David Josiah Brewer
Published: 2013-09
Total Pages: 156
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ...lowest depths of a similar dark treason, there rises a Benedict Arnold and proposes to surrender us all up, body and spirit, the nation and the flag, its genius and its honor, now and forever, to the accursed traitors to our country. And that proposition comes--God forgive and pity my beloved State!--it comes from a citizen of the honored and loyal Commonwealth of Ohio! I implore you. brethren in this House, not to believe that many such births ever gave pangs to my mother State such as she suffered when that traitor was born. I beg you not to believe that on the soil of that State another such growth has ever deformed the face of nature, and darkened the light of God's day. But ah! I am reminded that there are other such. My zeal and love for Ohio have carried me too far. I retract. I remember that only a few days since, a political convention met at the capital of my State, and almost decided to select from just such material a Representative for the Democratic party in the coming contest; and to-day, what claim to be a majority of the Democracy of that State say that they have been cheated, or they would have made that choice. I, therefore, sadly take back the boast I first uttered in behalf of my native State. But, sir, I will forget States. We have something greater than States and State pride to talk of here to-day. All personal or State feeling aside, I ask you what is the proposition which the enemy of his country has just made? What is it? For the first time in the history of this contest, it is proposed in this hall to give up the struggle, to abandon the war, and let treason run riot through the land! I will, if I can, dismiss feeling from my heart, and try to consider only what bears upon that logic of the speech to which we...