak confidently of these things
think, with the very slender lights l pos
sess on this subject. that with energetic
resolute conduct, with the whole head ant
the whole heart of the nation thrown int
into it, that this rebellion will be brough
to close tolerably quickly. Now, my
fellow citizens / am not going to make
speech, but 1 will go over some of th'
heads that appear most prominent to m,
own view. l have shown you what kint
of war we have, l have shown you wher,
we stand in the war; allow me to say an
other thing to you. 1t was one of the mos
natural things in the world, that when tn,
war began we would want to get through