the present time, and they have landed us
where, from the whole tendency of their po-
litical doctrines, we might legitimately and
properly been expected to be landed.
It has been said by the gentlemen from
Prince George's, that the national party is
responsible for this war; that Abraham Lin-
coln is responsible for it. If they had carried
out their purposes, Abraham Lincoln never
would have been in that chair. He would
have been murdered in the streets of Balti-
more on the 23d day of February, 1860. It
was a conspiracy from the beginning; a conspiracy
long since entered into. They had
educated the Southern men. Whenever they
saw a young man of talent and ability in the
South, lie was brought within the sphere of
their infernal influence, and he was reared up
so that all the powers which God and nature
had given him were finally enlisted upon
their side. They printed all the abominable
abolition trash they could rake up in the
North, in the Southern papers, for the pur-
pose of firing the Southern heart. They
preached the doctrine of States' rights from
year to year, from January to December, in
season and out of season.
[At this moment the hour having expired,
the hammer fell.]
On motion of Mr. JONES, of Somerset, the
rule was suspended, to allow the speaker to
conclude his remarks.
Mr. NEGLEY proceeded. It was a deep laid
conspiracy. It will be recollected that it was
charged upon this party that while they
promised to save the country they could not
save themselves. They went to pieces at
Charleston, Stephen A. Douglas was aware
of their purposes; and he had power and in-
fluence enough to carry the Northern De-
mocracy with him; but not to lead them. The
old stagers of the political States' rights
school did not go with him; but the great
mass of the Northern Democracy went with
him. They broke in two at Charleston like a
stranded ship. They had separate electors
for the Southern States and for the Northern
States, it was asked of a Douglas elector at
Richmond whether Douglas would regard the
election of Abraham Lincoln as a sufficient
cause for the dissolution of the Union. He
promptly replied, with the assent of Douglas,
that he would not. Then the Douglas elector
made a similar inquiry, whether Mr. Breckinridge
would regard the election of Abraham
Lincoln as a sufficient cause for the dissolu-
tion of the Union; and you have never heard
the reply to that interrogatory. Mr. Douglas
knew the purposes of the prime movers and
leaders in this conspiracy. He knew that
their designs were, if they did not continue to
have power, if they did not elect Breckin-
ridge, they were determined to break up the
Government.
The facts show that the whole infernal ma-
chinery of the go-called Confederate Govern- |
ment wag absolutely put in force and got under
way before ever Abraham Lincoln took
the chair of the executive department of the
Government. The States had seceded; they
had formed a Confederate Government at
Montgomery; they had elected Jeff. Davis as
the President of that government before even
Abraham Lincoln went into the Presidential
chair. While James Buchanan was still
President his cabinet officers dispersed our
navy over every sea, so that our ships should
not be available. They transported all the
arms at the disposal of the Federal Govern-
ment down into Southern ports. They were
absolutely taking away immense cannon from
Pittsburg, when the people of that city be-
came aware of the fact and rose up en masse
and sent them back, determined that they
would not permit these cannon to be used
for the destruction of the Federal Govern-
ment.
While James Buchanan was yet Presi-
dent, before this Presidential Administration
had being, in point of fact, the following acts
of civil war were openly perpetrated :
" On November 10, 1860, before the vote
for President was fully known, hostilities
were virtually inaugurated by hills for arm-
ing troops and denouncing the United States
authority, passed in a Southern Legislature,
and by open revolt, sedition and treason at
numerous public meetings there.
"On the 20th of December, South Carolina,
in State Convention, declared war by
her secession ordinance.
" On the 25th, called upon the slave States
to form a confederacy.
"On the 28th, tore down and trampled
upon the Union flag; and by force seized the
United States custom-house, post-office, and
arsenal at Charleston, and also captured Forts
Moultrie and Pinckney.
The gentleman from Prince George's, (Mr.
Clarke,) told us the other day that if in the
May following, there had been a proper ex-
ecutive officer in the State of Maryland, all
these things could have been avoided; and
yet months before, while the whole power of
the Government was in the bands of the
States' rights party, these acts of treason had
been perpetrated.
" December 27th, the United States revenue
cutter Aiken was betrayed into the enemy's
power.
" In 1861, January 2d, Governor Ellis, of
North Carolina, took Fort Macon at Beaufort,
the barracks at Washington, and all the Uni-
ted States property at Fayetteville.
" Same day, Mississippi commenced war by
setting up another government within this
supreme Government.
"The same day, Georgians took possession
of Ports Pulaski and Jackson, and the United
States arsenal at Savannah.
"On the 4th of January, Fort Morgan at
Mobile Bay, and the United States arsenal at |
