Year: 1862

10 We Indiana STATE LeOcTG3Cl contention, al 1Hdt-
|. GnGpotls, Jan. 8th 1862.


Hon. John g. Davis, in the absence OF the Commit
tee Resolutions, called upon to address the Con-
venion He said be felt honored by being thus invited
by bis ielowctzens but if he unequal 10 the task
OF doing justice to the subject, perhaps the inability
might arise because of his recent visit to Richmond
Va, by way OF HopknsVilie, Kentucky. Laughter


II be had known beforehand that be about to take
that trip be would have been happy to have been bear
er Of dispatches from Democrats of the North to their
friends in the South TCheers and laughter. If he
bad made that trip he probably would have it in his
power to state that his old personal friend jeff Davis
was in good health and sent bis kind regards to bis
many friends in Indiana, whose names, perhaps. it
would not be prudent to MENTION tor be did not want
them hung. The worthy President of the Convention
might be one and we could not spare so valuable
spoke from the wheel of Democracy.


He (Mr Davis bad been abused by the press-his


life threatened by the biz ok abolition party. He defed
them. There but two parties in the country-the
conservatives and the abotonists. The battle be-
ing waged between the friends of the Constitution
and the Union the side, an5 the aboonists on
the other


Threats could not intimdate him. He intended to
speak his sentiments. They might burn his property,
might take him to the block-he would ascend the scaf
fold with firm step-but in defiance OF them all be
would express his opinions matters relative to- the
good of the country He was charged with being Sc
cessionst because ocsooth be not abolitionis
The standard by which the Republicans judged man
this IT you were friend of Old Abe and bis ad-
mniStratiOn you were good Union man, but if you
sought to maintain the Constitution and the Union you
were secessOnst. | he Southern men were much to
blame in this controversy. They had done many things
which had tended 10 bring u)n the country this dire
calamity. But the blame did not Ill rest with them-
The ground taken by the abolition party Of the North
the corner stone of all our difficulties. If they had
let this slavery question alone the would to-day have
risen upon free, prosperous AID united people This
party last winter in Congress- could have settled
difficulties if they had been disposed. They weighed tie
Chicago platform and the Union against the other
and concluded 10 lake the Chicago platform, and let the
Union slide!


Every one of the peace propositions coming from the
South was voted down by solid Republican vote in
both branches Of Congress. la view OF the dangers
which stared then In the face, with civil 10 pros
pect, these Republicans came up and voted soIidly
against compromise, against sgreemeut with brothers
Dissolution OF the Union the consequence, and all
the dire caIamies of dissolution upon
He had said III some of his speechts during the
that this would cost $500 600 900 per anuam
For that he had been branded demag0gue. He
now believed it would cost more than S 900 900 900
per annum Who pays the Government this money ?
1t out of the hard earnings of the taxpayers


The interest alone on this would, at ten per c be
$70,000,000 per aunum After exhausting all other
resources OF the Government II would remain Of this
immense sum ISL 0,0000GGj $l49,0O0,000 to be
rasd by direct taxation lndanas share of this WOuLd
be some 81 O0O COO to be raised he repeated by direct
taxation. How is it to be paid looking at the depre-
citation OF property ?o the value of horses corn wheat,
land Does not this thing with this depre-
citation of property, look like coming down with crush
ing weight upon US?


He had predicted war with England when Our trou-
bles began For this be had been denounced as dema
gogue Ii it had not been for the cowardice of those
controlling the Government would now be involved
in with England. The capture OF Mason and
Sldel bad been endorsed by the Republicans every
| nf 10 E,o oE
Congress endorsing Commander Wilkes, when the Bri-


ish lion roared, the serable, crouchng, corrupt Ad
ministrati0n quaied-backed down.


He was no advocate Of the recognition OF the South
ern COnfederacy, but the surrender Of Mason and S
dell was more humating than would be such rec0gui-
ton. These Abolitionsts are brave at distance ;
brave about hanging honest and mobbng printing
presses but when the British lion roared they crOuched
What did these Abolitionists recommend? What
did Camerons report before modified by the President
recommend. The arning Of the slaves fer the slaugh
Of their masters And yet this man was retained
by Lincoln in bis Cabaet Oh! for one hour of Gene
raj jackson at Washington. Tremendous applause.
Wouldn't there be a rafting of dry bones among the
pckers and steaes and punderers of the people there
cOngregated


Not one half of the money poured into the public
treasury by the people, goes to deiray the expenses Of
the war. 1t is stolen by the cormOrantS at Washington
Would jackson have tolerated these thieves? w 0uld
jackson for one hour permit to remain member
of his Cabinet who would have recommended the rising
of the slave to cut bis masters throat? John Cochrane
who holds commission under the Secretary of War,
had avowed like atrOcous sentiments Neither he nor
Cameron, nor any other malignant abolitonst, was re-
moved by the President and these things proved con-
cusivefy that the ultimate intention of the Republican
party the liberation of the slaves Of th South He
predicted the success OF the Democracy if the right kind
of platform adopted. He would vote for no plat
form endorsing this Administration. He would vote
for no platform which would pledge the people to an
unconditional prosecution of this He never intend
ed to endorse anything which of that miserable
Nazareth, this Republican Administration. Y ou might
talk to him about the honesty of Abe LncoIn-ab0ut
his conversations on the slavery question. He was
as corrupt as those who surround him, and unor-
tunaely the smallest toad in the puddle He was al
though at the time be might be poIitic as corrupt as
Simon Cameron, who ought to have been hung when he
was little boy They might talk about hanging bin


Davis lor expressing these sentiments bat let them


first 60 and hang the editors of their own papers who
had said the same thing


| He would lay down bis lie for the restoration OF
peace and prosperity to the country He would lay
down 0n this spot. But he did not believe the Union
could be preserved by coercion-by force. He for
preserving the Union by PROPOSE ions of peace lie
stood in this respect on Andrew Jackson's ground
But they said there nobody to compromise the
South Lincoln had said majority of the people there
were Union men. If the Crlttenden compromise had
been adopted there would to-day have been no such
thing as secession ID the South Virginia, Tennessee
and n North Carolina had ali voted to stay in the Union
but after the rejection OF the Crittenden compromise
their votes reversed That all the border State:
are not loyal today owing solely to the action
the Black Republican party.


He Davis had been charged with being a member
of secret society-of the NJ. p. S.-by lying Repub


can editors There was not one word of truth n The
charges brought against him in this connection. Ht
never was member of secret political association
There secret pOticai association among the
Democracy OF Indiana. Yet this charge came from
whose drn,inn zith