Year: 1861

the Constitution for provisions and princi
Piles TO settle the questions of conflicting
interests, and are compelled to turn away
from the instrument with the unsatisfactory
conclusion of President Lincoln THAT,
the Constitution. does not expressly say )"


At any time before the lst of January,
1861 this sectional strife could have been
ended By making 1.-The Constitution ex-
pressIy say" what the rights Of each sec
ton of the Union were in regard to these
disputed questions, and have fixed in that
instrument clear and well defined limit
on terms of equity to demands of the
South. The Crittenden amendments, or
any similar measure, would have saved
every State except South Carolina, and
standing alone, she would have been com
PEELED, as in 1882, to pause before she
consummated her treason by overt acts Of
rebellion. But the time passed by, the
dominant part of the North refused to
yield--worse than that, they refused to
submit the question to the people. They
would net let you and me and other cit-
zens of the free States say at the ballot
box how much we thought this Union was
worth. or how much we were willing to
concede Of disputed points TO save it. A
false pride, or what was worse, deter
mination to hold on ito political power at
the expense of the safety of the Govern
ment. prevented them from either settling
tie difficulty themselves, or submitting
the question of settlement to the people in
some form by which the popular will could
be made known We drifted into a civil
war The story of the initiation of this
war viii sometime be written 1t is not
my purpose to speak of it now When it
did come the people of both sections of
the country sprang to arms. No man
doubted the patriotic impulse that promp-
ted our people as one man. disregardr g
all minor differences of opinion, IN hope of
saving the country by the sword from
dismemberment and ruin, after the poli,i-
clans had refused TO save it by the arts of
peace. The signal whistle Of Roderick
Due was not more promptly answered by
lis clansmen than ha been the call Of the
President for volunteers to defend and if
possible save the Government, and since
war has commenced in my judgment self
protection and self defense require that we
should not lay down our arms. While
the South is armed we too must maintain
a hostile attitude. But will war settle the
questions about which we have differed =?
Let the President answer | quote from
his inaugural address:


" Can aliens mai Re treaties easier than
friends? Can treaties be more faithfully
enforced among aliens than laws among
friends? Suppose you go to war you
cannot fight always. and when, after
much loss on both sides and no gam on
either, you cease fighting. the old ldenli-
cal questions as to terms of Intercourse
are again upon you"


What then are we to do? Let our
ar les be preceded by propositions of
settlement-e let the " olive branch precede
the arrows of death " be true to the en-
blems Of your counlry's glory. But it
may be asked are you wiling to treat
with rebels with arms in their hands ?
do not suppose that any terms short of a
recognition of the Southern Confederacy
would be accepted by those who are at
The head of affairs in the South, and am
not a disunionist, either peaceably or other
wise. The leaders of the Southern rebel :
lion have staked ther all upon the hazard
and must stand the cast upon the die
With them it must prove asuccessful revo
lation or an ignomnious grave.


But apprehend that every true patriot
desires to see reconstruction Of this Gov
ernment upon the principle of tie Federal
Constitution, and that this is, or ought to
be. the purposes Of this war, and not the
unconditional subjugation of the Southern
States. And the question that addresses
itself to us is, how can tina. be done a.?
believe that it is possible to do SO by
holding up the hands of the Union men
of the South, and the best mode of doing
that is TO settle forever the questions lha,
divide us. Let the Constitution say u
what their rights are and what we are
willing to conccGe for when tbs war is
over "the old . id ,niical terms of inter
course are again upon u.s." And this we
should do the more readily as all they
demand. is conceded, could not iniure us
But again | may be asked are there any
Union men in the South TO whom terms
can be offered? On this subject, | can
only quote from the Presidents message