CONGRESS, U. S. 



311 



tion of oar society, -will disband. Yes, sir ; 

 justice, honesty, and humanity, everythig that 

 is honorable in the human character, would 

 compel them that instant to throw down their 

 arms. They would revolt at the idee of hav- 

 ing been drawn into a war under the pretence 

 of sustaining the Union, but in fact for the pur- 

 pose of forcing emancipation upon the States 

 of the South. 



" Then how would yon fight your battles, 

 already sufficiently arduous? I see the distin- 

 guished gentleman from Pennsylvania leading 

 the charges upon the cohorts of rebellion and 

 storming the batteries armed by treason and 

 theft. I think I see the meek-faced gentleman 

 from Indiana (Mr. Julian), who read his printed 

 composition to the committee the other day 

 upon ' the sum of all human villanies,' I think 

 I see him heading a charge against the regi- 

 ments of rebellion. Yes, sir, the war would be 

 brought, to a speedy conclusion with men like 

 these to fight it. They are not the fighting men ; 

 they belong to what is known as the school 

 of humanitarians; they deprecate the shed- 

 ding of blood, and do not like the smell of vil- 

 lanous saltpetre. Unless you bring emancipa- 

 tion into the war they will not vote another 

 man, another dollar, to carry on the war. 

 They will permit the rebellion not only to pro- 

 fane with storm and slaughter this capital, 

 bearing the honored name of Washington, but 

 they will permit it to burn Baltimore, Phila- 

 delphia, and Xew York, to overwhelm the na- 

 tion in its progress rather than vote a man or 

 a dollar, unless you, the representatives of the 

 people, will give an anti-slavery turn ' and 

 vigor' to the war. Who does not know the 

 objects of these things ? These men belong to 

 the peace party ; they and their policy aim at 

 disgraceful peace, and a dissolution on the slave 

 line. 



" Mr. Chairman, we, who are from the States 

 most nearly concerned, have sat here for weeks 

 and weeks, and suffered this question to be 

 brought forward and debated in the most in- 

 temperate and offensive manner. We have 

 heard them talk about the slaveholder as if he 

 were not their peer, and of the same race as them- 

 selves. Yet, for the sake of securing the great 

 measures necessary to accomplish a successful 

 termination of this war and the preservation 

 of our torn country, we have sat still and en- 

 dured it. Xo forbearance moves their ' stern, 

 inexorable hearts.' The consideration of these 

 topics has been forced upon us by the peace 

 party in this House, who believe that if this 

 question of emancipation is forced into the war 

 there will be fifteen States in the rebellion in- 

 stead of eleven ; and that peace and dissolution 

 follows. 



" They may be dissapointed in this. As for 

 ourselves, we do not intend to quit this Union 

 we will never give up our lot and part in it. 

 We will find ways and means and friends and 

 safety for all our rights in the Union. We will 

 never commit the mighty sin, the mightier 



blunder, which the seceded States have com- 

 mitted, of going out of the Union. Every acre 

 of all the lands from Atlantic shores to Pacific 

 seas forms a part of our inheritance, and our 

 country, and we will never surrender one grain 

 of all their sands. If you commit the great 

 blunder of making this a war for emancipation, 

 then let me tell you that we will stand by the 

 Constitution that your fathers and our fathers 

 gave to us ; we will seek beneath its ample 

 shield protection from the horrors of servile 

 insurrection, and the preservation of liberty 

 and equality, our inalienable birthright. The 

 cotton States cut themselves off frgm the sym- 

 pathy of the conservative men in the halls of 

 legislation, as well as from their support upon 

 the field of battle. We of Kentucky will not 

 break away from this Union and enter into the 

 same folly of rebellion. Xo, sir , we have 

 sworn by the blood that cemented it ; we have 

 sworn by the great men who founded it, and 

 our own great departed Teacher ; we have 

 sworn by every tie of affection and honor eter- 

 nal fidelity to it, and we will defend ourselves 

 and our rights in the Union, not out of it, to 

 the last gasp. And in that contest we expect 

 to see worthy patriots from all the States rally- 

 ing to our aid in Congress, or as we now see 

 them, upon the tented field. We expect, too, 

 patriot Presidents, rulers of the whole people, 

 to interpose to shield us from oppression. The 

 result cannot be doubted. The Union and the 

 Constitution, the cause of right and justice, will 

 prevail, and abolition and rebellion meet a 

 common fate." 



On the close of Mr. Wadsworth's remarks 

 the House adjourned. 



The subject was again considered on the 20th, 

 in committee, when Mr. Fessenden. of Maine, 

 took the floor and summarily expressed his 

 views thus : " Mr. Chairman, possibly we may 

 ultimately be successful in this war without 

 taking such measures as shall result in the abo- 

 lition of slavery. Possibly we may be strong 

 enough to do this, and leave slavery in the 

 slave States in statu quo ante bell'/m. I do not 

 believe, however, that we are sufficiently pow- 

 erful to accomplish this object, if it be our ob- 

 ject, because I cannot disbelieve that God has 

 good still in store for us. But possibly. I say. 

 we may have this power, as many have the 

 will. But in this event, we return from vic- 

 tory, as did the Thracian horse, still bearing a 

 master on his back." 



Mr. Steele, of Xew York, followed, on the 

 other side. He said: "It is my firm belief 

 that if abolitionism should rule the day, this 

 war would become one of extermination and 

 death all over the country : that ' the blackness 

 of darkness ' would overshadow the land, and 

 the sun of liberty go down in blood, thereby ex- 

 tinguishing the hopes of freemen for a repub- 

 lican government, and obliterating all reason- 

 able grounds for expecting the permanent sov- 

 ereignty of the people." 



Mr. Wright, of Pennsylvania, then com- 



