564 



PEACE CONFERENCE. 



conquerors at "Waterloo. Missouri and Iowa, 

 and Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota still 

 linger behind, but it may be hoped that their 

 hearts are with us in the great work we have 

 to do. 



*' Gentlemen, the eyes of the whole country 

 are turned to this assembly in expectation and 

 hope. I trust that you may prove yourselves 

 worthy of the great occasion. Our ancestors 

 probably committed a blunder in not having 

 fixed upon every fifth decade for a call of a 

 General Convention to amend and reform the 

 Constitution. On the contrary, they have 

 made the difficulties next to insurmountable to 

 accomplish amendments to an instrument which 

 was perfect for five millions of people, but not 

 wholly so as to thirty millions. Your patriot- 

 ism will surmount the difficulties, however 

 great, if you will but accomplish one triumph 

 in advance, and that is, a triumph over party. 

 And what is party when compared to the task 

 of rescuing one's country from danger? Do 

 that, and one long loud shout of joy and glad- 

 ness will resound throughout the land." 



The Conference then proceeded to organize in 

 detail, by the appointment of officers, the adop- 

 tion of rules, &c. The mode of voting adopted 

 was by States, each State giving only one vote. 



The resolutions adopted by the respective 

 States to be considered by the Conference were 

 laid before it by the delegates from those States. 

 They possess much interest as expressing the 

 views of those bodies at the commencement of - 

 1861, on the most important questions before 

 the country. 



Massachusetts authorized the Governor and 

 Council to appoint seven commissioners to pro- 

 ceed to Washington "to confer with the Gen- 

 eral Government, or with the separate States, 

 or with any association of delegates from such 

 States, and to report their doings to the Legis- 

 lature at its present session ; it being expressly 

 declared that their acts shall be at all times 

 under the control, and subject to the approval 

 or rejection of the Legislature." 



Rhode Island appointed her commissioners, 

 " to meet such commissioners as may be ap- 

 pointed by other States, in the city of Washing- 

 ton, on the 4th day of February next, to con- 

 sider, and, if practicable, agree upon some 

 amicable adjustment of the present unhappy 

 national difficulties, upon th.e basis and in the 

 spirit of the Constitution of the United States." 



New York resolved that, in thus acceding to 

 the request of Virginia, "it is not to be under- 

 stood that this Legislature approves of the pro- 

 positions submitted by the General Assembly of 

 that State, or concedes the propriety of their 

 adoption by the proposed Convention. But while 

 adhering to the position she has heretofore oc- 

 cupied, New York will not reject an invitation 

 to a conference, which, by bringing together 

 the men of both sections, holds out the possi- 

 bility of an honorable settlement of our na- 

 tional difficulties, and the restoration of peace 

 and harmony to the country." 



New Jersey declared that the resolutions and 

 propositions submitted to the Senate of the 

 United States by John J. Crittenden of Ken- 

 tucky for the compromise of the questions in 

 dispute between the people of the Northern 

 and of the Southern States, or any other con- 

 stitutional method that would permanently settle 

 the question of slavery, " will be acceptable to 

 the people of the State of New Jersey, and the 

 Senators and Representatives in Congress from 

 New Jersey be requested and earnestly urged 

 to support these resolutions and propositions." 



The Legislature of Pennsylvania expressed the 

 opinion that no reasonable cause existed for the 

 extraordinary excitement pervading some of the 

 States, in relation to their domestic institutions, 

 and declared that " while Pennsylvania still ad- 

 heres to, and cannot surrender, the principles 

 which she has always entertained on the sub- 

 ject of slavery, this Legislature is willing to 

 accept the invitation of Virginia and unite with 

 her in an earnest effort to restore the peace of 

 the country, by such means as may be consist- 

 ent with the principles upon which the Con- 

 stitution is founded." That body also resolved 

 that, in their opinion, " the people of Pennsyl- 

 vania do not desire any alteration or amend- 

 ment of the Constitution of the United States, 

 and any recommendation from this body to that 

 effect, while it does not come within its appro- 

 priate and legitimate duties, would not meet 

 with their approval ; that Pennsylvania will 

 cordially unite with the other States of the 

 Union in the adoption of any proper constitu- 

 tional -measures adequate to guarantee and secure 

 a more strict and faithful observance of the 

 second section of the fourth article of the Con- 

 stitution of the United States, which provides, 

 among other things, that ' the citizens of each 

 State shall be entitled to all privileges and im- 

 munities of citizens of the several States,' and 

 that ' no person held to service or labor in one 

 State under the law thereof, escaping into 

 another, shall, in consequence of any law or reg- 

 ulation therein, be discharged from such service 

 or labor, but shall be delivered up on the claim 

 of the party to whom such service or labor may 

 be due.' " 



Delaware declared that, in the opinion of 

 " this General Assembly, the people of Dela- 

 ware are thoroughly devoted to the perpetuity 

 of the Union, and that the commissioners up- 

 pointed, are expected to emulate the example 

 set by the immortal patriots who formed the 

 Federal Constitution, by sacrificing all minor 

 considerations upon the altar of the Union." 



The views of the Legislature of Ohio were 

 expressed in these words : " While we are not 

 prepared to assent to the terms of settlement 

 proposed by Virginia, and are fully satisfied 

 that the Constitution of the United States as it 

 is, fairly interpreted and obeyed by all sections 

 of our country, contains ample provisions within 

 itself for the correction of all evils complained 

 of, yet a disposition to reciprocate the patriotic 

 spirit of a sister State, and a sincere desire to 



